EN
The article is devoted to the description of Polish families in view of the National Census 2002 and it takes into account the changes, which occurred in the family structure since the National Census 1988 and other prior censuses. We have particularly focused on the following issues: the family composition of households, types of families in house-holds, families with dependent children, families in collective households. The article also summarizes the main conclusions regarding the current structure of Polish families and the characteristic directions of changes. We found the continuation of nuclearization of families, the decline in the number of households with multiple children and young families, rise in the number of people living in informal relationships and a significant rise in the number of families deriving their income from other sources than earned income. Key words: household, family-based household, collective household, family, young families, reconstructed family, family with dependent children, marriages without children, partners with children, partners without children, single-parent families, source of income of families.