Przeprowadzono badanie zmian struktury demograficznej obszarów wiejskich woj. lubelskiego w okresie między dwoma ostatnimi spisami powszechnymi (1998 r. i 2002 r.) w układzie jednostek gminnych. Stan i dynamikę zaludnienia zbadano za pomocą metody J.W. Webba. Z analizy wynika, że w latach 1988-2002 absolutna liczba ludności w istotnej części gmin woj. lubelskiego zmniejszyła się. Główną przyczyną był niski przyrost naturalny, a ściślej spadek dzietności kobiet.
EN
The paper describes the demographic changes that took place in rural areas of the Lubelskie voivodship in the years 1988-2002. After the collapse of the communist regime in 1989, Poland has experienced new political, economic and social conditions and they have considerably influenced population processes. The demographic changes in the nineties were one of the most dynamic in the whole period after World War II. The analysis shows the influence of migrations and natural growth rates on the depopulation processes in the rural communes of the voivodship. After the year 1989 the trend of depopulation has still existed in the voivodship but it was caused by different factors. Although the emigration of the inhabitants from villages to towns has diminished, natural increase has decreased and led to a very low or even negative population growth. The most noticeable consequence of the depopulation in the Lubelskie voivodship is well-marked increase in the number of elderly people which leads to the negative age structure of the rural population.