Changes in the number of population in large cities of Central and East-Central Europe

The aim of the article is to review the situation in terms of changes in the population of large cities in Central and East-Central Europe. Cities with a population above 300,000 inhabitants in 2004 were considered as large. The time frame of the analysis covers the period between 2004 and 2014. In total, the study involved 59 cities, of which in 31 an increase in the official number of inhabitants was recorded, and in 29 a decrease. It was found that the largest increase occurred mainly in the capital cities and in cities attractive to tourists, while the biggest decrease in post-industrial cities. At the regional level, the highest percentage of large cities with a decrease in the official population was recorded in the Baltic States, Poland and Ukraine