Visualizing Six Decades of Polish Migration: An Interactive Analytics Approach (1966–2024)

This project presents an interactive, data-driven visualization of Polish migration patterns between 1966 and 2024. Using multi-series line chart, cumulative flow analysis, and an animated geospatial map, the project explores six decades of demographic mobility shaped by political, economic, and social forces. Major historical events - including the fall of the Berlin Wall, Poland’s accession to the European Union, Schengen integration, and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine - are incorporated directly into the visualization to contextualize shifts in migration. The dataset, compiled from historical migration statistics published by the Polish Central Statistical Office (GUS), is transformed into a browsable digital interface using D3.js. This white paper describes the methodological decisions, data preparation, design choices, and historical insights that underpin the project. The result demonstrates how interactive visualization allows users to understand both the long-term “shape” of migration and the year-to-year geographic dynamics of Polish mobility. Website: https://alexgilarowski.github.io/PolishMigrationProject/