Spatial heterogeneity of population distribution in Poland: a geographically weighted regression approach to Zipf's law

Andrzej Cieślik

doi:10.2478/mgrsd-2025-0047

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Spatial heterogeneity of population distribution in Poland: a geographically weighted regression approach to Zipf's law

Miscellanea Geographica

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By: Andrzej Cieślik

Open Access

|Apr 2026

Abstract

In this study, we explored the spatial heterogeneity of Zipf's law and its evolution over time using a geographically weighted regression on 380 Polish powiats in 1995, 2004, and 2020. We found that Zipf's law is not supported in Poland since populations are distributed more evenly compared to the optimal case. Estimated Zipf coefficients vary across space, exhibiting substantial heterogeneity. Spatial inequalities seem to be increasing over time.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mgrsd-2025-0047 | Journal eISSN: 2084-6118 | Journal ISSN: 0867-6046

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Language: English

Submitted on: Sep 2, 2024

Accepted on: Sep 21, 2025

Published on: Apr 26, 2026

Published by: Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, University of Warsaw

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: 4 issues per year

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© 2026 Andrzej Cieślik, published by Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, University of Warsaw
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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