Population growth in Eastern Europe per country 1950-1970

During the 1950s and 1960s, the population of Eastern Europe grew by approximately 1.3 percent each year, although it varied per country. The Soviet Union and Poland saw the largest growth, with annual increases of 1.5 and 1.4 percent respectively. While most countries saw significant population growth in this period, East Germany's population actually decreased, from 18.4 million in 1950 to 17.1 million in 197. This was due to the high rates of Westward migration in the 1950s, before border restrictions became much more stringent after 1961.