Einar H. Dyvik
Research expert covering Nordics and global data for society, economy, and politics
Economy of Poland - statistics & facts
The last 30 years have witnessed Poland's greatest economic success in the history of its independence. Between 1990 and 2018, the country's gross domestic product (GDP) grew nearly eightfold. The Polish economy has also shown strong resilience to the financial crisis in 2008 and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. GDP per capita in purchasing power standards (PPS) has risen from 60 percent of the European Union (EU) average in 2009 to 80 percent in 2023. Moreover, Poland's GDP amounted to nearly 749 billion euros, ranking eighth in Europe and first among Central and Eastern European countries.
Despite increasing government revenue and sealing the VAT tax gap to its lowest level since 2008, Poland's economy is struggling with growing public debt. The COVID-19 pandemic government aid programs to stimulate the economy and support entrepreneurs have caused a sharp increase in public debt, which reached 57.2 percent of GDP in 2020. In 2023, the debt fell to 49.6 percent. For comparison, the appropriate level of the national debt is assumed to be a limit of 60 percent of GDP.
Continuously since 1990, Germany has been Poland's leading trading partner. However, Germany's share of exports has declined by more than 10 percentage points since 1995. Nevertheless, the value of exports with Germany amounted to 94.8 billion euros in 2024. In comparison, exports of goods to France amounted to 21.3 billion euros and the USA to 11.6 billion euros. Poland is also one of Germany's main trading partners. The country's share of exports to Poland was 5.8 percent in 2023, worth 92 billion euros.
Poland's economic development
In 2023, Poland's GDP value grew to 3.4 trillion zloty. The real GDP in Poland is expected to reach 3.7 percent in 2025. The GDP rate recorded negative two percent in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has also significantly affected the labor market. Many industries' lockdowns caused the registered unemployment rate to rise in 2020 for the first time since 2013. Despite this, Poland is a country that has one of the lowest unemployment rates compared to EU countries, reaching 2.9 percent in 2024.Despite increasing government revenue and sealing the VAT tax gap to its lowest level since 2008, Poland's economy is struggling with growing public debt. The COVID-19 pandemic government aid programs to stimulate the economy and support entrepreneurs have caused a sharp increase in public debt, which reached 57.2 percent of GDP in 2020. In 2023, the debt fell to 49.6 percent. For comparison, the appropriate level of the national debt is assumed to be a limit of 60 percent of GDP.
Polish exports
Since 2015, Polish foreign trade has recorded a surplus in the exchange of goods with foreign countries, which means more exported goods than imported. In 2023, the surplus reached a record value of 48.6 billion zloty, decreasing to only three billion euros in 2024. The country's main exports are machinery and transport equipment, furniture, apparel, and prepared foodstuffs.Continuously since 1990, Germany has been Poland's leading trading partner. However, Germany's share of exports has declined by more than 10 percentage points since 1995. Nevertheless, the value of exports with Germany amounted to 94.8 billion euros in 2024. In comparison, exports of goods to France amounted to 21.3 billion euros and the USA to 11.6 billion euros. Poland is also one of Germany's main trading partners. The country's share of exports to Poland was 5.8 percent in 2023, worth 92 billion euros.
