Poland Travel Podcast with Kacper Nowak

Location

Central Europe, east of Germany

Terrain

Mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border

Climate

Temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers

Elevation

Highest point

Rysy 2,499 m

Lowest point

Near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m

Mean elevation

173 m

Area

Total

312,685 sq km

Land

304,255 sq km

Water

8,430 sq km

Size comparison

About twice the size of Georgia; slightly smaller than New Mexico

Coastline

440 km

Land borders

Total

2,865 km

Border countries

Belarus 375 km; Czechia 699 km; Germany 467 km; Lithuania 100 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 209 km; Slovakia 517 km; Ukraine 498 km

Natural resources

Coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land

Land use

Agricultural land

47.6% (2023 est.)

Arable land

36.6% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

1.1% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

9.8% (2023 est.)

Forest

31% (2023 est.)

Other

21% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Flooding

Note

Historically an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain

Population

Total

38,746,310 (2024 est.)

Male

18,441,415

Female

20,304,895

Nationality

Noun

Pole(s)

Adjective

Polish

Ethnic groups

Polish 96.9%, Silesian 1.1%, German 0.2%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 1.7% (2011 est.)

Languages

Languages

Polish (official) 98.2%, Silesian 1.4%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.2% (2011 est.)

Major-language sample(s)

Księga Faktów Świata, niezbędne źródło podstawowych informacji. (Polish)

Religions

Roman Catholic 70.7%, refused to answer 20.9%, no religion 6.9%; less than 1 percent: Orthodox, Jehovah Witness, Evangelic of Augsburg, Greek Catholic, Pentecostal, other Protestant, not stated, old Catholic Mariavite Church, other Christians, Islam, Buddhist, Polish Catholic Church, other, Baptist Union of Poland, Pagan, Seventh Day Adventist, Hindu, other Catholic (2021 est.)

Median age

Total

43.4 years (2025 est.)

Male

41.5 years

Female

44.3 years

Life expectancy

Total population

76.7 years (2024 est.)

Male

72.8 years

Female

80.9 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

60.2% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

-0.16% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

Population concentrated in the southern area around Krakow and the central area around Warsaw and Lodz, with an extension to the northern coastal city of Gdansk

Largest cities

1.798 million WARSAW (capital), 769,000 Krakow (2023)

Background

Poland's history as a state began near the middle of the 10th century. By the mid-16th century, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ruled a vast tract of land in Central and Eastern Europe. During the 18th century, internal disorder weakened the nation, and in a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland among themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following the war. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union Solidarity that over time became a political force with over 10 million members. Free elections in 1989 and 1990 won Solidarity control of the parliament and the presidency, bringing the communist era to a close. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004.

Government

Parliamentary republic

Capital

Warsaw

Time zone

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

Rzeczpospolita Polska

Independence

11 November 1918 (republic proclaimed); notable earlier dates: 14 April 966 (adoption of Christianity, traditional founding date), 1 July 1569 (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth created)

National day

Constitution Day, 3 May (1791)

Overview

High-income, diversified, EU-member economy; significant growth in GDP, trade, and investment since joining EU in 2004; private consumption and EU-funded public investments driving GDP growth; increased social spending, flooding recovery costs, and defense spending have added to public debt

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$45,100 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$43,700 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$43,400 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

3.8% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

11.5% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

14.4% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

2.5% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

2.8% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

2.9% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Zlotych (PLN) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

3.981 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

4.204 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

4.458 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

3.862 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

3.9 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles

Agriculture

Sugar beets, milk, wheat, maize, potatoes, triticale, apples, rapeseed, barley, rye (2023)

Airports

318 (2025)

Railways

Total 19,461 km (2020) 11,946 km electrified

Ports

Total ports

10 (2024)

Large

2

Medium

2

Small

4

Very small

2

Ports with oil terminals

5

Key ports

Gdansk, Gdynia, Port Polnochny, Szczecin

Internet domain

.pl

Internet users

Percent of population 86% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

52.4 million (2023 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

132 (2022 est.)

Environmental issues

Air pollution (despite environmental policy improvements) because of coal-burning in homes and power plants; acid rain leading to forest damage; water pollution from industrial and municipal sources; disposal of hazardous wastes

Fresh water

60.5 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

UNESCO Global Geoparks

Total global geoparks and regional networks

3 (2024)

Global geoparks and regional networks

Land of Extinct Volcanoes; Muskauer Faltenbogen / Łuk Mużakowa (includes Germany); Holy Cross Mountains (2024)