Capital

Polen

name: Warsaw

geographic coordinates: 52 15 N, 21 00 E

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

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology: the origin of the name is unknown; the Polish designation "Warszawa" was the name of a fishing village and several legends/traditions link the city's founding to a man named Wars or Warsz

Citizenship

Polen

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: both parents must be citizens of Poland

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Legal system

Polen

civil law system; judicial review of legislative, administrative, and other governmental acts; constitutional law rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are final

Suffrage

Polen

18 years of age; universal

Area

Polen

total: 312,685 sq km

land: 304,255 sq km

water: 8,430 sq km

Land use

Polen

agricultural land: 48.2% (2018 est.)

arable land: 36.2% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 1.3% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 10.7% (2018 est.)

forest: 30.6% (2018 est.)

other: 21.2% (2018 est.)

Location

Polen

Central Europe, east of Germany

Age structure

Polen

0-14 years: 14.53% (male 2,839,788/female 2,680,401)

15-64 years: 64.87% (male 12,364,282/female 12,280,814)

65 years and over: 20.6% (2023 est.) (male 3,171,838/female 4,654,643)

Birth rate

Polen

8.7 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Polen

12.9 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Polen

Polish (official) 98.2%, Silesian 1.4%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.2%; note - data represent the language spoken at home; shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census; Poland ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in 2009 recognizing Kashub as a regional language, Czech, Hebrew, Yiddish, Belarusian, Lithuanian, German, Armenian, Russian, Slovak, and Ukrainian as national minority languages, and Karaim, Lemko, Romani (Polska Roma and Bergitka Roma), and Tatar as ethnic minority languages (2011 est.)

major-language sample(s):
Księga Faktów Świata, niezbędne źródło podstawowych informacji. (Polish)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

Polen

total population: 75.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 71.7 years

female: 80 years

Major urban areas - population

Polen

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

Median age

Polen

total: 42.4 years (2023 est.)

male: 41.1 years

female: 43.7 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Polen

27.9 years (2020 est.)

Net migration rate

Polen

-6.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Polen

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

Population growth rate

Polen

-1.03% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Polen

1.31 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Polen

urban population: 60.2% of total population (2023)

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

Education expenditures

Polen

5.2% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Polen

total: 16 years

male: 15 years

female: 17 years (2020)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Polen

-1.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Polen

3.36% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Polen

18.212 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Polen

15.4% (2018 est.)

Unemployment rate

Polen

3.37% (2021 est.)

3.16% (2020 est.)

3.28% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Polen

50.6% of GDP (2017 est.)

54.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

note: data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities, the data include subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Polen

5.06% (2021 est.)

3.37% (2020 est.)

2.23% (2019 est.)

Exports

Polen

$411.621 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$336.317 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$330.934 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - partners

Polen

Germany 28%, UK 6%, Czechia 6%, France 6%, Netherlands 4% (2020)

Imports

Polen

$380.699 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$295.897 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$302.525 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - partners

Polen

Germany 25%, China 12%, Italy 5%, Netherlands 5%, Czechia 4% (2020)

Airports

Polen

126 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Polen

total: 8,369,218 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 22 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Polen

total: 32.3 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 85% (2021 est.)

Railways

Polen

total: 19,461 km (2020) 11,946 km electrified

Roadways

Polen

total: 420,000 km (2016)

paved: 291,000 km (2016) (includes 1,492 km of expressways, 1,559 of motorways)

unpaved: 129,000 km (2016)

Telephones - fixed lines

Polen

total subscriptions: 5,308,497 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 14 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Polen

total subscriptions: 50,588,785 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 132 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Polen

3,997 km (2009) (navigable rivers and canals)

Disputes - international

Polen

Poland-Belarus-Ukraine: as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Poland has implemented the strict Schengen border rules to restrict illegal immigration and trade along its eastern borders with Belarus and Ukraine