# Poland
**Poland** (Polish: *Polska*) is a country in [Central Europe](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-europe), bordered by seven countries and the [Baltic Sea](https://www.edgepedia.org/baltic-sea), governed as a parliamentary republic with its capital at Warsaw. It is a member of the European Union and NATO and the largest economy in Central Europe.[1](https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/poland/overview)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Area | 322,575 km² total, of which 311,888 km² land and 8,682 km² territorial sea (Polish government figures); the CIA Factbook's 2021 entry gives 312,685 km² total[2](https://www.gov.pl/web/gdos/polska-w-liczbach) • [3](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/static/842555ca3194fae780f7525db59cfbe4/PL-summary.pdf) |
| Borders | Seven countries; the longest border is with Czechia at 796 km, the shortest with Lithuania at 104 km; maritime border 440 km[2](https://www.gov.pl/web/gdos/polska-w-liczbach) |
| Population | 37.8 million (2024); 38.2 million (July 2021 est.)[1](https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/poland/overview) • [3](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/static/842555ca3194fae780f7525db59cfbe4/PL-summary.pdf) |
| Economy | GDP $924.7 billion current (2024); GDP per capita $24,450.8; life expectancy at birth 77.3 years (2022)[1](https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/poland/overview) |
| Government | Parliamentary republic; bicameral legislature with a 460-seat Sejm and a 100-seat Senate[3](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/static/842555ca3194fae780f7525db59cfbe4/PL-summary.pdf) |
| Memberships | NATO since 1999, European Union since 2004[1](https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/poland/overview) |
| Language and religion | Polish official (98.2% in the 2011 census); Catholic 85% of the population (2020 est.)[3](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/static/842555ca3194fae780f7525db59cfbe4/PL-summary.pdf) |
## Geography
Poland lies in Central Europe and covers 7.2% of the European Union's total surface area.[4](https://www.gov.pl/attachment/8d99be28-3d61-4d67-89c6-fc1c8b9b1692) It borders seven countries: four EU member states (Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and [Lithuania](https://www.edgepedia.org/lithuania)) and three non-EU states (Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine).[4](https://www.gov.pl/attachment/8d99be28-3d61-4d67-89c6-fc1c8b9b1692) The country is predominantly lowland: plains cover 91.3% of the surface, uplands 5.6%, and mountains 3.3%, with an average elevation of 173 m above sea level. The lowest point lies 1.8 m below sea level near Rączki Elbląskie, and the highest is Rysy in the [Tatra Mountains](https://www.edgepedia.org/tatra-mountains) at 2,499 m.[2](https://www.gov.pl/web/gdos/polska-w-liczbach) More than half the territory, 54%, lies in the Vistula (Wisła) river basin, and 33.9% in the Oder (Odra) basin.[2](https://www.gov.pl/web/gdos/polska-w-liczbach)
The climate is temperate, with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation and mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers.[3](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/static/842555ca3194fae780f7525db59cfbe4/PL-summary.pdf) Natural resources include coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, and arable land.[3](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/static/842555ca3194fae780f7525db59cfbe4/PL-summary.pdf)
## History
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](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-and-eastern-europe); in the mid-1500s, united Poland was the largest state in Europe.[3](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/static/842555ca3194fae780f7525db59cfbe4/PL-summary.pdf) • [5](https://unvis.it/www.britannica.com/place/Poland)
**Partitions and loss of independence.** Internal disorders weakened the country in the 18th century, and in a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland among themselves, so that it disappeared from the map of Europe until 1918.[3](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/static/842555ca3194fae780f7525db59cfbe4/PL-summary.pdf) • [5](https://unvis.it/www.britannica.com/place/Poland) The borders drawn under the [Treaty of Versailles](https://www.edgepedia.org/treaty-of-versailles) in June 1919 roughly corresponded to the pre-partition Polish-German frontiers, except that Gdańsk became the free city of Danzig.[6](https://unvis.it/www.britannica.com/place/Poland/History)
**Communist era and transition.** Poland became a Soviet satellite state following World War II, during which Warsaw was heavily damaged and later rebuilt in one of the most thoroughgoing reconstruction efforts in European history.[3](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/static/842555ca3194fae780f7525db59cfbe4/PL-summary.pdf) • [5](https://unvis.it/www.britannica.com/place/Poland) Free elections in 1989 and 1990 brought the communist era to a close, and in May 1989 the Polish government fell along with communist regimes throughout eastern Europe, beginning the country's rapid transformation into a democracy.[3](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/static/842555ca3194fae780f7525db59cfbe4/PL-summary.pdf) • [5](https://unvis.it/www.britannica.com/place/Poland) Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.[1](https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/poland/overview)
## Economy
After the transition from communism, Poland's per capita GDP growth was fast and stable, averaging about 4 percent per year, and the country moved from middle- to high-income status in less than 15 years.[7](https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/poland/publication/lessons-from-poland-insights-for-poland) Poland was the only European country to record positive growth in 2008, the year of the global financial crisis, and completely avoided a banking sector crisis.[7](https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/poland/publication/lessons-from-poland-insights-for-poland) Over its first 22 years in the EU, cumulative GDP growth between 2003 and 2025 stood at almost 130%, the highest in the EU, against an EU-27 average of 34.5%.[8](https://www.gov.pl/web/diplomacy/polands-22-years-in-the-european-union-success-in-figures)
**Structure and resilience.** The economy is well diversified and integrated into regional value chains, supported by macroeconomic stability, a sound financial sector, strong domestic labor markets, and generous social programs.[1](https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/poland/overview) Growth picked up from 3% in 2024 to 3.6% in 2025, driven primarily by private consumption, and is expected to stabilize close to potential at 3% over the medium term; elevated deficits are raising public debt, which is set to exceed 60% of GDP in the mid-term.[1](https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/poland/overview) In 2020, exports were $333.5 billion, led by cars and vehicle parts, seats, furniture, computers, and video displays, with Germany taking 27% of exports; imports were $292.4 billion, led by cars and vehicle parts, crude petroleum, packaged medicines, broadcasting equipment, and office machinery.[3](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/static/842555ca3194fae780f7525db59cfbe4/PL-summary.pdf)
**Challenges.** The World Bank identifies a rapidly aging population as a significant challenge to growth, inclusion, and fiscal sustainability, and notes that continued success hinges on a shift to an innovation-driven growth model, technological adoption, and financial deepening.[1](https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/poland/overview) The OECD's 2025 survey similarly calls for managing population aging, improving health and long-term care, and accelerating the green transition, noting that progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions has been slow and that reducing the economy's reliance on carbon-based energy is a considerable challenge.[9](https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2025/02/oecd-economic-surveys-poland-2025_3d6f79bd/full-report/executive-summary_c4271159.html) Poland ranks among the top OECD performers in the international PISA tests but does less well in terms of the skills of the working-age population.[10](https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/foundations-for-growth-and-competitiveness-2026_40a7532f-en/full-report/poland_5f0cbc9a.html)
## Politics and the rule of law
Poland is a parliamentary republic with a bicameral legislature: the Sejm with 460 seats and the Senate with 100 seats.[3](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/static/842555ca3194fae780f7525db59cfbe4/PL-summary.pdf)
**The rule-of-law dispute.** The nationalist [Law and Justice](https://www.edgepedia.org/law-and-justice) (PiS) party came to power in 2015 and implemented justice reforms that critics said placed Poland's judiciary under political control. In 2017, the European Commission launched an Article 7 legal procedure that threatened to suspend Poland's EU voting rights, and the Commission also blocked Poland's access to billions of euros in EU funds over rule-of-law concerns.[11](https://apnews.com/article/49b67da2fe86b704466b559231af002b) A pro-European coalition led by [Donald Tusk](https://www.edgepedia.org/donald-tusk) won parliamentary elections on October 15, 2023, and Tusk took office in December, working to overturn the contested measures.[12](https://apnews.com/article/b3b64621d0d90eff7a9956c3b6c96911) In February 2024 the EU began releasing the frozen funds, and in May 2024 the European Commission decided to end its six-year dispute, with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling the breakthrough the result of Poland's determined reform efforts.[12](https://apnews.com/article/b3b64621d0d90eff7a9956c3b6c96911)
## Society
Poland's population was 38.2 million in July 2021, with negative growth of -0.23% estimated for that year.[3](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/static/842555ca3194fae780f7525db59cfbe4/PL-summary.pdf) Ethnic Poles made up 96.9% of the population in the 2011 census, with Silesians at 1.1%, Germans 0.2%, and [Ukrainians](https://www.edgepedia.org/ukrainians) 0.1%.[3](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/static/842555ca3194fae780f7525db59cfbe4/PL-summary.pdf) Religion is predominantly Catholic: 85% of the population in 2020 estimates, including Roman Catholic 84.8%, with Orthodox 1.3%, Protestant 0.4%, and unspecified 12.9%.[3](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/static/842555ca3194fae780f7525db59cfbe4/PL-summary.pdf) [Life expectancy](https://www.edgepedia.org/life-expectancy) at birth was 77.3 years in 2022.[1](https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/poland/overview) Men live shorter than women, and the number of healthy life years lags behind most OECD countries; Poland has experienced a persistent shortage of health workers due to an insufficient number of medical and nursing graduates, an aging workforce, and migration.[9](https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2025/02/oecd-economic-surveys-poland-2025_3d6f79bd/full-report/executive-summary_c4271159.html)
## References
1. [Poland Overview, World Bank Group](https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/poland/overview)
2. [Polska w liczbach, Generalna Dyrekcja Ochrony Środowiska, Gov.pl](https://www.gov.pl/web/gdos/polska-w-liczbach)
3. [Poland Country Summary, The World Factbook (2021 archive), CIA](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/static/842555ca3194fae780f7525db59cfbe4/PL-summary.pdf)
4. [General Information About Poland, Gov.pl](https://www.gov.pl/attachment/8d99be28-3d61-4d67-89c6-fc1c8b9b1692)
5. [Poland | History, Geography, Britannica](https://unvis.it/www.britannica.com/place/Poland)
6. [Poland | History, Britannica](https://unvis.it/www.britannica.com/place/Poland/History)
7. [Lessons from Poland, Insights for Poland, World Bank](https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/poland/publication/lessons-from-poland-insights-for-poland)
8. [Poland's 22 Years in the European Union. Success in Figures, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland](https://www.gov.pl/web/diplomacy/polands-22-years-in-the-european-union-success-in-figures)
9. [OECD Economic Surveys: Poland 2025, Executive Summary](https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2025/02/oecd-economic-surveys-poland-2025_3d6f79bd/full-report/executive-summary_c4271159.html)
10. [Poland: Foundations for Growth and Competitiveness 2026, OECD](https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/foundations-for-growth-and-competitiveness-2026_40a7532f-en/full-report/poland_5f0cbc9a.html)
11. [EU Welcomes Polish Plan to Address Concerns About Democratic Backsliding, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/49b67da2fe86b704466b559231af002b)
12. [The EU's Executive Decides to End Legal Standoff with Poland over Democracy Concerns, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/b3b64621d0d90eff7a9956c3b6c96911)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Countries, territories, and regional overviews › Countries and territories › Titles H to Q*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license