Comparisons

Surface area

307,236 sq. km.

Ranking: 5th largest in the EU

Surface area comparison with EU27 countries
CountryLand area (in sq. km.)
France633,886
Spain502,654
Sweden407,300
Germany353,260
Poland307,236
Finland303,109
Italy297,823
Romania234,270
Greece130,048
Bulgaria110,001
Hungary91,248
Portugal90,977
Austria82,494
Czechia77,212
Ireland68,655
Lithuania62,643
Latvia62,227
Croatia55,896
Slovakia48,702
Estonia43,110
Denmark41,987
Netherlands33,984
Belgium30,452
Slovenia20,145
Cyprus9,213
Luxembourg2,586
Malta313
Total EU27 countries4,101,431

Population

36,497,495

Ranking: 5th most populous in the EU

Population comparison with EU27 countries
CountryPopulation on 1 Jan. 2024Population on 1 Jan. 2025
Germany83,456,04583,577,140
France68,467,36268,635,943
Italy58,971,23058,934,177
Spain48,619,69549,077,984
Poland36,620,97036,497,495
Romania19,067,57619,036,031
Netherlands17,942,94218,044,027
Belgium11,817,09611,900,123
Czechia10,900,55510,909,500
Portugal10,639,72610,749,635
Sweden10,551,70710,587,710
Greece10,400,72010,409,547
Hungary9,584,6279,539,502
Austria9,158,7509,197,213
Bulgaria6,445,4816,437,360
Denmark5,961,2495,992,734
Finland5,603,8515,635,971
Slovakia5,424,6875,419,451
Ireland5,351,6815,439,898
Croatia3,861,9673,874,350
Lithuania2,885,8912,890,664
Slovenia2,123,9492,130,850
Latvia1,875,3161,856,932
Estonia1,374,6871,369,995
Cyprus966,365979,865
Luxemborg672,050681,973
Malta563,443574,250
Total EU27 countries449,309,618450,380,320

Gross domestic product (GDP)

€ 846 billion

Ranking: 6th largest economy in the EU

GDP comparison with EU27 countries
CountryGross domestic product (GDP) 2024% of the EU27 economy
CellBillion (Euros)Cell
Germany4,30523.99%
France2,92116.28%
Italy2,19212.21%
Spain1,5928.87%
Netherlands1,1346.32%
Poland8464.71%
Belgium6143.42%
Sweden5643.14%
Ireland5332.97%
Austria4822.69%
Denmark3972.21%
Romania3541.97%
Czechia3191.78%
Portugal2851.59%
Finland2761.54%
Greece2381.33%
Hungary2061.15%
Slovakia1310.73%
Bulgaria1040.58%
Luxembourg860.48%
Croatia860.48%
Lithuania780.43%
Slovenia670.37%
Latvia400.22%
Estonia400.22%
Cyprus340.19%
Malta220.12%
Total EU27 countries17,946100.00%

GDP per capita in PPS

31,366

Poland’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in purchasing power standard (PPS) is below the EU average. According to the IMF, it has increased more than nine-fold since 1981, with forecasts indicating continued strong growth.
Real GDP growth rate comparison with EU27 countries
CountryGDP per capita (in PPS) 2024
Luxembourg95,656
Ireland83,619
Netherlands53,688
Denmark50,854
Belgium46,231
Austria45,726
Germany45,566
Sweden45,183
Malta43,234
Finland40,972
France39,108
Italy38,872
Cyprus37,872
Spain36,307
Czechia36,154
Slovenia36,064
Lithuania34,725
Portugal32,381
Estonia31,382
Poland31,366
Romania31,074
Croatia30,517
Hungary30,499
Slovakia29,902
Latvia28,112
Greece27,798
Bulgaria26,252
EU27 average39,682

Real GDP growth rate

3.2 %

Ranking: 2nd highest in the EU

According to the IMF, Poland’s gross domestic product (GDP) has grown faster over the past three decades than that of any other country in Europe. (Main body text size)
GDP per capita (in PPS) comparison with EU27 countries
CountryReal GDP growth rate as of Apr. 2025
CellAnnual percentage change
Malta3.9%
Poland3.2%
Croatia3.1%
Denmark2.9%
Lithuania2.8%
Bulgaria2.5%
Cyprus2.5%
Spain2.5%
Ireland2.3%
Greece2.0%
Latvia2.0%
Portugal2.0%
Sweden1.9%
Slovenia1.8%
Czechia1.6%
Luxembourg1.6%
Romania1.6%
Hungary1.4%
Netherlands1.4%
Slovakia1.3%
Finland1.0%
Belgium0.8%
Estonia0.7%
France0.6%
Italy0.4%
Germany0%
Austria-0.3%

Unemployment rate

3.3 %

Ranking: 3rd lowest in the EU

Unemployment rate comparison with EU27 countries
CountryUnemployment rate as of Apr. 2025
Malta2.7%
Czechia2.7%
Poland3.3%
Bulgaria3.3%
Germany3.6%
Cyprus3.7%
Netherlands3.8%
Slovenia4.0%
Ireland4.1%
Hungary4.3%
Croatia4.5%
Slovakia5.3%
Austria5.6%
Romania5.7%
Italy5.9%
Portugal6.3%
Lithuania6.3%
Belgium6.4%
Luxembourg6.6%
Denmark6.9%
France7.1%
Latvia7.7%
Greece8.3%
Estonia8.3%
Sweden8.5%
Finland9.1%
Spain10.9%
EU27 average5.9%

General government gross debt

55.3 % of GDP

Ranking: 13th in the EU

General government gross debt comparison with EU27 countries
CountryGeneral government gross debt 2024
Cell% of GDP
Estonia23.6
Bulgaria24.1
Luxembourg26.3
Denmark31.1
Sweden33.5
Lithuania38.2
Ireland40.9
Netherlands43.3
Czechia43.6
Latvia46.8
Malta47.4
Romania54.8
Poland55.3
Croatia57.6
Slovakia59.3
Germany62.5
Cyprus65.0
Slovenia67.0
Hungary73.5
Austria81.8
Finland82.1
Portugal94.9
Spain101.8
Belgium104.7
France113.0
Italy135.3
Greece153.6
EU27 average81.0

General government gross debt

55.3 % of GDP

Ranking: 13th in the EU

General government gross debt comparison with EU27 countries
CountryGeneral government gross debt 2024
Cell% of GDP
Estonia23.6
Bulgaria24.1
Luxembourg26.3
Denmark31.1
Sweden33.5
Lithuania38.2
Ireland40.9
Netherlands43.3
Czechia43.6
Latvia46.8
Malta47.4
Romania54.8
Poland55.3
Croatia57.6
Slovakia59.3
Germany62.5
Cyprus65.0
Slovenia67.0
Hungary73.5
Austria81.8
Finland82.1
Portugal94.9
Spain101.8
Belgium104.7
France113.0
Italy135.3
Greece153.6
EU27 average81.0

Credit ratings & government bond yields

Government bonds issued by Poland offer compelling yields.
Poland
Foreign currency long term credit ratings
10-year government bond yield
Moody’s: A2 
5.34% 
Standard & Poor’s: A –  
Fitch: A – 
Credit ratings & government bond yield comparison with EU27 countries
CountryMoody'sS&PFitchbond yield
RomaniaBaa3BB-BB-7.24%
HungaryBaa2BBB-BBB7.06%
PolandA2A-A-5.34%
CzechiaAa3AA-AA-4.32%
BulgariaBaa1BBB+BBB+3.85%
ItalyBaa3BBBBBB3.46%
SlovakiaA1AA-AA-3.40%
MaltaBaa1BBB+BBB+3.34%
EstoniaA1AA-AA-3.32%
GreeceB1BB+BB+3.31%
FranceAa2AAAA3.27%
LatviaA3A-A-3.25%
SpainBaa1AA-3.21%
LithuaniaA1AA-AA-3.19%
CroatiaBaa3BBBBBB3.15%
BelgiumAa3AA-AA-3.14%
PortugalBaa2BBB+BBB+3.05%
SloveniaBaa1A-A-3.01%
CyprusBaa2BBB+BBB2.98%
FinlandAa1AAAAAA2.97%
AustriaAa1AA+AA+2.92%
LuxembourgAaaAAAAAA2.88%
IrelandA2AA-AA-2.84%
NetherlandsAaaAAAAAA2.76%
GermanyAaaAAAAAA2.60%
DenmarkAaaAAAAAA2.46%
SwedenAaaAAAAAA2.37%
Polish government bonds exhibit an asymmetrical yield profile. Despite Poland's stable investment-grade credit rating, the yields on its sovereign bonds remain markedly higher than those of many other EU member states with similar ratings. The paradox is even more striking given that bonds issued by some EU member states – with lower credit ratings – offer yields lower than those of comparable Polish bonds.
Bonds issued by certain EU member states with a credit rating similar to that of Poland but with lower yields.
CountryMoody'sS&PFitchbond yield
PolandA2A-A-5.34%
versusCellCellCellCell
Latvia-A-A-3.25%
Spain--A-3.21%
Slovenia-A-A-3.01%
IrelandA2--2.84%
Bonds issued by certain EU member states with a credit rating lower than that of Poland but with lower yields.
CountryMoody'sS&PFitchbond yield
PolandA2A-A-5.34%
versusCellCellCellCell
BulgariaBaa1BBB+BBB+3.85%
ItalyBaa3BBBBBB3.46%
MaltaBaa1BBB+BBB+3.34%
GreeceB1BB+BB+3.31%
LatviaA3--3.25%
SpainBaa1--3.21%
CroatiaBaa3BBBBBB3.15%
PortugalBaa2BBB+BBB+3.05%
SloveniaBaa1--3.01%
CyprusBaa2BBB+BBB2.98%
Definitions

The following terms used in the ‘Comparisons’ section of the website shall have the meanings assigned to them below: 

(in alphabetical order)

  • EU: European Union
  • EU27: The 27 member states of the EU following the departure of United Kingdom (Brexit) in 2020. The EU27 member states are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
  • GDP: gross domestic product
  • IMF: International Monetary Fund
  • PPS: purchasing power standard. PPS is an artificial currency to compensate for price level differences between the EU27 countries. 1 PPS is the average purchasing power of 1 euro in the EU27.
Data sources & dates

The sources and dates for the data provided in the ‘Comparisons' section of the website are listed below:

  • Surface area – Source: Eurostat.
  • Population – Source: Eurostat. Data as of 1 Jan. 2024 and 1 Jan. 2025.  
  • Gross domestic product (GDP) – Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) - Federal Statistical Office of Germany. Data as of 2024.
  • GDP per capita in PPS – Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) - Federal Statistical Office of Germany. Data as of 2024.
  • Real GDP growth rate – Source: International Monetary Fund. Data as of Apr. 2025. 
  • Unemployment rate – Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) - Federal Statistical Office of Germany. Data as of Apr. 2025.
  • General government gross debt – Source: Eurostat. Data as of Q4 2024. 
  • Credit ratings & 10 year government bond yields

› Credit ratings – Sources: Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch. Dates: The foreign currency long-term credit ratings of each EU27 member state were affirmed by the credit rating agencies on various dates. The ratings set forth in this section reflect the most recent information available as of July 2025.

› 10 year government bond yields – Sources: Bloomberg & Financial Times. Data as of July 2025.