Polity · 1953 CE – present
Republic of Poland
Polska · Rzeczpospolita Polska
Also recorded as Poland
- Peak recorded area
- 314,618 km²
- 1969 CE
- Rulers on record
- 21
- from 1989 CE
- Data series
- 436
- 1953 CE–2025 CE
Overview
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south. Poland borders Kaliningrad Oblast and Lithuania to the north; Belarus and Ukraine to the east; Slovakia and the Czech Republic to the south; and Germany to the west. The territory has a varied landscape, diverse ecosystems, and a temperate climate.
Lead section from Wikipedia, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article.
Territory
5 dated territorial extents on record from Cliopatria. Areas are measured off the recorded polygons; the line steps because each extent holds until the next one is recorded — nothing is interpolated.
The record
The best-attested series in each category; where several projects publish the same quantity, the one with the most observations is shown. Each row is the most recent value the record holds at or before the last complete year, shown with the year that value belongs to. Some statistical series also publish forward projections — the year column is the honest guide. Nothing on this page is interpolated or estimated by us.
People
6 of 63 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Population248 obs · 1820 CE–2025 CE | 38.1Mpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy165 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 78.98years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Net Migration141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | -330.8Kpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Population Growth141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | -1.18% annual2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Female140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 82.61years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Male140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 75.31years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
Economy
6 of 142 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita278 obs · 1701 CE–2022 CE | 32.5K2011 int'l $2022 CE · Maddison Project Database 2023 |
| GDP per capita PPP220 obs · 1800 CE–2019 CE | 28Kint'l $ (inflation adj.)2019 CE · Gapminder |
| Total Exports92 obs · 1918 CE–2014 CE | 208.8Kmillion USD (current)2014 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
| Total Imports92 obs · 1918 CE–2014 CE | 210.9Kmillion USD (current)2014 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
| Trade Balance92 obs · 1918 CE–2014 CE | -2,105.29million USD (current)2014 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
| Trade Openness92 obs · 1918 CE–2014 CE | 419.7Kmillion USD (current)2014 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
Military
6 of 64 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| CINC Score94 obs · 1918 CE–2016 CE | 0.0055CINC (share of world capability)2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Energy Consumption94 obs · 1918 CE–2016 CE | 185.4Mcoal-ton equivalents2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Iron Steel Production94 obs · 1918 CE–2016 CE | 9Mtons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Personnel93 obs · 1919 CE–2016 CE | 99Kpersons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Expenditure92 obs · 1920 CE–2016 CE | 9.1Bcurrent USD2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Expenditure Usd65 obs · 1960 CE–2024 CE | 38Bcurrent US$2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
Territory & resources
6 of 75 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Arable Land %126 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 36.58% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Coal Production125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 385.93TWh2024 CE · Our World in Data Energy |
| Gas Production125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 35.82TWh2024 CE · Our World in Data Energy |
| Oil Production117 obs · 1900 CE–2016 CE | 12.56TWh2016 CE · Our World in Data Energy |
| Forest Area %68 obs · 1990 CE–2023 CE | 31.08% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Agricultural Land %63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 47.61%2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
Governance
6 of 28 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Rule Of Law Index170 obs · 1789 CE–2024 CE | 0.878index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Electoral Democracy Index168 obs · 1789 CE–2024 CE | 0.729index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Participatory Democracy Index168 obs · 1789 CE–2024 CE | 0.487index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Liberal Democracy Index167 obs · 1789 CE–2024 CE | 0.616index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Regime Type102 obs · 1918 CE–2024 CE | 2RoW index (0-3)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Polity267 obs · 1946 CE–2012 CE | 10index (-10 to 10)2012 CE · Clio-Infra |
Development
6 of 64 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Freedom Of Expression Index170 obs · 1789 CE–2024 CE | 0.912index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Physicians Per 100062 obs · 1960 CE–2023 CE | 4.03per_10002023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Tech Electricity Production56 obs · 1946 CE–2001 CE | 144BGWh2001 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Newspaper Circulation54 obs · 1946 CE–1999 CE | 5.8Mcirculation1999 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Passenger Cars54 obs · 1947 CE–2000 CE | 10Mcount2000 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Radios54 obs · 1946 CE–1999 CE | 20.6Kcount1999 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
Rulers
21 on record with dated reigns. Reign years follow the house convention: BCE years are negative.
- Tadeusz MazowieckiHead of Government1989 CE – 1991 CE
- Wojciech JaruzelskiHead of State1989 CE – 1990 CE
- Jan Krzysztof BieleckiHead of Government1991 CE
- Jan OlszewskiHead of Government1991 CE – 1992 CE
- Hanna SuchockaHead of Government1992 CE – 1993 CE
- Waldemar PawlakHead of Government1992 CE
- Aleksander KwaśniewskiHead of State1995 CE – 2005 CE
- Józef OleksyHead of Government1995 CE – 1996 CE
- Jerzy BuzekHead of Government1997 CE – 2001 CE
- Leszek MillerHead of Government2001 CE – 2004 CE
- Marek BelkaHead of Government2004 CE – 2005 CE
- Lech KaczyńskiHead of State2005 CE – 2010 CE
- Donald TuskHead of Government2007 CE – 2014 CE
- Bogdan BorusewiczHead of State2010 CE
- Bronisław KomorowskiHead of State2010 CE
- Grzegorz SchetynaHead of State2010 CE
- Ewa KopaczHead of Government2014 CE – 2015 CE
- Andrzej DudaHead of State2015 CE – 2025 CE
- Beata SzydłoHead of Government2015 CE – 2017 CE
- Mateusz MorawieckiHead of Government2017 CE – 2023 CE
- Karol NawrockiHead of State2025 CE –
Country profile
From the CIA World Factbook 2024. Long entries are trimmed at a sentence boundary.
- Location
- Central Europe, east of Germany
- Government type
- parliamentary republic
- Executive branch
- chief of state: President Karol NAWROCKI (since 6 August 2025); head of government: Prime Minister Donald TUSK (since 11 December 2023); cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president, and approved by the Sejm;
- Ethnic groups
- Polish 96.9%, Silesian 1.1%, German 0.2%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 1.7% (2011 est.)
- Natural resources
- coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land
- Economy
- 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
Language & currency
- Official & national languages
- Polish
- Currency
- zlotych (PLN)
Memberships
- League of NationsLoNInternational organisation · founding member1920 CE – 1946 CE
- United NationsUNInternational organisation · founding member1945 CE –
- Poland–Yugoslavia Defense Pact (1946)Military alliance · member1946 CE – 1949 CE
- Poland–Czechoslovakia Defense Pact (1947)Military alliance · member1947 CE – 1989 CE
- Poland–Bulgaria Defense Pact (1948)Military alliance · member1948 CE – 1989 CE
- Poland–Hungary Defense Pact (1948)Military alliance · member1948 CE – 1989 CE
- Poland–Romania Defense Pact (1949)Military alliance · member1949 CE – 1989 CE
- 8-member Defense Pact (1955)Military alliance · member1955 CE – 1989 CE
- Warsaw PactWPMilitary alliance · founding member1955 CE – 1991 CE
- 13-member Non-Aggression Pact (1962)Historical alliance · member1962 CE – 1964 CE
- German Democratic Republic–Poland Defense Pact (1967)Military alliance · member1967 CE – 1989 CE
- Poland–Estonia Non-Aggression Pact (1992)Historical alliance · member1992 CE –
- Poland–Russia Non-Aggression Pact (1992)Historical alliance · member1992 CE –
- Poland–Belarus Non-Aggression Pact (1992)Historical alliance · member1992 CE –
- Poland–Latvia Non-Aggression Pact (1992)Historical alliance · member1992 CE –
- Poland–Ukraine Non-Aggression Pact (1992)Historical alliance · member1992 CE –
- Poland–Georgia Non-Aggression Pact (1993)Historical alliance · member1993 CE –
- Poland–Lithuania Non-Aggression Pact (1994)Historical alliance · member1994 CE –
- Poland–Moldova Non-Aggression Pact (1994)Historical alliance · member1994 CE –
- Poland–Greece Non-Aggression Pact (1996)Historical alliance · member1996 CE –
- 20-member Defense Pact (1949)Military alliance · member1999 CE –
- NATONATOMilitary alliance · member1999 CE –
- European UnionEUEconomic bloc · member2004 CE –
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. Nothing on this page is estimated, interpolated or model-generated.
CHAT (Comin-Hobijn)2009 (FinalCHAT_72909)
Comin, D. & Hobijn, B. (2009). The CHAT Dataset. NBER Working Paper 15319.
NBER research data, freely downloadable
CIA World Factbook 2024
Clio-Infra2017 datasets
Clio-Infra project (2017). Reconstructions of global inequality and well-being. International Institute of Social History.
Academic use, attribution
Seshat Global History Databank. Cliopatria: a historical basemap of polity borders (cliopatria.geojson).
Correlates of War NMC v6.0v6.0
Singer, J.D. (1987). National Material Capabilities Data (NMC), v6.0. Correlates of War Project.
Free academic use, citation
Barbieri, K. & Keshk, O. (2016). Correlates of War Project Trade Data Set, v4.0.
Free academic use, citation
Gapminderv14 / systema globalis
Gapminder Foundation. Gapminder systema globalis dataset.
CC BY 4.0
Maddison Project Database 20232023
Bolt, J. & van Zanden, J.L. (2024). Maddison Project Database 2023. University of Groningen GGDC.
CC BY 4.0
Our World in Data (2024). Energy dataset. Based on Energy Institute & Ember.
CC BY 4.0
UN World Population Prospects 20242024
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
CC BY 3.0 IGO
V-Dem v15v15
Coppedge, M. et al. (2025). V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v15. Varieties of Democracy Project.
Free academic/non-commercial use, attribution
Wikipedia contributors. Article lead sections, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
World Bank World Development Indicators2024 release
World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. Washington, DC.
CC BY 4.0
Republic of Poland is one of the polities with a sourced record deep enough to publish.