By 1995, Poland’s GDP per capita was already steadily
increasing, reaching $3,500. By the year 2000, Poland had positioned itself as a low-cost manufacturing centre, especially in the automotive and electronics industries. Tis industrial foundation became crucial to Poland’s economic development, contributing to an average annual GDP growth rate of 4 per cent .
Capital: Warsaw Total Area:
312,685 sq km Population: 36 million Median age: 42.9 years Religions: Catholic 84.6% (Roman Catholic 84.6% and other Catholic 0.3%), Orthodox 1.3% (almost all are Polish Autocephalous Orthodox), Protestant 0.4% (mainly Augsburg Evangelical and Pentecostal), other 0.3%, unspecified 13% Languages: Polish (official) 98.2%, Silesian 1.4%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.2% Currency: The Polish złoty Government type: Parliamentary Republic Chief of State: President Andrzej Duda Head of Government: Prime Minister Donald Tusk Elections: President directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5- year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 28 June 2020 with a second round on 12 July 2020 (next to be held in 2025); prime minister, deputy prime ministers, and Council of Ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the lower house all presidential candidates resign their party affiliation. Unemployment: 5.1 per cent Tourism: 7 million foreign tourists
expected to release up to €137 billion in EU funds that had been frozen due to rule-of-law concerns under the previous admin- istration. Tis includes almost €60 billion from the EU’s post- pandemic recovery fund and €76 billion in cohesion funds, all of which had been suspended due to the PiS government’s reforms that had sought greater political control over the courts.
ECONOMY Under communist rule, Poland experienced significant economic challenges, including inefficiencies, shortages, and low productivity. In the early 1980s, Poland was one step away from declaring in- solvency and was one of the poorest European countries. In fact, after the dissolution of the USSR, Ukraine (in terms of GDP) was richer than Poland. At that time, it was one of the largest debtors in the world, leading the whole of the communist bloc in this regard. In June 1989, Poland held partially free elections, resulting in
a victory for the Solidarity movement. Tis effectively marked the beginning of the end for communist rule in the country. Poland implemented a series of economic reforms known as the “Balcerowicz Plan,” named after then-Finance Minister Leszek Balcerowicz. Introduced in Poland in January 1990 the plan aimed to transition Poland from a centrally planned economy to a market-oriented one. It included measures such as rapid privatisation, stabilisation of the economy, and significant reforms to create a capitalist framework. While Russia's economy suffered from the fallout of rapid
privatization, Poland chose a more gradual approach to its economic transition. Tis strategy enabled Poland to sidestep much of the economic turmoil that affected other former Soviet states. By 1995, Poland’s GDP per capita was already steadily increasing, reaching $3,500. By the year 2000, Poland had posi- tioned itself as a low-cost manufacturing centre, especially in the automotive and electronics industries. Tis industrial foundation became crucial to Poland’s economic development, contributing to an average annual GDP growth rate of 4 per cent from 1990 through 2020. As a result of these changes, Poland successfully attracted
foreign investment, developed a vibrant private sector, and in- tegrated into the European Union, which it joined in 2004. Poland's GDP growth has consistently outpaced that of many
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