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
107
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226
