Poland Population
Poland had an estimated population of 36,435,861 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 44th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.44% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of −0.34% a year.
Poland at a glance
How Poland's population is changing
Poland's population is shrinking: −0.34% a year, which works out to about −123,164 people per year, or −337 a day. Births (6.9 per 1,000) and deaths (11.2 per 1,000) alone would give −0.43% a year; net migration removes about 330,820 people a year (−0.91%). Roughly one in every 225 people on Earth lives in Poland.
Population of Poland since 1960
In 1960, Poland had 29,637,450 people. By 2025 that was 36,435,861 — 1.2× larger. The population peaked in 1998 at 38,663,481 and has declined since. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 10%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 29,637,450 | — |
| 1970 | 32,664,300 | +10.2% |
| 1980 | 35,574,150 | +8.9% |
| 1990 | 38,110,782 | +7.1% |
| 2000 | 38,258,629 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 38,042,794 | −0.6% |
| 2020 | 37,515,748 | −1.4% |
| 2025 | 36,435,861 | −2.9% |
Poland from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Poland at about 9,000,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 38,140,913 in 2025 (4× 1800) and projects 19,329,843 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2023 at 38,762,847 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 9,000,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 13,045,605 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 24,312,686 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 24,780,169 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 38,258,077 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 38,140,913 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 32,814,092 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 25,533,663 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 19,329,843 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Poland
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 36,435,861. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warsaw | 1,882,756 | UN urban centre | 5.17% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Katowice | 865,777 | UN urban centre | 2.38% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Kraków | 699,015 | UN urban centre | 1.92% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Łódź | 639,890 | GeoNames settlement | 1.76% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Wrocław | 508,528 | UN urban centre | 1.40% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Poznań | 494,839 | UN urban centre | 1.36% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | Gdańsk | 384,985 | UN urban centre | 1.06% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 8 | Sosnowiec | 318,955 | UN urban centre | 0.88% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 9 | Szczecin | 300,314 | UN urban centre | 0.82% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 10 | Lublin | 300,013 | UN urban centre | 0.82% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
How Poland compares
Poland has almost the same population as Malaysia (35,977,838).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Poland | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #42 |  Uzbekistan | 37,053,428 | +2% | compare → |
| #43 |  Saudi Arabia | 36,973,555 | +1% | compare → |
| #45 |  Malaysia | 35,977,838 | −1% | compare → |
| #46 |  Mozambique | 35,631,653 | −2% | compare → |
Compare Poland with any country →
Same region (Europe & Central Asia): Russia, Türkiye, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy.
Explore around Poland
Land neighbours (7)
Russia 143,513,328 · 3.9× the population · compare
Germany 83,491,249 · 2.3× the population · compare
Ukraine 38,980,376 · about the same population · compare
Czechia 10,886,878 · 3.3× smaller · compare
Belarus 9,085,991 · 4.0× smaller · compare
Slovakia 5,413,813 · 6.7× smaller · compare
Lithuania 2,888,774 · 12.6× smaller · compare
Poland's 7 neighbours together hold 294,260,409 people — 8.1× Poland's population. The most populous is Russia (143,513,328).
In its region
Poland is the 10th most populous of the 58 economies in Europe & Central Asia, holding 3.9% of the region's 932,525,035 people.
Rankings featuring Poland
Cities
Warsaw, Katowice, Kraków, Łódź, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk, Sosnowiec — all Poland's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Poland when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.