Poland now sixth-largest EU economy, ahead of Switzerland and Belgium

Published on
09/08/2026 – 19:23 GMT+2

According to data from the European statistical office, the value of Poland’s GDP at current prices amounted to €922.9 billion in 2025. This means that Poland accounted for 4.9 percent of the economy of the entire European Union. In terms of economic size, only Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands now rank above Poland.

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Germany remains in first place, with GDP at €4.47 trillion. France generated €2.99 trillion, Italy €2.26 trillion, Spain €1.69 trillion and the Netherlands €1.17 trillion.

This puts Poland ahead of Belgium, Sweden, Ireland and Austria.

Poland leads Central and Eastern Europe

Poland is by far the largest economy in Central and Eastern Europe. For comparison, Romania’s GDP in 2025 stood at €380.1 billion, the Czech Republic’s at €347.3 billion and Hungary’s at €218.8 billion.

The combined GDP of the 27 European Union member states amounted to around €18.8 trillion in 2025. Germany had the largest share – 23.8 percent – followed by France with 15.9 percent and Italy with 12 percent.

Poland’s rise is primarily the result of years of economic growth, industrial development, expanding exports and rising consumption and investment. In 2025 Poland’s real GDP increased by 3.6 percent, while the economy of the European Union as a whole grew by 1.5 percent.

A large economy does not automatically mean high living standards

Eurostat figures also show the other side of the coin. The sheer size of an economy does not in itself reveal how wealthy its residents are.

Once GDP is calculated per head, Poland still remains below the EU average. According to data cited by Eurostat, Poland’s GDP per capita in 2025 was less than 85 percent of the EU average.