Number of people living in extreme poverty in Poland
Poland: Number of people living in extreme poverty was 36.60 million people in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
36.60 million people
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
29th
of 120 countries
All-time high
38.31 million people
in 1999
All-time low
36.60 million people
in 2023
Years of data
27
1985–2023
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Poland, 1985–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Poland recorded 36.60 million people for number of people living in extreme poverty in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty in Poland peaked at 38.31 million people in 1999 and was at its lowest, 36.60 million people, in 2023.
That places Poland 29th out of 120 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Poland, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 37.20 million people | — |
| 1986 | 37.23 million people | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 37.67 million people | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 37.96 million people | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 38.29 million people | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 37.59 million people | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 38.31 million people | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 37.09 million people | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 37.64 million people | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 37.79 million people | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 37.90 million people | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 38.00 million people | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 37.94 million people | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 37.83 million people | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 37.85 million people | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 37.90 million people | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 37.82 million people | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 37.80 million people | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 37.79 million people | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 37.83 million people | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 37.81 million people | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 37.86 million people | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 37.93 million people | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 37.44 million people | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 36.94 million people | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 36.70 million people | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 36.60 million people | -0.3% |
Poland compared with similar countries
- Poland's 36.60 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.58 million people, 3.8× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Poland's 36.60 million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 8.39 million people, 4.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 37.52 million people | 37.20 million people | 37.96 million people | 4 |
| 1990s | 38.06 million people | 37.59 million people | 38.31 million people | 3 |
| 2000s | 37.73 million people | 37.09 million people | 38.00 million people | 6 |
| 2010s | 37.84 million people | 37.79 million people | 37.93 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.92 million people | 36.60 million people | 37.44 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Poland
More poverty & inequality data for Poland
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 8 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.3 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 4,895 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 0.6829 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 35.13 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 35.1% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in extreme poverty in Poland?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty in Poland was 36.60 million people in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 38.31 million people in 1999.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.60 million people in 2023.
- How does Poland rank for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Poland ranks 29th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Poland data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.