Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Poland
Poland: Distribution of population between different poverty lines was 36.18 million people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
36.18 million people
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
20th
of 120 countries
All-time high
37.35 million people
in 2019
All-time low
25.05 million people
in 1995
Years of data
27
1985–2023
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Poland, 1985–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for distribution of population between different poverty lines in Poland is 36.18 million people, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Poland peaked at 37.35 million people in 2019 and was at its lowest, 25.05 million people, in 1995.
Poland ranks 20th of 120 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Poland, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 29.83 million people | — |
| 1986 | 29.14 million people | -2.3% |
| 1987 | 30.44 million people | +4.4% |
| 1989 | 35.24 million people | +15.8% |
| 1992 | 31.34 million people | -11.1% |
| 1995 | 25.05 million people | -20.1% |
| 1999 | 29.81 million people | +19.0% |
| 2004 | 28.28 million people | -5.1% |
| 2005 | 29.92 million people | +5.8% |
| 2006 | 31.70 million people | +5.9% |
| 2007 | 33.52 million people | +5.8% |
| 2008 | 34.47 million people | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 34.73 million people | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 34.97 million people | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 34.82 million people | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 34.75 million people | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 34.92 million people | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 35.22 million people | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 35.62 million people | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 36.41 million people | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 36.73 million people | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 36.87 million people | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 37.35 million people | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 36.87 million people | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 36.39 million people | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 36.10 million people | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 36.18 million people | +0.2% |
Poland compared with similar countries
- Poland's 36.18 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.01 million people, 4.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Poland's 36.18 million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.91 million people, 6.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 31.16 million people | 29.14 million people | 35.24 million people | 4 |
| 1990s | 28.73 million people | 25.05 million people | 31.34 million people | 3 |
| 2000s | 32.10 million people | 28.28 million people | 34.73 million people | 6 |
| 2010s | 35.77 million people | 34.75 million people | 37.35 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.38 million people | 36.10 million people | 36.87 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 distribution of population between different poverty lines in Poland?
- Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Poland was 36.18 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 distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 37.35 million people in 2019.
- What is the lowest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.05 million people in 1995.
- How does Poland rank for distribution of population between different poverty lines?
- Poland ranks 20th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is distribution of population between different poverty lines rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Distribution of population between different poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $10 per day.