Poland

Economy & industry overview

Poland is the largest economy in Central and Eastern Europe, with a nominal GDP exceeding 900 billion USD in 2024 and a track record of sustained growth averaging around 3 to 4 percent annually over the past decade. The economy is diversified across manufacturing, financial services, energy, retail, information technology, and agriculture, benefiting from deep integration into European Union supply chains. The Warsaw Stock Exchange is the dominant bourse in the region by market capitalisation and number of listings. Poland has maintained one of the lowest unemployment rates in the EU, with the labour force survey rate hovering near 3 percent. The country completed a successful transition from a centrally planned to a market economy after 1989 and has attracted substantial foreign direct investment over the past three decades.

Key sectors

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Macro

GDP nominal, USD	$921.81B
GDP growth real, annual	3.2%
Inflation annual	3.7%
Population people	37.6M
GDP per capita USD	$25,057
Market cap total listed, USD	$796.50B
Market cap / GDP	86.4%
Unemployment	2.9%
Listed companies	402
Exchange	Warsaw Stock Exchange (Gielda Papierow Wartosciowych w Warszawie) (GPW)

Primary data year: 2024. Sources: World Bank, IMF World Economic Outlook 2024, Warsaw Stock Exchange official statistics (September 2026), Wikipedia: Economy of Poland, Wikipedia: Warsaw Stock Exchange, FocusEconomics, CountryEconomy.com, iShares EPOL Fact Sheet (June 2026), TopForeignStocks.com Polish ADR list (May 2026), Euronews (October 2025), TVP World (August 2026), MSCI Poland IMI Index Factsheet. Individual figures may cover different reference periods — for example a fiscal year, or an estimate for the current year — and the overview above states these where known.

Local exchange & access

Exchange	Warsaw Stock Exchange (Gielda Papierow Wartosciowych w Warszawie)
Code	GPW
Website	www.gpw.pl
Currency	PLN

Local broker access

International retail brokers offering access to the Warsaw Stock Exchange include Interactive Brokers and several European-based platforms. Polish domestic brokers such as mDom Maklerski (mBank), DM PKO Banku Polskiego, and XTB also serve retail clients. The iShares MSCI Poland ETF (EPOL) traded on NYSE Arca provides US investors with liquid single-country exposure without a direct WSE account.

Global brokers with foreign-market access

• Interactive Brokers — Direct access to 90+ markets worldwide, including many emerging exchanges.
• Saxo Bank — Multi-market access across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
• Charles Schwab (Global) — Foreign ordinary shares on select markets; US-listed ADRs and ETFs.
• Fidelity International Trading — International stock trading on a number of developed and emerging markets.

Listed for convenience only. Not a recommendation. Available markets, fees and onboarding rules differ by broker and by your country of residence.

Relocation & residency

Foreign-investor access

Poland is a member of the European Union and the Schengen Area. EU and EEA citizens may live and work in Poland without a separate visa or permit. Non-EU nationals must obtain a relevant residence permit; there is no dedicated investor or golden visa scheme, but a long-term business or work residence permit may be obtained through normal channels. Poland uses the Polish Zloty and has not yet adopted the euro.