Why Poland
Expertise across a variety of sectorsAcross all the areas of manufacturing, service and agriculture, diversification can be seen. Therefore finding partners in sectors such as automotive, aeronautics, IT, food processing, electronics or finance will not be a problem in Poland.
Polish companies offer a high quality of products and services, with flexibility and readiness to meet even the most rigorous quality and industry norms. This allows for opportunities to carry out the most demanding projects.
Business Service Sector (BSS)
50 k | 338 k employed in 2020 |
- A thriving BSS industry worth USD 19.8 billion recorded dynamic growth over the last decade, resulting in an increase from 50 thousand people employed in the sector in 2008 to over 338 thousand in 2020.
- From the Fortune Global 500 list, 95 companies have invested in the Polish BSS sector.
Electronics and electrical engineering
The production value of electrotechnical equipment sold is over PLN 64.6 billion.
Share in overall production
| 35% | 20% | 15% |
Home appliances | Cables and wires | Lighting |
- The electrotechnical sector accounts for 5% of Polish Industry’s total sold production.
- The industry employs a total of 115 thousand people, i.e. 4.8% of the total number of people working in manufacturing in Poland (2018).
- A characteristic feature of the Polish electrotechnical industry is a very large share of foreign capital represented by such global leaders as: Royal Philips Electronic, LG, Samsung and Philips Lighting, Schneider Electric, ABB and Whirlpool.
- The inflow of foreign capital created favourable conditions for the absorption of new technologies in Poland, which allowed a multitude of Polish companies to be included in the international supply chains related to manufacturing.
Renewable Energy
The share of renewable energy in gross energy consumption in Poland per sector, shown with data from 2019 and targets for 2030 (in percent).
| Sector | 2019 | Target for 2030 |
| Electrical | 14,3 | 32 |
| Heating and cooling | 16 | 28,4 |
| Transportation | 6,1 | 14 |
Source: „Rozwój i potencjał energetyki odnawialnej w Polsce,” a report by the Polish Economic Institute, December 2020
- PLN 48 billion was allocated for low-emission investments.
- Poland ranks 5th in Europe in terms of growth of renewable energy capacity.
- From 2013 to 2019 the value of low-carbon investments was EUR 10.6 billion, with a theoretical capacity of 8.6 gigawatts of energy.
Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology
| 1st place in the CEE | Number of graduates in the field of biopharmaceuticals in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE region) |
| 5st in Europe | Number of graduates in the field of biopharmaceuticals in Europe |
| 25,707 | Number of graduates in the health sector in 2019 |
| >40 | Number of higher education institutions involved in developing key competences for the biopharmaceutical sector |
- The pharmaceutical industry, although significantly smaller than other industries in terms of employment (provided around 800,000 jobs in 2019), accounted for about € 213 billion in market value in 2019 in the EU.
- The Polish pharmaceutical industry has a long-standing history, while also being one of the largest in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. The sector producing drugs and pharmaceutical products in Poland generates of about 1% of Polish GDP, providing - directly and indirectly - about 100,000 jobs.
- Approximately 200 companies employing over 4,000 people work in the field of biotechnology in Poland.
Gaming
Gaming in Poland
| 96% | 2+ bn |
Of the gaming industry’s revenue comes from exports | Revenue generated in 2019 |
Source: PFR Report - The Game industry in Poland 2020
- CD Projekt RED is a Polish publisher of AAA games, listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. It was estimated to be worth PLN 36.5 billion in January 2021. It is the most valuable company in Poland.
- The value of the gaming segment in Poland is estimated at EUR 8.1 billion
- Polish computer game developers have already won over the hearts of players worldwide with such cult titles as: The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk, Dying Light and Frostpunk.
IT
 |
Source: Stack Overflow report 2019
- The overall size of the IT sector in Poland is estimated at PLN 70-85 billion.
- 14 Polish IT companies appeared in the 2020 ranking of the 1000 fastest growing companies in Europe. Polish IT companies have established a recognisable brand of export services, characterised by high quality and meticulousness of the services provided, both as a supplier of comprehensive solutions as well as "tailor made" solutions or highly qualified outsourcing teams.
Cosmetics
Cosmetics sales in Europe - the largest retail markets (EUR bilonon)
 |
Source: Cosmetics Europe 2019
- Polish cosmetics have been gaining more recognition every year due to, their use of natural, good-quality ingredients and a relatively low price. Currently, Poland is ranked 14th in the world in terms of cosmetics export (2.6% share). Over 85% of Polish cosmetics exports are destined for European markets.
- According to Santander’s data, skin care and beauty products (60%), hair (15%), perfumes and toilet waters (12%) and toiletries in the form of soaps, gels and bath salts (8.5%) had the largest share in the value of domestic cosmetics production in 2019.
- Online remains the fastest growing sales channel for cosmetics.
Aeronautics
| 17,100 employed in aeronautical production 102,700 machines and other devices | |
| 3250 new graduates with automation and robotics degrees annually 6000 graduates with engineering and machine construction degrees 530 saviation graduates annually | |
| The value of the Polish aviation industry’s sales reached EUR 1,93 bilion (2018), which meant an increase of 16,8% y/y |
- The 5 largest manufacturers of aircraft engines, namely Lufthansa, GE Aviation, Sikorsky, UTC Aerospace Systems and AugustaWestland, began production in Poland.
- The 140 aviation companies working in Poland generated a total revenue of 1.93 billion euros in 2018.
- Aviation and astronautics are considered a "strategic ecosystem" as defined in the new EU industrial strategy.
Ships and yachts
The share of yacht exports in the European Union
 |
Source: KPMG,The luxury goods market in Poland, 2019
- Currently there are approx. 1000 companies in Poland involved in building or producing yachts, boats and accessories plus a network of sub-suppliers. Of these 1000 companies, there are Polish subcontractors of foreign companies, companies producing under Polish brands and manufacturers of accessories.
- Service companies such as sailing schools and charter companies form a separate group - they are to some extent dependent on and integrated with the production sector.
- The EUR / CGT efficiency of ships manufactured in Poland as ready-made vessels, was equal to the average efficiency achieved by European shipyards and twice as high as the level of efficiency obtained by Chinese, Japanese or South Korean shipyards.
- Out of approximately 23 thousand ships and yachts produced in Poland annually, about 95% are exported.
Furniture
| Poland was the world’s second largest furniture exporter in 2019 and the first in the European market. | |
| Employment in the Polish furniture sector continues to grow. In 2010, it employed 129,000 people and by the end of 2019, this number had already increased to 162,000. | |
| European countries such as Germany, Czechia, the Netherlands, France, Great Britain, Ukraine still remain the main export destinations, however Polish furniture is becoming increasingly popular in more distant markets such as the US. |
- The furniture industry in Poland is responsible for over 2% of Polish GDP. It is the fourth largest industry in the country in terms of employment.
- The value of sold Polish furniture production in 2019 amounted to PLN 50.5 billion (signifying an increase by approximately PLN 1.5 billion compared to 2018), and the estimates of ‘GUS’ the indicate similar results in 2020, when PLN 50.6 billion worth of furniture was sold.
- Poland ranks 6th in the world in terms of the value of manufactured furniture. Polish furniture is shipped mainly to Western Europe - 90% of furniture products are exported
Automotive
| 327,400 workers Employed in the automotive industry, ranking Poland 3rd in the EU | |
| 36 bilion EUR Is the value of the Polish automotive industry’s exports in 2019, which accounts for 15.3% of the total exports of goods. |
Polish exports of lithium-ion batteries in milion PLN
 |
Source: PAIH’s own analysis based on Statistics Poland’s (PL:GUS) data
- The total revenue generated by the Polish automotive sector in 2021 amounted to approximately PLN 165.9 bn (about EUR 36.5 billion);
- Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Poland managed to export over EUR 26.8 bn worth of automotive products (including automotive parts) in 2020.
- Poland is the 6th largest producer of commercial vehicles in Europe, with 208,000 units produced in 2018 alone. The largest vehicle producers in Poland are: Volkswagen, Daimler and Toyota.
Textiles, clothing and fashion
 |
Source: KPMG, „Rynek mody w Polsce”, 2019
- About 300,000 people work in the fashion industry, largely in small family businesses (approx. 73%), but at the same time, a significant part of sales is the domain of large companies in the fashion industry, including nationwide chains.
- As much as 61% of Polish textiles sales revenues come from exports, while in the sub–category of clothing - 43% of exports.
Paper production
 |
Source: Eurostat, Polish Bank Pekao Analizy
- The Polish Packaging industry’s Chamber estimates the value of the Polish paper sector at approx. PLN 45 billion. This sector also ranks as the second most profitable industry in Poland, after the pharmaceutical industry.
- Poland’s share in the European Union’s paper production is systematically growing - from 4% in 2010 to over 6% in 2021. Export plays an important role for this industry, but the high pace of its development can best traced back to the dynamic growth in domestic demand.
- The wrapping paper and cardboard packaging sub-sector benefited from the growth of e-commerce, as these products proved essential for the transportation and delivery of all kinds of food and pharmaceutical goods, such as drugs in protective packaging.
Medical equipment
 | The largest market for medical equipment in Central and Eastern Europe USD 11 billion, with an outlook of USD 13.8 billion in 2024 |
 | The rapidly growing private medical sector 7% CAGR in 2016-2021 |
 | A significant increase in planned spending on health care 9% of Polish GDP in 2030 |
 | A market with a double CAGR growth rate 10.1% growth rate according to CAGR for 2019-2024 in USD |
- There are over 300 companies operating in the medical products industry and approx. 500,000 medical products, approved and admitted for sale and use in accordance with EU regulations, registered in Poland.
- Due to the conditions of the domestic market (National Health Fund’s budgetary limitations), export is particularly important for companies in this sector, accounting for an average of 60% of their revenues according to “GUS”, the Polish Statistics Office.
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