Xifres de comerç exterior de Polònia

Foreign Trade in Figures

Poland is open to international trade, which represents 112% of its GDP (World Bank, latest data available). The geographical location gives Poland strategic importance: the country is in fact situated halfway between Paris and Moscow and between Stockholm and Budapest, and it has important ports that are connected to the North Sea through the Baltic Sea. In addition, the country constitutes an excellent place for the export of merchandise to the former Soviet republics. According to figures by Statistics Poland, the country mainly exports machinery and transport equipment (37.1%), manufactured goods (18.3%), food and live animals (10.4%), and chemicals and related products (9.7%). Imports are led by similar product categories: machinery and transport equipment (34.5%), manufactured goods (17.6%), chemicals and related products (14.7%), and food and live animals (6.7%).

In 2021, the main trading partners were Germany (28.8%), the Czech Republic (5.9%), France (5.7%) and the United Kingdom (5%); while the top import origins were Germany (20.9%), China (14.8%), Russia (5.9%), and Italy (5%). Overall, the EU accounts for 75.1% of Poland’s total exports and 54.1% of its imports (data Statistics Poland).

Since Poland became a member of the European Union, its exports have increased by more than 30%. The country historically had a structurally negative trade balance; nevertheless, since 2013 this trend has reversed: when computing both goods and services, in 2021 Poland had a positive trade balance estimated at 3.4% of its GDP (it was 5.7% one year earlier - World Bank). According to data from WTO, in 2021 the country exported USD 337.9 billion worth of goods (+24.6% year-on-year), whereas imports stood at USD 338.3 billion (+31.5% y-o-y). Concerning services, exports stood at USD 80.5 billion (+20.2% y-o-y), with imports increasing at a faster pace (+23% y-o-y, to USD 49.3 billion). The latest figures from Statistics Poland show that foreign trade turnover in January-October 2022 in exports at current prices amounted to USD 302.9 billion (marking an increase of 23.3% on the same period one year earlier), while imports stood at USD 319.6 billion (+31% y-o-y). The overall balance was negative by USD 16.7 billion, while in the same period of 2021 it was positive and amounted to USD 2.1 billion. The EU accounted for 75.8% of exports and 51.3% of imports.