Xifres de comerç exterior de Polònia

Foreign Trade in Figures

Poland is open to international trade, which represents 124% of its GDP (World Bank, latest data available). The geographical location gives the country strategic importance: situated halfway between Paris and Moscow and between Stockholm and Budapest, Poland 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 (38.3% - data for 2023), manufactured goods (16.6%), food and live animals (11.9%), and chemicals and related products (9.1%). Imports are led by similar product categories: machinery and transport equipment (35%), manufactured goods (15%), chemicals and related products (14%), and food and live animals (7.6%).

In 2023, the main trading partners were Germany (27.9%), the Czech Republic (6.3%), France (6.1%), the United Kingdom (5%), and Italy (4.6%); while the top import origins were Germany (19.8%), China (13.9%), Italy (4.9%), the U.S. (4.4%), and the Netherlands (4.1%). Overall, the EU accounted for 74.7% of Poland’s total exports and 53.9% of its imports (data Statistics Poland).

Since Poland became a member of the European Union, its exports have increased consistently. The country historically had a structurally negative trade balance; nevertheless, since 2013 this trend has reversed: when computing both goods and services, Poland had a positive trade balance estimated at 5.8% of its GDP in 2023 (it was 1.7% one year earlier - World Bank). According to data from WTO, in 2023, the country exported USD 381.5 billion worth of goods (+5.8% year-on-year), whereas imports decreased to USD 370 billion (-2.9% y-o-y). Concerning services, exports reached USD 106.4 billion (+11.6% y-o-y), with imports increasing at a faster pace (+14.5% y-o-y, to USD 65.3 billion).  The latest figures from Statistics Poland show that in January-November 2024 exports totalled PLN 1,394.8 billion and imports PLN 1,388.5 billion, with a trade surplus of PLN 6.4 billion (down from PLN 47.3 billion in 2023). Exports fell 7% year-over-year, while imports declined 4.5%. The EU accounted for 74.2% of exports and 53% of imports.