In 1989, when the communist regime was collapsing, it would have been difficult for anyone to predict that, almost 40 years later, Poland would have developed into one of the largest and most dynamic economies in Europe.
The country was emerging from decades of a centrally planned economy with high inflation, large external debt, low productivity, and a cumbersome state production apparatus. The distance it has covered since then is impressive. In 2025, the Polish economy grew by 3.6%, while, in real terms, the country's GDP has more than tripled compared with the beginning of the 1990s.
An economy that produces
The transition was not painless. The famous “shock therapy” associated with Leszek Balcerowicz liberalized prices, opened the economy to international trade, and accelerated privatizations. The social cost, however, was high. Unemployment rose sharply and entire industrial regions found themselves confronted with profound upheavals.
Poland, however, did not abandon its productive base. It gradually integrated into European value chains, attracted foreign investment, and developed a strong manufacturing sector. Cars and components, electrical equipment, household appliances, furniture, food, and chemical products today make up an important part of Polish exports.
Its accession to the European Union in 2004 was also decisive. Since then, Poland has made use on a very large scale of European resources for the development of infrastructure, transport, businesses, human capital, and energy projects. For cohesion policy projects alone, European funding from the country's accession until the end of 2023 amounted to approximately €164.6 billion.
The zloty
The resilience of the Polish model became particularly clear in 2009. In the year when Europe sank into the financial crisis, Poland was the only country in the European Union that maintained a positive growth rate.
Contributing to this were the large domestic market, the relatively limited dependence on exports, the stable banking system, and the flexibility of the exchange rate.
The experience of that period partly explains Warsaw’s insistence on the zloty as well. The national currency continues to be regarded as a tool of economic flexibility, and joining the euro is not an immediate priority.
National identity and migration
Alongside the country's economic transformation, another characteristic remains particularly strong. This is the strong attachment of a large part of Polish society to national identity.
This attitude is also reflected in the discussion on migration. In a CBOS survey in 2025, 52% of respondents said that the settlement of foreigners should be allowed only when they possess professional skills that the Polish economy needs. By contrast, only 10% supported the view that anyone who wishes should be able to settle in the country.
Even more striking is the change in attitudes toward Ukrainian refugees. Immediately after the Russian invasion of 2022, support for receiving them had reached 94%. In July 2026, however, for the first time the picture reversed. 52% said they were opposed to receiving them.
Poland, of course, is simultaneously facing one of the most serious demographic problems in Europe. The fertility rate is at very low levels and the aging of the population is creating increasing pressure on the labor market and the social security system.
This very contradiction, between the need for more labor force and the great reluctance toward migration, will probably constitute one of the biggest challenges for Poland in the coming years.
Former “poor relative”
Poland’s economic success does not necessarily need the term “miracle” to impress. It is the result of decades of investment, production, exports, infrastructure, and deep integration into the European economy.
And here the comparison with Greece is difficult to avoid. In 2025, Poland’s per capita GDP, measured in purchasing power units, reached 81% of the European Union average. In Greece, the corresponding percentage was 68%.
Even more characteristic is the picture of wages. In 2024, the average annual adjusted full-time wage was approximately €21,200 in Poland, while in Greece it was limited to approximately €18,000.
Perhaps, then, the real question is not only how Poland managed it. It is also what Greece did with the lead it once had.
* Historian, political analyst