Tuesday, 2 December 2025
Poland’s industrial sector generated PLN 1.716 trillion in sold production in 2024, according to the latest national report on industrial products published by Statistics Poland. Although the result represents a 4.2% decrease compared with 2023, the value remains 47% higher than in 2020, underscoring the sector’s strong growth over the longer term. The survey covered 38,334 enterprises and 4,855 product groups across mining, quarrying and manufacturing.
The data shows mixed performance across industries. Production increased in 11 of the 28 PKWiU divisions, with the strongest year-on-year gains observed in tobacco products, other mining and quarrying activities, other transport equipment, wearing apparel and computers, electronic and optical products. In contrast, the most notable declines were recorded in hard coal and lignite, electrical equipment, leather goods, wood products and machinery and equipment. Despite these shifts, the structure of industry remained broadly stable. Food products retained the largest share of total sold production, accounting for 19.2% of national output, followed by motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers at 11.4% and electrical equipment at 6.9%.
Significant regional differences persist. Mazowieckie Voivodeship remained the country’s industrial centre, generating 21.9% of all sold production in 2024, or PLN 377.4 billion. It was followed by Śląskie with a 14.5% share and Wielkopolskie with 12%. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship accounted for only 1.9% of national production. These shares have changed only modestly since 2020, although Mazowieckie and Małopolskie strengthened their positions slightly, while Dolnośląskie and Śląskie recorded a decrease compared with 2023.
Large enterprises continued to dominate the industrial landscape. Companies employing 50 or more people were responsible for 94.3% of all sold production, while smaller entities employing between 10 and 49 workers accounted for PLN 98.3 billion. Industrial firms also contributed the overwhelming majority of production, with non-industrial entities representing only a small fraction of the total.
Production carried out under subcontracting arrangements amounted to PLN 15.1 billion in 2024, marking a 6.1% increase from the previous year. The largest contributions came from the food, beverages and tobacco industries, followed by fabricated metal products, chemicals and chemical products, and motor vehicles and trailers. Growth in subcontracting was particularly notable in pharmaceuticals, wood and wood-based products, other transport equipment, rubber and plastics and electrical equipment.
The report also highlights rapid expansion in technologically advanced categories. Sold production of goods containing embedded electronic systems reached PLN 42.2 billion, rising 28.8% over 2023 and 75.5% compared with 2020. Products incorporating Internet-of-Things elements accounted for 27.5% of this group. Output was dominated by companies operating in the manufacture of computers, electronics and optical equipment, as well as electrical equipment, with domestic-capital firms responsible for nearly three-quarters of the total value.
In terms of manufactured volumes, the period between 2020 and 2024 saw sharp increases in products such as direct-current motors and generators, sanitary ware of iron or steel, high-power agricultural tractors, condensed sweetened milk and paper labels. At the same time, production fell steeply in several traditional categories, including stainless-steel sinks, lead and tin ores, newsprint, household mixers and juicers, and textile household linens. The 2024-on-2023 comparison shows similarly diverse results, with notably higher production of white chocolate, zinc-coated flat products, electric hoists, potassic fertilisers and parquet flooring, but major declines in printed periodicals, needle roller bearings, specialised agricultural trailers and several machine tools.
Within the European Union, Poland maintained its position as the fifth-largest industrial producer when measured by the number of PRODCOM product categories for which output was reported. In 2024, Poland submitted data for 3,144 products, representing 77.7% of the EU’s statistical list. For around 400 products, Poland held between 10% and 20% of the EU’s sold production value, with the highest concentrations in food products, chemicals, rubber and plastics, fabricated metals and machinery. For approximately 268 products, Poland’s share exceeded 20%, including 61.1% of EU production of television receivers and more than half of the EU’s output of household washing and drying machines. In several cases, Poland accounted for over 50% of EU production volumes, including handmade paper, MDF boards under 5 mm, scouring preparations, electric toasters, potato-harvesting machinery and selected furniture components.
