Tuesday, 2 June 2026
Poland’s transport sector expanded in 2025, with both freight and passenger traffic increasing compared with the previous year, according to the latest report published by Statistics Poland. Growth was recorded across most transport modes, reflecting continued economic activity and rising mobility demand, although rail freight and inland waterway transport remained under pressure.
The total volume of freight transported increased by 7.6% year-on-year to more than 2.3 billion tonnes. Road transport continued to dominate the market, accounting for over 2 billion tonnes of cargo and posting growth of 8.8% compared with 2024. Pipeline transport expanded by 5.9%, while maritime freight rose by 6.3%. Air cargo recorded the strongest growth rate, increasing by 17.5% year-on-year, albeit from a relatively small base. In contrast, rail freight volumes declined by 2.7%, while inland waterway transport remained broadly unchanged.
Freight transport performance, measured in tonne-kilometres, also increased. Total transport work rose by 3.6% to 500.4 billion tonne-kilometres. Maritime transport recorded the strongest increase in transport performance at 12.4%, followed by pipeline transport at 10.1% and air transport at 10.2%. Rail and inland waterway transport were the only segments to register declines.
Road transport remained the backbone of Poland’s logistics sector. National traffic accounted for 83% of road freight volumes, while rail transport was also predominantly domestic, with nearly 70% of goods transported within the country. International transport continued to dominate maritime, air and inland waterway operations.
The largest category of goods transported in Poland during 2025 was metal ores and mining products, which represented 22.9% of total freight volumes. Food products, beverages and tobacco formed the second-largest category with an 11.1% share.
Passenger transport also delivered a positive performance during the year. The total number of passengers carried increased by 4.2% to 728.4 million. Rail transport recorded the strongest growth among major modes, rising by 7.7% to nearly 438 million passengers and accounting for 60.1% of all passenger journeys. Air travel continued its post-pandemic expansion, growing by 9.5% to more than 19 million passengers. Maritime passenger traffic also increased modestly by 3.4%.
Road passenger transport was the only major mode to decline, falling by 1.4% year-on-year to 268.9 million passengers. Inland waterway passenger transport also contracted, decreasing by 8.1%.
Passenger transport performance increased by 3.6% to 82.1 billion passenger-kilometres. Rail transport generated 30.6 billion passenger-kilometres, while air transport remained the largest contributor with nearly 39.9 billion passenger-kilometres, reflecting the longer average travel distances associated with air travel.
The results highlight the continued strength of Poland’s logistics and mobility sectors. Robust road freight activity, growing rail passenger demand and expanding air transport volumes underline the country’s role as a major transport hub in Central Europe, even as rail freight and inland waterways continue to face competitive and infrastructure-related challenges.
Source: SOP
