Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Poland fits inside Russia 55 times
Poland: 313,940 km² (2024) · Russia: 17,125,200 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Russia’s coastline is 86 times as long as Poland’s
Poland: 440 km (2026 edition) · Russia: 37,653 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Russia’s highest peak towers 3,143 m above Poland’s
Poland: 2,499 m (2026 edition) · Russia: 5,642 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 46% of Poland, versus 13% of Russia
Poland: 46.2% (2024) · Russia: 13.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Russia has 3.9 times as many people as Poland
Poland: 36.4 million (2025) · Russia: 144 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Poland is 14 times as densely populated as Russia
Poland: 119 per km² (2025) · Russia: 9 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Poland are 4.0 cm taller than in Russia
Poland: 180.7 cm (2019) · Russia: 176.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Poland are 1.3 cm taller than in Russia
Poland: 165.8 cm (2019) · Russia: 164.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Poland is 1.9 years older than in Russia
Poland: 41.3 years (2023) · Russia: 39.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Russia have 0.3 more children on average than in Poland
Poland: 1.14 children per woman (2024) · Russia: 1.42 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Poland are 65 or older, versus 18% in Russia
Poland: 20.8% (2025) · Russia: 17.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Poland hosts 330 times as many refugees per resident as Russia
Poland: 27.2 per 1,000 (2025) · Russia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Poland has produced 7.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Russia 2.0
Poland: 7.7 (2026) · Russia: 2 (2026)
How many official languages?
Poland and Russia are practically level
Poland: 1 (2026) · Russia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Russia’s economy is 2.5 times the size of Poland’s
Poland: $1.04 trillion (2025) · Russia: $2.56 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Poland produces 9% more per person than Russia
Poland: Int$54,262 (2025) · Russia: Int$49,568 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Russia than in Poland (Gini 4.5 points higher)
Poland: 28.5 (2023) · Russia: 33 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Poland and Russia are practically level
Poland: 0.2% (2023) · Russia: 0.1% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.0% in Poland, versus 2.1% in Russia
Poland: 3% (2025) · Russia: 2.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Russia spends 7.5% of its GDP on the military, Poland 4.5%
Poland: 4.5% (2025) · Russia: 7.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Poland’s central government collects 17% of GDP in tax, Russia’s 11%
Poland: 17.4% (2024) · Russia: 10.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Poland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Russia’s
Poland: 52% (2025) · Russia: 35% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Poland spends 2 times as much on health per person as Russia
Poland: $2,014 (2024) · Russia: $1,003 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Poland live 5 years longer than in Russia
Poland: 78.4 years (2024) · Russia: 73.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Russia is 14% more likely to die before turning one than in Poland
Poland: 3.6 per 1,000 (2024) · Russia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Russia has 27% more doctors per person than Poland
Poland: 4 per 1,000 (2023) · Russia: 5.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Russia has 13% more hospital beds per person than Poland
Poland: 6 per 1,000 (2022) · Russia: 6.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Russia is 48% higher than in Poland
Poland: 13.4 per 100k (2023) · Russia: 19.8 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Poland are obese, versus 21% in Russia
Poland: 25.9% (2024) · Russia: 21.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
27% of adults in Russia smoke, versus 22% in Poland
Poland: 21.7% (2024) · Russia: 27% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Poland rate their lives 0.93 points higher than in Russia
Poland: 6.77 (2025) · Russia: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Poland drink 11% more alcohol than in Russia
Poland: 11.5 litres (2023) · Russia: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Russia has 2% more meat per person than Poland
Poland: 83.3 kg (2023) · Russia: 84.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Poland has 202 kcal more food per person per day than Russia
Poland: 3,730 kcal (2023) · Russia: 3,528 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Russia put in 280 more hours a year than in Poland
Poland: 1,807 hours (2023) · Russia: 2,087 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Poland went to school 0.8 years longer than in Russia
Poland: 13.2 years (2023) · Russia: 12.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Poland: 0.54 (2024) · Russia: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Russia has 15 more World Heritage sites than Poland (33 against 18)
Poland: 18 (2026) · Russia: 33 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Russia has won 539 Olympic medals, Poland 335
Poland: 335 (2026 edition) · Russia: 539 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in Russia are online, versus 89% in Poland
Poland: 89% (2024) · Russia: 94% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Poland: 288 Mbps (2026) · Russia: no data
Who has electricity at home?
Poland and Russia are practically level
Poland: 100% (2024) · Russia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
75% of people in Russia live in cities, versus 60% in Poland
Poland: 60% (2025) · Russia: 75% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Russia has 186 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Poland 138
Poland: 138 (2024) · Russia: 186 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Russia’s railway network is 4.6 times as long as Poland’s
Poland: 18,620 km (2021) · Russia: 85,544 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Russia fly 2.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from Poland
Poland: 0.24 (2023) · Russia: 0.69 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 51% of Russia, but only 31% of Poland
Poland: 31% (2024) · Russia: 50.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Russia emits 74% more CO₂ than someone in Poland
Poland: 7.1 t (2024) · Russia: 12.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
32% of Poland’s electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Russia
Poland: 31.5% (2025) · Russia: 17.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Poland carries 21% more fine dust than in Russia
Poland: 15.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Russia: 12.9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 9.7 times as likely to be murdered in Russia as in Poland
Poland: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · Russia: 7.8 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Russia are 17% deadlier than in Poland
Poland: 11.5 per 100k (2023) · Russia: 13.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Poland is on average 12.3 °C warmer than Russia
Poland: 9.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Russia: -2.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Poland gets 30% more rain than Russia
Poland: 763 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Russia: 586 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Poland bigger than Russia?
Russia is larger. Poland fits inside Russia 55 times.
Which has more people, Poland or Russia?
Russia has 3.9 times as many people as Poland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Poland or Russia?
People in Poland live 5 years longer than in Russia. Life expectancy at birth is 78.4 years in Poland and 73.4 in Russia.
Are people taller in Poland or Russia?
Men in Poland are 4.0 cm taller than in Russia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).