Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ukraine is 92% bigger than Poland.
Poland: 313,930 km² (2023) · Ukraine: 603,550 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Ukraine’s coastline is 6.3 times as long as Poland’s.
Poland: 440 km (2026 edition) · Ukraine: 2,782 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Poland’s highest peak towers 438 m above Ukraine’s.
Poland: 2,499 m (2026 edition) · Ukraine: 2,061 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ukraine has 7% more people than Poland.
Poland: 36.4 million (2025) · Ukraine: 39 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Poland is 77% more densely populated than Ukraine.
Poland: 119 per km² (2025) · Ukraine: 67 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Ukraine and Poland are practically level.
Poland: 180.7 cm (2019) · Ukraine: 181 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ukraine are 0.8 cm taller than in Poland.
Poland: 165.8 cm (2019) · Ukraine: 166.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ukraine is 0.67 years older than in Poland.
Poland: 41.3 years (2023) · Ukraine: 42 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Poland have 0.2 more children on average than in Ukraine.
Poland: 1.14 children per woman (2024) · Ukraine: 0.99 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Poland are 65 or older, versus 19% in Ukraine.
Poland: 20.8% (2025) · Ukraine: 19% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Poland has produced 7.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ukraine 1.3.
Poland: 7.7 (2025) · Ukraine: 1.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
Poland and Ukraine are practically level.
Poland: 1 (2026) · Ukraine: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Poland’s economy is 4.8 times the size of Ukraine’s.
Poland: $1.04 trillion (2025) · Ukraine: $214 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Poland produces 2.9 times as much per person as Ukraine.
Poland: Int$54,262 (2025) · Ukraine: Int$18,905 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Poland than in Ukraine (Gini 2.9 points higher).
Poland: 28.5 (2023) · Ukraine: 25.6 (2020)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 9.8% in Ukraine, versus 3.0% in Poland.
Poland: 3% (2025) · Ukraine: 9.8% (2021)
How much goes to the military?
Ukraine spends 34% of its GDP on the military, Poland 4.2%.
Poland: 4.2% (2024) · Ukraine: 34.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Poland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Ukraine’s.
Poland: 52% (2025) · Ukraine: 31% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Poland spends 5.4 times as much on health per person as Ukraine.
Poland: $2,014 (2024) · Ukraine: $370 (2021)
How long do people live?
People in Poland live 3.7 years longer than in Ukraine.
Poland: 78.4 years (2024) · Ukraine: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ukraine is 2.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Poland.
Poland: 3.6 per 1,000 (2024) · Ukraine: 7.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Poland has 14% more doctors per person than Ukraine.
Poland: 4 per 1,000 (2023) · Ukraine: 3.5 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
28% of adults in Ukraine are obese, versus 26% in Poland.
Poland: 25.9% (2024) · Ukraine: 27.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in Ukraine smoke, versus 22% in Poland.
Poland: 21.7% (2024) · Ukraine: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Poland rate their lives 2.11 points higher than in Ukraine.
Poland: 6.77 (2025) · Ukraine: 4.66 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Poland drink 3 times as much alcohol as in Ukraine.
Poland: 11.5 litres (2023) · Ukraine: 3.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Poland has 68% more meat per person than Ukraine.
Poland: 83.3 kg (2023) · Ukraine: 49.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Poland has 944 kcal more food per person per day than Ukraine.
Poland: 3,730 kcal (2023) · Ukraine: 2,786 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Ukraine put in 238 more hours a year than in Poland.
Poland: 1,807 hours (2023) · Ukraine: 2,045 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Poland went to school 2.1 years longer than in Ukraine.
Poland: 13.2 years (2023) · Ukraine: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Poland welcomed 8.2 times as many tourists per resident as Ukraine (2019).
Poland: 0.54 (2024) · Ukraine: 0.07 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in Poland are online, versus 82% in Ukraine.
Poland: 89% (2024) · Ukraine: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Poland and Ukraine are practically level.
Poland: 100% (2024) · Ukraine: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
70% of people in Ukraine live in cities, versus 60% in Poland.
Poland: 60% (2025) · Ukraine: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Poland has 138 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ukraine 133.
Poland: 138 (2024) · Ukraine: 133 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Ukraine’s railway network is 16% longer than Poland’s.
Poland: 18,620 km (2021) · Ukraine: 21,626 km (2020)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Poland fly 21 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ukraine.
Poland: 0.24 (2023) · Ukraine: 0.01 (2022)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of Poland, but only 17% of Ukraine.
Poland: 31.1% (2023) · Ukraine: 16.8% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Poland emits 88% more CO₂ than someone in Ukraine.
Poland: 7.1 t (2024) · Ukraine: 3.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
32% of Poland’s electricity is renewable, versus 16% in Ukraine.
Poland: 31.5% (2025) · Ukraine: 16.4% (2022)
How clean is the air?
The air in Poland carries 10% more fine dust than in Ukraine.
Poland: 15.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Ukraine: 14.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.7 times as likely to be murdered in Ukraine as in Poland.
Poland: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · Ukraine: 3.8 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ukraine are 62% deadlier than in Poland.
Poland: 6.5 per 100k (2021) · Ukraine: 10.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ukraine is on average 0.6 °C warmer than Poland.
Poland: 9.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ukraine: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Poland gets 23% more rain than Ukraine.
Poland: 763 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ukraine: 619 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Poland bigger than Ukraine?
Ukraine is larger. Ukraine is 92% bigger than Poland.
Which has more people, Poland or Ukraine?
Ukraine has 7% more people than Poland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Poland or Ukraine?
People in Poland live 3.7 years longer than in Ukraine. Life expectancy at birth is 78.4 years in Poland and 74.7 in Ukraine.
Are people taller in Poland or Ukraine?
Ukraine and Poland are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
