Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Poland is 29% bigger than the United Kingdom
Poland: 313,940 km² (2024) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 28 times as long as Poland’s
Poland: 440 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Poland’s highest peak towers 1,154 m above the United Kingdom’s
Poland: 2,499 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 69% of the United Kingdom, versus 46% of Poland
Poland: 46.2% (2024) · United Kingdom: 69.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 91% more people than Poland
Poland: 36.4 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 2.4 times as densely populated as Poland
Poland: 119 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Poland are 2.5 cm taller than in the United Kingdom
Poland: 180.7 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Poland are 1.8 cm taller than in the United Kingdom
Poland: 165.8 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Poland is 1.5 years older than in the United Kingdom
Poland: 41.3 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Kingdom have 0.4 more children on average than in Poland
Poland: 1.14 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Poland are 65 or older, versus 20% in the United Kingdom
Poland: 20.8% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Poland hosts 3.3 times as many refugees per resident as the United Kingdom
Poland: 27.2 per 1,000 (2025) · United Kingdom: 8.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Poland 7.7
Poland: 7.7 (2026) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2026)
How many official languages?
Poland and the United Kingdom are practically level
Poland: 1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 3.9 times the size of Poland’s
Poland: $1.04 trillion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Kingdom produces 19% more per person than Poland
Poland: Int$54,262 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United Kingdom than in Poland (Gini 3.9 points higher)
Poland: 28.5 (2023) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
The United Kingdom and Poland are practically level
Poland: 0.2% (2023) · United Kingdom: 0.4% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.7% in the United Kingdom, versus 3.0% in Poland
Poland: 3% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Poland spends 4.5% of its GDP on the military, the United Kingdom 2.4%
Poland: 4.5% (2025) · United Kingdom: 2.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The United Kingdom’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, Poland’s 17%
Poland: 17.4% (2024) · United Kingdom: 26.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Poland’s
Poland: 52% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 2.9 times as much on health per person as Poland
Poland: $2,014 (2024) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the United Kingdom live 3 years longer than in Poland
Poland: 78.4 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United Kingdom is 14% more likely to die before turning one than in Poland
Poland: 3.6 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Poland has 22% more doctors per person than the United Kingdom
Poland: 4 per 1,000 (2023) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Poland has 2.5 times as many hospital beds per person as the United Kingdom
Poland: 6 per 1,000 (2022) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Poland is 40% higher than in the United Kingdom
Poland: 13.4 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 9.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 26% in Poland
Poland: 25.9% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Poland smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom
Poland: 21.7% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Poland rate their lives 0.07 points higher than in the United Kingdom
Poland: 6.77 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Poland drink 10% more alcohol than in the United Kingdom
Poland: 11.5 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 1% more meat per person than Poland
Poland: 83.3 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Poland has 296 kcal more food per person per day than the United Kingdom
Poland: 3,730 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Poland put in 284 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom
Poland: 1,807 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 0.28 years longer than in Poland
Poland: 13.2 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Kingdom welcomed 2% more tourists per resident than Poland (2019)
Poland: 0.54 (2024) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United Kingdom has 17 more World Heritage sites than Poland (35 against 18)
Poland: 18 (2026) · United Kingdom: 35 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United Kingdom has won 1,025 Olympic medals, Poland 335
Poland: 335 (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,025 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United Kingdom are online, versus 89% in Poland
Poland: 89% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United Kingdom is 5% faster than in Poland
Poland: 288 Mbps (2026) · United Kingdom: 303 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Poland and the United Kingdom are practically level
Poland: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in the United Kingdom live in cities, versus 60% in Poland
Poland: 60% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Poland has 138 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United Kingdom 122
Poland: 138 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Poland’s railway network is 15% longer than the United Kingdom’s
Poland: 18,620 km (2021) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Kingdom fly 7.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Poland
Poland: 0.24 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of Poland, but only 13% of the United Kingdom
Poland: 31% (2024) · United Kingdom: 13.5% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Poland emits 56% more CO₂ than someone in the United Kingdom
Poland: 7.1 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 32% in Poland
Poland: 31.5% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Poland carries 77% more fine dust than in the United Kingdom
Poland: 15.6 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 39% more likely to be murdered in the United Kingdom than in Poland
Poland: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Poland are 2.9 times as deadly as in the United Kingdom
Poland: 11.5 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 3.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United Kingdom is on average 0.2 °C warmer than Poland
Poland: 9.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United Kingdom gets 40% more rain than Poland
Poland: 763 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Poland bigger than the United Kingdom?
Poland is larger. Poland is 29% bigger than the United Kingdom.
Which has more people, Poland or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 91% more people than Poland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Poland or the United Kingdom?
People in the United Kingdom live 3 years longer than in Poland. Life expectancy at birth is 78.4 years in Poland and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in Poland or the United Kingdom?
Men in Poland are 2.5 cm taller than in the United Kingdom (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
