World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside Poland 2.8 times.
Poland: 313,930 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Poland and the median country are nearly identical here.
Poland: 440 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Poland’s highest peak towers 164 m above the median country’s.
Poland: 2,499 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Poland has 4.9 times as many people as the median country.
Poland: 36.4 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Poland is 21% more densely populated than the median country.
Poland: 119 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Poland are 7.2 cm taller than in the median country.
Poland: 180.7 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Poland are 5.2 cm taller than in the median country.
Poland: 165.8 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Poland is 10 years older than in the median country.
Poland: 41.3 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.8 more children on average than in Poland.
Poland: 1.14 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Poland are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country.
Poland: 20.8% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Poland has produced 7.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country 0.0.
Poland: 7.7 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Poland and the median country are practically level.
Poland: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Poland’s economy is 23 times the size of the median country’s.
Poland: $1.04 trillion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Poland produces 2.6 times as much per person as the median country.
Poland: Int$54,262 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the median country than in Poland (Gini 5.9 points higher).
Poland: 28.5 (2023) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 3.0% in Poland.
Poland: 3% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Poland spends 4.2% of its GDP on the military, the median country 1.7%.
Poland: 4.2% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Poland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× the median country’s.
Poland: 52% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Poland spends 4.3 times as much on health per person as the median country.
Poland: $2,014 (2024) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Poland live 3.8 years longer than in the median country.
Poland: 78.4 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 3.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in Poland.
Poland: 3.6 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Poland has 2.4 times as many doctors per person as the median country.
Poland: 4 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Poland are obese, versus 24% in the median country.
Poland: 25.9% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Poland smoke, versus 19% in the median country.
Poland: 21.7% (2024) · World median: 19% (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 the median country.
Poland: 6.77 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Poland drink 2.7 times as much alcohol as in the median country.
Poland: 11.5 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Poland has 48% more meat per person than the median country.
Poland: 83.3 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Poland has 792 kcal more food per person per day than the median country.
Poland: 3,730 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 167 more hours a year than in Poland.
Poland: 1,807 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Poland went to school 3.3 years longer than in the median country.
Poland: 13.2 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Poland welcomed 57% more tourists per resident than the median country (2019).
Poland: 0.54 (2024) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in Poland are online, versus 82% in the median country.
Poland: 89% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Poland and the median country are practically level.
Poland: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 60% in Poland.
Poland: 60% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Poland has 138 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115.
Poland: 138 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Poland’s railway network is 8.7 times as long as the median country’s.
Poland: 18,620 km (2021) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Poland and the median country are nearly identical here.
Poland: 0.24 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
The median country and Poland are practically level.
Poland: 31.1% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Poland emits 2.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in the median country.
Poland: 7.1 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
32% of Poland’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Poland: 31.5% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 6% more fine dust than in Poland.
Poland: 15.6 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.8 times as likely to be murdered in the median country as in Poland.
Poland: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 89% deadlier than in Poland.
Poland: 6.5 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 13.3 °C warmer than Poland.
Poland: 9.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The median country gets 33% more rain than Poland.
Poland: 763 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Poland bigger than the median country?
Poland is larger. The median country fits inside Poland 2.8 times.
Which has more people, Poland or the median country?
Poland has 4.9 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Poland or the median country?
People in Poland live 3.8 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 78.4 years in Poland and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Poland or the median country?
Men in Poland are 7.2 cm taller than in the median country (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
