Poland vs. Germany
Introduction
Poland | Germany | |
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Background | Poland's history as a state began near the middle of the 10th century. By the mid-16th century, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ruled a vast tract of land in Central and Eastern Europe. During the 18th century, internal disorders weakened the nation, and in a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland among themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following the war. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force with over 10 million members. Free elections in 1989 and 1990 won Solidarity control of the parliament and the presidency, bringing the communist era to a close. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004. With its transformation to a democratic, market-oriented country largely completed and with large investments in defense, energy, and other infrastructure, Poland is an increasingly active member of Euro-Atlantic organizations. | As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation (after Russia), Germany is a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating world wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key western economic and security organizations, the EC (now the EU) and NATO, while the communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German reunification in 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring eastern productivity and wages up to western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro. |
Geography
Poland | Germany | |
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Location | Central Europe, east of Germany | Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark |
Geographic coordinates | 52 00 N, 20 00 E | 51 00 N, 9 00 E |
Map references | Europe | Europe |
Area | total: 312,685 sq km land: 304,255 sq km water: 8,430 sq km | total: 357,022 sq km land: 348,672 sq km water: 8,350 sq km |
Area - comparative | about twice the size of Georgia; slightly smaller than New Mexico | three times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Montana |
Land boundaries | total: 2,865 km border countries (7): Belarus 375 km, Czechia 699 km, Germany 467 km, Lithuania 100 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 209 km, Slovakia 517 km, Ukraine 498 km | total: 3,694 km border countries (9): Austria 801 km, Belgium 133 km, Czechia 704 km, Denmark 140 km, France 418 km, Luxembourg 128 km, Netherlands 575 km, Poland 447 km, Switzerland 348 km |
Coastline | 440 km | 2,389 km |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: defined by international treaties | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
Climate | temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers | temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind |
Terrain | mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border | lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south |
Elevation extremes | highest point: Rysy 2,499 m lowest point: near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m mean elevation: 173 m | highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m lowest point: Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.5 m mean elevation: 263 m |
Natural resources | coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land | coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land |
Land use | agricultural land: 48.2% (2018 est.) arable land: 36.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 1.3% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 10.7% (2018 est.) forest: 30.6% (2018 est.) other: 21.2% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 48% (2018 est.) arable land: 34.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.6% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 13.3% (2018 est.) forest: 31.8% (2018 est.) other: 20.2% (2018 est.) |
Irrigated land | 970 sq km (2012) | 6,500 sq km (2012) |
Natural hazards | flooding | flooding |
Environment - current issues | decreased emphasis on heavy industry and increased environmental concern by post-communist governments has improved environment; air pollution remains serious because of emissions from burning low-quality coals in homes and from coal-fired power plants; the resulting acid rain causes forest damage; water pollution from industrial and municipal sources is a problem, as is disposal of hazardous wastes | emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany; hazardous waste disposal; government established a mechanism for ending the use of nuclear power by 2022; government working to meet EU commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic- Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note | historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain | strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea; most major rivers in Germany - the Rhine, Weser, Oder, Elbe - flow northward; the Danube, which originates in the Black Forest, flows eastward |
Total renewable water resources | 60.5 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 154 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
Population distribution | population concentrated in the southern area around Krakow and the central area around Warsaw and Lodz, with an extension to the northern coastal city of Gdansk | most populous country in Europe; a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations, particularly in the far western part of the industrial state of North Rhine-Westphalia |
Demographics
Poland | Germany | |
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Population | 38,185,913 (July 2021 est.) | 79,903,481 (July 2021 est.) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 14.83% (male 2,918,518/female 2,756,968) 15-24 years: 9.8% (male 1,928,637/female 1,823,894) 25-54 years: 43.33% (male 8,384,017/female 8,203,646) 55-64 years: 13.32% (male 2,424,638/female 2,675,351) 65 years and over: 18.72% (male 2,867,315/female 4,299,341) (2020 est.) | 0-14 years: 12.89% (male 5,302,850/female 5,025,863) 15-24 years: 9.81% (male 4,012,412/female 3,854,471) 25-54 years: 38.58% (male 15,553,328/female 15,370,417) 55-64 years: 15.74% (male 6,297,886/female 6,316,024) 65 years and over: 22.99% (male 8,148,873/female 10,277,538) (2020 est.) |
Median age | total: 41.9 years male: 40.3 years female: 43.6 years (2020 est.) | total: 47.8 years male: 46.5 years female: 49.1 years (2020 est.) |
Population growth rate | -0.23% (2021 est.) | -0.21% (2021 est.) |
Birth rate | 8.69 births/1,000 population (2021 est.) | 8.63 births/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
Death rate | 10.68 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.) | 12.22 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
Net migration rate | -0.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.) | 1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2020 est.) | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2020 est.) |
Infant mortality rate | total: 4.22 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.64 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.) | total: 3.24 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.61 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.) |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 78.53 years male: 74.76 years female: 82.51 years (2021 est.) | total population: 81.3 years male: 78.93 years female: 83.8 years (2021 est.) |
Total fertility rate | 1.39 children born/woman (2021 est.) | 1.48 children born/woman (2021 est.) |
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | NA | 0.1% (2020 est.) |
Nationality | noun: Pole(s) adjective: Polish | noun: German(s) adjective: German |
Ethnic groups | Polish 96.9%, Silesian 1.1%, German 0.2%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 1.7% (2011 est.) note: represents ethnicity declared first | German 86.3%, Turkish 1.8%, Polish 1%, Syrian 1%, Romanian 1%, other/stateless/unspecified 8.9% (2020 est.) note: data represent population by nationality |
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | NA | 93,000 (2020 est.) note: estimate does not include children |
Religions | Catholic 85.9% (includes Roman Catholic 85.6% and Greek Catholic, Armenian Catholic, and Byzantine-Slavic Catholic .3%), Orthodox 1.3% (almost all are Polish Autocephalous Orthodox), Protestant 0.4% (mainly Augsburg Evangelical and Pentacostal), other 0.4% (includes Jehovah's Witness, Buddhist, Hare Krishna, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Muslim, Jewish, Mormon), unspecified 12.1% (2017 est.) | Roman Catholic 27.1%, Protestant 24.9%, Muslim 5.2%, Orthodox 2%, other Christian 1%, other 1%, none 38.8% (2019 est.) |
HIV/AIDS - deaths | NA | <500 (2020 est.) note: estimate does not include children |
Languages | Polish (official) 98.2%, Silesian 1.4%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.3%; note - data represent the language spoken at home; shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census; Poland ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in 2009 recognizing Kashub as a regional language, Czech, Hebrew, Yiddish, Belarusian, Lithuanian, German, Armenian, Russian, Slovak, and Ukrainian as national minority languages, and Karaim, Lemko, Romani (Polska Roma and Bergitka Roma), and Tatar as ethnic minority languages (2011 est.) major-language sample(s): Ksiega Faktów Swiata, niezbedne zródlo podstawowych informacji. (Polish) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. | German (official); note - Danish, Frisian, Sorbian, and Romani are official minority languages; Low German, Danish, North Frisian, Sater Frisian, Lower Sorbian, Upper Sorbian, and Romani are recognized as regional languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages major-language sample(s): Das World Factbook, die unverzichtbare Quelle für grundlegende Informationen. (German) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. |
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) | total: 16 years male: 15 years female: 17 years (2018) | total: 17 years male: 17 years female: 17 years (2018) |
Education expenditures | 4.6% of GDP (2017) | 4.9% of GDP (2017) |
Urbanization | urban population: 60.1% of total population (2021) rate of urbanization: -0.16% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) | urban population: 77.5% of total population (2021) rate of urbanization: 0.13% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
Drinking water source | improved: urban: 100% of population rural: 100% of population total: 100% of population unimproved: urban: 0% of population rural: 0% of population total: 0% of population (2017 est.) | improved: urban: 100% of population rural: 100% of population total: 100% of population unimproved: urban: 0% of population rural: 0% of population total: 0% of population (2017 est.) |
Sanitation facility access | improved: urban: 99.7% of population rural: 100% of population total: 99.8% of population unimproved: urban: 0.3% of population rural: 0% of population total: 0.2% of population (2017 est.) | improved: urban: 100% of population rural: 100% of population total: 100% of population unimproved: urban: 0% of population rural: 0% of population total: 0% of population (2017 est.) |
Major cities - population | 1.790 million WARSAW (capital), 769,000 Krakow (2021) | 3.567 million BERLIN (capital), 1.789 million Hamburg, 1.553 million Munich, 1.129 million Cologne, 785,000 Frankfurt (2021) |
Maternal mortality rate | 2 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.) | 7 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.) |
Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 0.7% (2010/12) | 0.5% (2014/17) |
Health expenditures | 6.3% (2018) | 11.4% (2018) |
Physicians density | 2.38 physicians/1,000 population (2017) | 4.25 physicians/1,000 population (2017) |
Hospital bed density | 6.6 beds/1,000 population (2017) | 8 beds/1,000 population (2017) |
Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 23.1% (2016) | 22.3% (2016) |
Mother's mean age at first birth | 27.6 years (2019 est.) | 29.8 years (2019 est.) |
Contraceptive prevalence rate | 62.3% (2014) | 67% (2018) note: percent of women aged 18-49 |
Dependency ratios | total dependency ratio: 51.4 youth dependency ratio: 23 elderly dependency ratio: 28.4 potential support ratio: 3.5 (2020 est.) | total dependency ratio: 55.4 youth dependency ratio: 21.7 elderly dependency ratio: 33.7 potential support ratio: 3 (2020 est.) |
Government
Poland | Germany | |
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Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Poland conventional short form: Poland local long form: Rzeczpospolita Polska local short form: Polska former: Polish People's Republic etymology: name derives from the Polanians, a west Slavic tribe that united several surrounding Slavic groups (9th-10th centuries A.D.) and who passed on their name to the country; the name of the tribe likely comes from the Slavic "pole" (field or plain), indicating the flat nature of their country | conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany conventional short form: Germany local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland local short form: Deutschland former: German Reich etymology: the Gauls (Celts) of Western Europe may have referred to the newly arriving Germanic tribes who settled in neighboring areas east of the Rhine during the first centuries B.C. as "Germani," a term the Romans adopted as "Germania"; the native designation "Deutsch" comes from the Old High German "diutisc" meaning "of the people" |
Government type | parliamentary republic | federal parliamentary republic |
Capital | name: Warsaw geographic coordinates: 52 15 N, 21 00 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October etymology: the origin of the name is unknown; the Polish designation "Warszawa" was the name of a fishing village and several legends/traditions link the city's founding to a man named Wars or Warsz | name: Berlin geographic coordinates: 52 31 N, 13 24 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October etymology: the origin of the name is unclear but may be related to the old West Slavic (Polabian) word "berl" or "birl," meaning "swamp" |
Administrative divisions | 16 voivodships [provinces] (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo); Dolnoslaskie (Lower Silesia), Kujawsko-Pomorskie (Kuyavia-Pomerania), Lodzkie (Lodz), Lubelskie (Lublin), Lubuskie (Lubusz), Malopolskie (Lesser Poland), Mazowieckie (Masovia), Opolskie (Opole), Podkarpackie (Subcarpathia), Podlaskie, Pomorskie (Pomerania), Slaskie (Silesia), Swietokrzyskie (Holy Cross), Warminsko-Mazurskie (Warmia-Masuria), Wielkopolskie (Greater Poland), Zachodniopomorskie (West Pomerania) | 16 states (Laender, singular - Land); Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern (Bavaria), Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen (Hesse), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia), Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate), Saarland, Sachsen (Saxony), Sachsen-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt), Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen (Thuringia); note - Bayern, Sachsen, and Thueringen refer to themselves as free states (Freistaaten, singular - Freistaat), while Bremen calls itself a Free Hanseatic City (Freie Hansestadt) and Hamburg considers itself a Free and Hanseatic City (Freie und Hansestadt) |
Independence | 11 November 1918 (republic proclaimed); notable earlier dates: 14 April 966 (adoption of Christianity, traditional founding date), 1 July 1569 (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth created) | 18 January 1871 (establishment of the German Empire); divided into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and France) in 1945 following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed on 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed on 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone; West Germany and East Germany unified on 3 October 1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights on 15 March 1991; notable earlier dates: 10 August 843 (Eastern Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 2 February 962 (crowning of OTTO I, recognized as the first Holy Roman Emperor) |
National holiday | Constitution Day, 3 May (1791) | German Unity Day, 3 October (1990) |
Constitution | history: several previous; latest adopted 2 April 1997, approved by referendum 25 May 1997, effective 17 October 1997 amendments: proposed by at least one fifth of Sejm deputies, by the Senate, or by the president of the republic; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote in the Sejm and absolute majority vote in the Senate; amendments to articles relating to sovereignty, personal freedoms, and constitutional amendment procedures also require passage by majority vote in a referendum; amended 2006, 2009 | history: previous 1919 (Weimar Constitution); latest drafted 10-23 August 1948, approved 12 May 1949, promulgated 23 May 1949, entered into force 24 May 1949 amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage and enactment into law require two-thirds majority vote by both the Bundesrat (upper house) and the Bundestag (lower house) of Parliament; articles including those on basic human rights and freedoms cannot be amended; amended many times, last in 2020; note - in early 2021, the German federal government introduced a bill to incorporate children's rights into the constitution |
Legal system | civil law system; judicial review of legislative, administrative, and other governmental acts; constitutional law rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are final | civil law system |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal; age 16 for some state and municipal elections |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Andrzej DUDA (since 6 August 2015) head of government: Prime Minister Mateusz MORAWIECKI (since 11 December 2017); Deputy Prime Ministers Piotr GLINSKI and Jaroslaw GOWIN (since 16 November 2015), Jacek SASIN (since 4 June 2019) cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president, and approved by the Sejm elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 28 June 2020 with a second round on 12 July 2020 (next to be held in 2025); prime minister, deputy prime ministers, and Council of Ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm election results: Andrzej DUDA reelected president in runoff; percent of vote - Andrzej DUDA (independent) 51%, Rafal TRZASKOWSKI (KO) 49% | chief of state: President Frank-Walter STEINMEIER (since 19 March 2017) head of government: Chancellor Angela MERKEL (since 22 November 2005) cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) recommended by the chancellor, appointed by the president elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by a Federal Convention consisting of all members of the Federal Parliament (Bundestag) and an equivalent number of delegates indirectly elected by the state parliaments; president serves a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 12 February 2017 (next to be held in February 2022); following the most recent Federal Parliament election, the party or coalition with the most representatives usually elects the chancellor (Angela MERKEL since 2005) and appointed by the president to serve a renewable 4-year term; Federal Parliament vote for chancellor last held on 14 March 2018 (next to be held after the Bundestag elections in 2021) election results: Frank-Walter STEINMEIER elected president; Federal Convention vote count - Frank-Walter STEINMEIER (SPD) 931, Christopher BUTTERWEGGE (The Left) 128, Albrecht GLASER (Alternative for Germany AfD) 42, Alexander HOLD (BVB/FW) 25, Engelbert SONNEBORN (Pirates) 10; Angela MERKEL (CDU) reelected chancellor; Federal Parliament vote - 364 to 315 |
Legislative branch | description: bicameral legislature consists of: Senate or Senat (100 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms) Sejm (460 seats; members elected in multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote with 5% threshold of total votes needed for parties and 8% for coalitions to gain seats; minorities exempt from threshold; members serve 4-year terms) elections: Senate - last held on 13 October 2019 (next to be held in October 2023) Sejm - last held on 13 October 2019 (next to be held in October 2023) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PiS 48, KO 43, PSL 3, SLD 2, independent 4; composition - men 87, women 13, percent of women 13% Sejm - percent of vote by party - PiS 43.6%, KO 27.4%, SLD 12.6%, PSL 8.5% Confederation 6.8%, other 1.1%; seats by party - PiS 235, KO 134, SLD 49, PSL 30, KWiN 11, MN 1; men 334, women 126, percent of women 27.4%; note - total legislature percent of women 24.8% note: the designation National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe is only used on those rare occasions when the 2 houses meet jointly | description: bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of: Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 seats; members appointed by each of the 16 state governments) Federal Diet or Bundestag (709 seats - total seats can vary each electoral term; approximately one-half of members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and approximately one-half directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote; members serve 4-year terms) elections: Bundesrat - none; composition is determined by the composition of the state-level governments; the composition of the Bundesrat has the potential to change any time one of the 16 states holds an election Bundestag - last held on 24 September 2017 (next to be held in 2021 at the latest); most postwar German governments have been coalitions election results: Bundesrat - composition - men 50, women 19, percent of women 27.5% Bundestag - percent of vote by party - CDU/CSU 33%, SPD 20.5%, AfD 12.6%, FDP 10.7%, The Left 9.2%, Alliance '90/Greens 8.9%, other 5%; seats by party - CDU/CSU 246, SPD 152, AfD 91, FDP 80, The Left 69, Alliance '90/Greens 67; composition - men 490, women 219, percent of women 30.5%; note - total Parliament percent of women 30.5% |
Judicial branch | highest courts: Supreme Court or Sad Najwyzszy (consists of the first president of the Supreme Court and 120 justices organized in criminal, civil, labor and social insurance, and extraordinary appeals and public affairs and disciplinary chambers); Constitutional Tribunal (consists of 15 judges, including the court president and vice president) judge selection and term of office: president of the Supreme Court nominated by the General Assembly of the Supreme Court and selected by the president of Poland; other judges nominated by the 25-member National Judicial Council and appointed by the president of Poland; judges serve until retirement, usually at age 65, but tenure can be extended; Constitutional Tribunal judges chosen by the Sejm for 9-year terms subordinate courts: administrative courts; military courts; local, regional and appellate courts subdivided into military, civil, criminal, labor, and family courts | highest courts: Federal Court of Justice (court consists of 127 judges, including the court president, vice presidents, presiding judges, other judges and organized into 25 Senates subdivided into 12 civil panels, 5 criminal panels, and 8 special panels); Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (consists of 2 Senates each subdivided into 3 chambers, each with a chairman and 8 members) judge selection and term of office: Federal Court of Justice judges selected by the Judges Election Committee, which consists of the Secretaries of Justice from each of the 16 federated states and 16 members appointed by the Federal Parliament; judges appointed by the president; judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 65; Federal Constitutional Court judges - one-half elected by the House of Representatives and one-half by the Senate; judges appointed for 12-year terms with mandatory retirement at age 68 subordinate courts: Federal Administrative Court; Federal Finance Court; Federal Labor Court; Federal Social Court; each of the 16 federated states or Land has its own constitutional court and a hierarchy of ordinary (civil, criminal, family) and specialized (administrative, finance, labor, social) courts; two English-speaking commercial courts opened in late 2020 in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg - English-speaking Stuttgart Commercial Court and English-speaking Mannheim Commercial Court |
Political parties and leaders | Civic Coalition or KO [Grzegorz SCHETYNA] Confederation Liberty and Independence or KWiN [Janusz KORWIN-MIKKE, Robert WINNICKI, Grzegorz BRAUN] Democratic Left Alliance or SLD [Wlodzimierz CZARZASTY] German Minority or MN [Ryszard GALLA] Kukiz 15 or K15 [Pawel KUKIZ] Law and Justice or PiS [Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI] TERAZ! (NOW!) [Ryszard PETRU] Nowoczesna (Modern) or N [Katarzyna LUBNAUER] Polish People's Party or PSL [Wladyslaw KOSINIAK-KAMYSZ] Razem (Together) [collective leadership] Wiosna (Spring) [Robert BIEDRON] | Alliance '90/Greens [Annalena BAERBOCK and Robert HABECK] Alternative for Germany or AfD [Alexander GAULAND - Honorary President, Joerg MEUTHEN and Tino CHRUPALLA] Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Armin LASCHET] Christian Social Union or CSU [Markus SOEDER] Free Democratic Party or FDP [Christian LINDNER] The Left or Die Linke [Janine WISSLER and Susanne HENNING-WELLSOW] Social Democratic Party or SPD [Saskia ESKEN and Norbert WALTER-BORJANS] |
International organization participation | Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UN Security Council (temporary), UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC | ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CD, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSMA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), SICA (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMISS, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Piotr Antoni WILCZEK (since 18 January 2017) chancery: 2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 499-1700 FAX: [1] (202) 328-2152 email address and website: washington.amb.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl https://www.gov.pl/web/usa-en/embassy-washington consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York | chief of mission: Ambassador Emily Margarethe HABER (since 22 June 2018) chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 298-4000 FAX: [1] (202) 298-4261 email address and website: info@washington.diplo.de https://www.germany.info/us-en consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires B. Bix ALIU (since January 2021) embassy: Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31, 00-540 Warsaw mailing address: 5010 Warsaw Place, Washington, DC 20521-5010 telephone: [48] (22) 504-2000 FAX: [48] (22) 504-2088 email address and website: acswarsaw@state.gov https://pl.usembassy.gov/ consulate(s) general: Krakow | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Woodward "Clark" PRICE (since 1 July 2021) embassy: Pariser Platz 2, 10117 Berlin Clayallee 170, 14191 Berlin (administrative services) mailing address: 5090 Berlin Place, Washington DC 20521-5090 telephone: [49] (30) 8305-0 FAX: [49] (30) 8305-1215 email address and website: BerlinPCO@state.gov https://de.usembassy.gov/ consulate(s) general: Dusseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich |
Flag description | two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; colors derive from the Polish emblem - a white eagle on a red field note: similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white | three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold; these colors have played an important role in German history and can be traced back to the medieval banner of the Holy Roman Emperor - a black eagle with red claws and beak on a gold field |
National anthem | name: "Mazurek Dabrowskiego" (Dabrowski's Mazurka) lyrics/music: Jozef WYBICKI/traditional note: adopted 1927; the anthem, commonly known as "Jeszcze Polska nie zginela" (Poland Has Not Yet Perished), was written in 1797; the lyrics resonate strongly with Poles because they reflect the numerous occasions in which the nation's lands have been occupied | name: "Das Lied der Deutschen" (Song of the Germans) lyrics/music: August Heinrich HOFFMANN VON FALLERSLEBEN/Franz Joseph HAYDN note: adopted 1922; the anthem, also known as "Deutschlandlied" (Song of Germany), was originally adopted for its connection to the March 1848 liberal revolution; following appropriation by the Nazis of the first verse, specifically the phrase, "Deutschland, Deutschland ueber alles" (Germany, Germany above all) to promote nationalism, it was banned after 1945; in 1952, its third verse was adopted by West Germany as its national anthem; in 1990, it became the national anthem for the reunited Germany |
International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
National symbol(s) | white crowned eagle; national colors: white, red | eagle; national colors: black, red, yellow |
Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: both parents must be citizens of Poland dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a German citizen or a resident alien who has lived in Germany at least 8 years dual citizenship recognized: yes, but requires prior permission from government residency requirement for naturalization: 8 years |
Economy
Poland | Germany | |
---|---|---|
Economy - overview | Poland has the sixth-largest economy in the EU and has long had a reputation as a business-friendly country with largely sound macroeconomic policies. Since 1990, Poland has pursued a policy of economic liberalization. During the 2008-09 economic slowdown Poland was the only EU country to avoid a recession, in part because of the government's loose fiscal policy combined with a commitment to rein in spending in the medium-term Poland is the largest recipient of EU development funds and their cyclical allocation can significantly impact the rate of economic growth. The Polish economy performed well during the 2014-17 period, with the real GDP growth rate generally exceeding 3%, in part because of increases in government social spending that have helped to accelerate consumer-driven growth. However, since 2015, Poland has implemented new business restrictions and taxes on foreign-dominated economic sectors, including banking and insurance, energy, and healthcare, that have dampened investor sentiment and has increased the government's ownership of some firms. The government reduced the retirement age in 2016 and has had mixed success in introducing new taxes and boosting tax compliance to offset the increased costs of social spending programs and relieve upward pressure on the budget deficit. Some credit ratings agencies estimate that Poland during the next few years is at risk of exceeding the EU's 3%-of-GDP limit on budget deficits, possibly impacting its access to future EU funds. Poland's economy is projected to perform well in the next few years in part because of an anticipated cyclical increase in the use of its EU development funds and continued, robust household spending. Poland faces several systemic challenges, which include addressing some of the remaining deficiencies in its road and rail infrastructure, business environment, rigid labor code, commercial court system, government red tape, and burdensome tax system, especially for entrepreneurs. Additional long-term challenges include diversifying Poland's energy mix, strengthening investments in innovation, research, and development, as well as stemming the outflow of educated young Poles to other EU member states, especially in light of a coming demographic contraction due to emigration, persistently low fertility rates, and the aging of the Solidarity-era baby boom generation. | The German economy - the fifth largest economy in the world in PPP terms and Europe's largest - is a leading exporter of machinery, vehicles, chemicals, and household equipment. Germany benefits from a highly skilled labor force, but, like its Western European neighbors, faces significant demographic challenges to sustained long-term growth. Low fertility rates and a large increase in net immigration are increasing pressure on the country's social welfare system and necessitate structural reforms. Reforms launched by the government of Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (1998-2005), deemed necessary to address chronically high unemployment and low average growth, contributed to strong economic growth and falling unemployment. These advances, as well as a government subsidized, reduced working hour scheme, help explain the relatively modest increase in unemployment during the 2008-09 recession - the deepest since World War II. The German Government introduced a minimum wage in 2015 that increased to $9.79 (8.84 euros) in January 2017. Stimulus and stabilization efforts initiated in 2008 and 2009 and tax cuts introduced in Chancellor Angela MERKEL's second term increased Germany's total budget deficit - including federal, state, and municipal - to 4.1% in 2010, but slower spending and higher tax revenues reduced the deficit to 0.8% in 2011 and in 2017 Germany reached a budget surplus of 0.7%. A constitutional amendment approved in 2009 limits the federal government to structural deficits of no more than 0.35% of GDP per annum as of 2016, though the target was already reached in 2012. Following the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Chancellor Angela MERKEL announced in May 2011 that eight of the country's 17 nuclear reactors would be shut down immediately and the remaining plants would close by 2022. Germany plans to replace nuclear power largely with renewable energy, which accounted for 29.5% of gross electricity consumption in 2016, up from 9% in 2000. Before the shutdown of the eight reactors, Germany relied on nuclear power for 23% of its electricity generating capacity and 46% of its base-load electricity production. The German economy suffers from low levels of investment, and a government plan to invest 15 billion euros during 2016-18, largely in infrastructure, is intended to spur needed private investment. Domestic consumption, investment, and exports are likely to drive German GDP growth in 2018, and the country's budget and trade surpluses are likely to remain high. |
GDP (purchasing power parity) | $1,261,433,000,000 (2019 est.) $1,206,640,000,000 (2018 est.) $1,145,323,000,000 (2017 est.) note: data are in 2010 dollars | $4,482,448,000,000 (2019 est.) $4,457,688,000,000 (2018 est.) $4,401,873,000,000 (2017 est.) note: data are in 2010 dollars |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.55% (2019 est.) 5.36% (2018 est.) 4.83% (2017 est.) | 0.59% (2019 est.) 1.3% (2018 est.) 2.91% (2017 est.) |
GDP - per capita (PPP) | $33,221 (2019 est.) $31,775 (2018 est.) $30,160 (2017 est.) note: data are in 2010 dollars | $53,919 (2019 est.) $53,768 (2018 est.) $53,255 (2017 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 2.4% (2017 est.) industry: 40.2% (2017 est.) services: 57.4% (2017 est.) | agriculture: 0.7% (2017 est.) industry: 30.7% (2017 est.) services: 68.6% (2017 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 15.4% (2018 est.) | 14.8% (2018 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 23.9% (2015 est.) | lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 24% (2000) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.1% (2019 est.) 1.7% (2018 est.) 2% (2017 est.) | 1.4% (2019 est.) 1.7% (2018 est.) 1.5% (2017 est.) |
Labor force | 9.561 million (2020 est.) | 44.585 million (2020 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 11.5% industry: 30.4% services: 57.6% (2015) | agriculture: 1.4% industry: 24.2% services: 74.3% (2016) |
Unemployment rate | 5.43% (2019 est.) 6.08% (2018 est.) | 4.98% (2019 est.) 5.19% (2018 est.) |
Distribution of family income - Gini index | 29.7 (2017 est.) 33.7 (2008) | 31.9 (2016 est.) 30 (1994) |
Budget | revenues: 207.5 billion (2017 est.) expenditures: 216.2 billion (2017 est.) | revenues: 1.665 trillion (2017 est.) expenditures: 1.619 trillion (2017 est.) |
Industries | machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles | among the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, automobiles, food and beverages, shipbuilding, textiles |
Industrial production growth rate | 7.5% (2017 est.) | 3.3% (2017 est.) |
Agriculture - products | milk, sugar beet, wheat, potatoes, triticale, maize, barley, apples, mixed grains, rye | milk, sugar beet, wheat, barley, potatoes, pork, maize, rye, rapeseed, triticale |
Exports | $394.848 billion (2019 est.) $375.525 billion (2018 est.) $351.125 billion (2017 est.) | $2,004,158,000,000 (2019 est.) $1,984,745,000,000 (2018 est.) $1,937,273,000,000 (2017 est.) |
Exports - commodities | cars and vehicle parts, seats, furniture, computers, video displays (2019) | cars and vehicle parts, packaged medicines, aircraft, medical cultures/vaccines, industrial machinery (2019) |
Exports - partners | Germany 27%, Czechia 6%, United Kingdom 6%, France 6%, Italy 5% (2019) | United States 9%, France 8%, China 7%, Netherlands 6%, United Kingdom 6%, Italy 5%, Poland 5%, Austria 5% (2019) |
Imports | $364.993 billion (2019 est.) $353.423 billion (2018 est.) $328.919 billion (2017 est.) | $1,804,453,000,000 (2019 est.) $1,759,299,000,000 (2018 est.) $1,695,300,000,000 (2017 est.) |
Imports - commodities | cars and vehicle parts, crude petroleum, packaged medicines, broadcasting equipment, office machinery/parts (2019) | cars and vehicle parts, packaged medicines, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, medical cultures/vaccines (2019) |
Imports - partners | Germany 25%, China 10%, Italy 5%, Netherlands 5% (2019) | Netherlands 9%, China 8%, France 7%, Belgium 6%, Poland 6%, Italy 6%, Czechia 5%, United States 5% (2019) |
Debt - external | $351.77 billion (2019 est.) $373.721 billion (2018 est.) | $5,671,463,000,000 (2019 est.) $5,751,408,000,000 (2018 est.) |
Exchange rates | zlotych (PLN) per US dollar - 3.6684 (2020 est.) 3.8697 (2019 est.) 3.76615 (2018 est.) 3.7721 (2014 est.) 3.1538 (2013 est.) | euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.82771 (2020 est.) 0.90338 (2019 est.) 0.87789 (2018 est.) 0.885 (2014 est.) 0.7634 (2013 est.) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Public debt | 50.6% of GDP (2017 est.) 54.2% of GDP (2016 est.) note: data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities, the data include subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions | 63.9% of GDP (2017 est.) 67.9% of GDP (2016 est.) note: general government gross debt is defined in the Maastricht Treaty as consolidated general government gross debt at nominal value, outstanding at the end of the year in the following categories of government liabilities (as defined in ESA95): currency and deposits (AF.2), securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives (AF.3, excluding AF.34), and loans (AF.4); the general government sector comprises the sub-sectors of central government, state government, local government and social security funds; the series are presented as a percentage of GDP and in millions of euros; GDP used as a denominator is the gross domestic product at current market prices; data expressed in national currency are converted into euro using end-of-year exchange rates provided by the European Central Bank |
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | $113.3 billion (31 December 2017 est.) $114.4 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $200.1 billion (31 December 2017 est.) $173.7 billion (31 December 2015 est.) |
Current Account Balance | $2.92 billion (2019 est.) -$7.52 billion (2018 est.) | $280.238 billion (2019 est.) $297.434 billion (2018 est.) |
GDP (official exchange rate) | $595.72 billion (2019 est.) | $3,860,923,000,000 (2019 est.) |
Credit ratings | Fitch rating: A- (2007) Moody's rating: A2 (2002) Standard & Poors rating: A- (2018) | Fitch rating: AAA (1994) Moody's rating: Aaa (1986) Standard & Poors rating: AAA (1983) Credit ratings prior to 1989 refer to West Germany. |
Ease of Doing Business Index scores | Overall score: 76.4 (2020) Starting a Business score: 82.9 (2020) Trading score: 100 (2020) Enforcement score: 64.4 (2020) | Overall score: 79.7 (2020) Starting a Business score: 83.7 (2020) Trading score: 91.8 (2020) Enforcement score: 74.1 (2020) |
Taxes and other revenues | 39.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.) | 45% (of GDP) (2017 est.) |
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -1.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.) | 1.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.) |
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | total: 9.9% male: 9.6% female: 10.3% (2019 est.) | total: 5.8% male: 6.6% female: 4.8% (2019 est.) |
GDP - composition, by end use | household consumption: 58.6% (2017 est.) government consumption: 17.7% (2017 est.) investment in fixed capital: 17.7% (2017 est.) investment in inventories: 2% (2017 est.) exports of goods and services: 54% (2017 est.) imports of goods and services: -49.9% (2017 est.) | household consumption: 53.1% (2017 est.) government consumption: 19.5% (2017 est.) investment in fixed capital: 20.4% (2017 est.) investment in inventories: -0.5% (2017 est.) exports of goods and services: 47.3% (2017 est.) imports of goods and services: -39.7% (2017 est.) |
Gross national saving | 20.1% of GDP (2019 est.) 19.4% of GDP (2018 est.) 19.5% of GDP (2017 est.) | 28.5% of GDP (2019 est.) 28.7% of GDP (2018 est.) 28.4% of GDP (2017 est.) |
Energy
Poland | Germany | |
---|---|---|
Electricity - production | 156.9 billion kWh (2016 est.) | 612.8 billion kWh (2016 est.) |
Electricity - consumption | 149.4 billion kWh (2016 est.) | 536.5 billion kWh (2016 est.) |
Electricity - exports | 12.02 billion kWh (2016) | 78.86 billion kWh (2016 est.) |
Electricity - imports | 14.02 billion kWh (2016 est.) | 28.34 billion kWh (2016 est.) |
Oil - production | 21,000 bbl/day (2018 est.) | 41,000 bbl/day (2018 est.) |
Oil - imports | 493,100 bbl/day (2017 est.) | 1.836 million bbl/day (2017 est.) |
Oil - exports | 4,451 bbl/day (2017 est.) | 6,569 bbl/day (2017 est.) |
Oil - proved reserves | 126 million bbl (1 January 2018) | 129.6 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.) |
Natural gas - proved reserves | 79.79 billion cu m (1 January 2018 est.) | 39.5 billion cu m (1 January 2018 est.) |
Natural gas - production | 5.748 billion cu m (2017 est.) | 7.9 billion cu m (2017 est.) |
Natural gas - consumption | 20.1 billion cu m (2017 est.) | 93.36 billion cu m (2017 est.) |
Natural gas - exports | 1.246 billion cu m (2017 est.) | 34.61 billion cu m (2017 est.) |
Natural gas - imports | 15.72 billion cu m (2017 est.) | 119.5 billion cu m (2017 est.) |
Electricity - installed generating capacity | 38.11 million kW (2016 est.) | 208.5 million kW (2016 est.) |
Electricity - from fossil fuels | 79% of total installed capacity (2016 est.) | 41% of total installed capacity (2016 est.) |
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 2% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) | 2% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) |
Electricity - from nuclear fuels | 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) | 5% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) |
Electricity - from other renewable sources | 19% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) | 52% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) |
Refined petroleum products - production | 554,200 bbl/day (2017 est.) | 2.158 million bbl/day (2017 est.) |
Refined petroleum products - consumption | 649,600 bbl/day (2017 est.) | 2.46 million bbl/day (2017 est.) |
Refined petroleum products - exports | 104,800 bbl/day (2017 est.) | 494,000 bbl/day (2017 est.) |
Refined petroleum products - imports | 222,300 bbl/day (2017 est.) | 883,800 bbl/day (2017 est.) |
Electricity access | electrification - total population: 100% (2020) | electrification - total population: 100% (2020) |
Telecommunications
Poland | Germany | |
---|---|---|
Telephones - main lines in use | total subscriptions: 6,824,896 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 17.8 (2019 est.) | total subscriptions: 40.4 million subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 50.35 (2019 est.) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | total subscriptions: 48,392,944 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 126.2 (2019 est.) | total subscriptions: 107.2 million subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 133.61 (2019 est.) |
Internet country code | .pl | .de |
Internet users | total: 29,791,401 percent of population: 77.54% (July 2018 est.) | total: 72,202,773 percent of population: 89.74% (July 2018 est.) |
Telecommunication systems | general assessment: liberalized telecom market supported by market competition in broadband and mobile sectors ensuring access to cable and fiber infrastructure; rapid extension of LTE networks and development of mobile data service; mobile penetration is above European average; fixed broadband benefits from DSL infrastructure and investment in fiber through EU support; major importer of broadcasting equipment and accessories from Germany (2021) (2020)domestic: several nation-wide networks provide mobile-cellular service; coverage is generally good; fixed-line 18 per 100 service lags in rural areas, mobile-cellular 138 per 100 persons (2019) international: country code - 48; landing points for the Baltica and the Denmark-Poland2 submarine cables connecting Poland, Denmark and Sweden; international direct dialing with automated exchanges; satellite earth station - 1 with access to Intelsat, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik (2019) note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments | general assessment: one of the world's most technologically advanced telecom systems with additional security measures; LTE universally available and 5G service to over 80% of population; mobile market is driven by data, with increased broadband subscribership; regulatory measures aimed at facilitating wholesale network access to provide fiber-based broadband services; government aims to provide smart technology solutions; over 60 cities use smart technology in urban development, many through joint initiative with private sector, utility companies, and universities; importer of broadcast equipment and computers from China (2021) (2020)domestic: extensive system of automatic telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available, expanding rapidly, and includes roaming service to many foreign countries; 48 per 100 for fixed-line and 128 per 100 for mobile-cellular (2019) international: country code - 49; landing points for SeaMeWe-3, TAT-14, AC-1, CONTACT-3, Fehmarn Balt, C-Lion1, GC1, GlobalConnect-KPN, and Germany-Denmark 2 & 3 - submarine cables to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Southeast Asia and Australia; as well as earth stations in the Inmarsat, Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems (2019) note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments |
Broadband - fixed subscriptions | total: 7,783,887 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 20.3 (2019 est.) | total: 35,071,539 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 43.71 (2019 est.) |
Broadcast media | state-run public TV operates 2 national channels supplemented by 16 regional channels and several niche channels; privately owned entities operate several national TV networks and a number of special interest channels; many privately owned channels broadcasting locally; roughly half of all households are linked to either satellite or cable TV systems providing access to foreign television networks; state-run public radio operates 5 national networks and 17 regional radio stations; 2 privately owned national radio networks, several commercial stations broadcasting to multiple cities, and many privately owned local radio stations (2019) | a mixture of publicly operated and privately owned TV and radio stations; 70 national and regional public broadcasters compete with nearly 400 privately owned national and regional TV stations; more than 90% of households have cable or satellite TV; hundreds of radio stations including multiple national radio networks, regional radio networks, and a large number of local radio stations |
Transportation
Poland | Germany | |
---|---|---|
Railways | total: 19,231 km (2016) standard gauge: 18,836 km 1.435-m gauge (11,874 km electrified) (2016) broad gauge: 395 km 1.524-m gauge (2016) | total: 33,590 km (2017) standard gauge: 33,331 km 1.435-m gauge (19,973 km electrified) (2015) narrow gauge: 220 km 1.000-m gauge (79 km electrified) 15 km 0.900-m gauge, 24 km 0.750-m gauge (2015) |
Roadways | total: 420,000 km (2016) paved: 291,000 km (includes 1,492 km of expressways, 1,559 of motorways) (2016) unpaved: 129,000 km (2016) | total: 625,000 km (2017) paved: 625,000 km (includes 12,996 km of expressways) (2017) note: includes local roads |
Waterways | 3,997 km (navigable rivers and canals) (2009) | 7,467 km (Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and Black Sea) (2012) |
Pipelines | 14198 km gas, 1374 km oil, 2483 km refined products (2016) | 37 km condensate, 26985 km gas, 2400 km oil, 4479 km refined products, 8 km water (2013) |
Ports and terminals | major seaport(s): Gdansk, Gdynia, Swinoujscie container port(s) (TEUs): Gdansk (2,073,215) (2019) LNG terminal(s) (import): Swinoujscie river port(s): Szczecin (River Oder) | major seaport(s): Baltic Sea - Kiel, Rostock North Sea - Bremerhaven, Brunsbuttel, Emden, Hamburg, Wilhelmshaven oil terminal(s): Brunsbuttel Canal terminals container port(s) (TEUs): Bremen/Bremerhaven (4,856,900), Hamburg (9,274,215) (2019) LNG terminal(s) (import): Hamburg river port(s): Bremen (Weser); Bremerhaven (Geeste); Duisburg, Karlsruhe, Neuss-Dusseldorf (Rhine); Lubeck (Wakenitz); Brunsbuttel, Hamburg (Elbe) |
Merchant marine | total: 142 by type: general cargo 6, oil tanker 7, other 129 (2020) | total: 607 by type: bulk carrier 1, container ship 84, general cargo 86, oil tanker 37, other 399 (2020) |
Airports | total: 126 (2013) | total: 539 (2013) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 87 (2017) over 3,047 m: 5 (2017) 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 (2017) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 36 (2017) 914 to 1,523 m: 10 (2017) under 914 m: 6 (2017) | total: 318 (2017) over 3,047 m: 14 (2017) 2,438 to 3,047 m: 49 (2017) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 60 (2017) 914 to 1,523 m: 70 (2017) under 914 m: 125 (2017) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 39 (2013) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2013) 914 to 1,523 m: 17 (2013) under 914 m: 21 (2013) | total: 221 (2013) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2013) 914 to 1,523 m: 35 (2013) under 914 m: 185 (2013) |
Heliports | 6 (2013) | 23 (2013) |
National air transport system | number of registered air carriers: 6 (2020) inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 169 annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 9,277,538 (2018) annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 271.49 million mt-km (2018) | number of registered air carriers: 20 (2020) inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 1,113 annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 109,796,202 (2018) annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 7,969,860,000 mt-km (2018) |
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix | SP | D |
Military
Poland | Germany | |
---|---|---|
Military branches | Polish Armed Forces: Land Forces (Wojska Ladowe), Navy (Marynarka Wojenna), Air Force (Sily Powietrzne), Special Forces (Wojska Specjalne), Territorial Defense Force (Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej); Ministry of the Interior: Border Guard (includes coast guard duties) (2021) note: the Polish Armed Forces are organized into a General Staff, an Armed Forces General Command, an Armed Forces Operational Command, Territorial Defense Forces, Military Police, and the Warsaw Garrison Command | Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): Army (Heer), Navy (Deutsche Marine, includes naval air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe, includes air defense), Joint Support Service (Streitkraeftebasis, SKB), Central Medical Service (Zentraler Sanitaetsdienst, ZSanDstBw), Cyber and Information Space Command (Kommando Cyber- und Informationsraum, Kdo CIR) (2021) |
Military service age and obligation | 18-28 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; conscription phased out in 2009-12; professional soldiers serve on a permanent basis (for an unspecified period of time) or on a contract basis (for a specified period of time); initial contract period is 24 months; women serve in the military on the same terms as men (2019) | 17-23 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; conscription ended July 2011; service obligation 8-23 months or 12 years; women have been eligible for voluntary service in all military branches and positions since 2001 (2019) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.2% of GDP (2021 est.) 2.31% of GDP (2020 est.) 1.98% of GDP (2019) 2.02% of GDP (2018) 1.89% of GDP (2017) | 1.56% of GDP (2020 est.) 1.36% of GDP (2019) 1.25% of GDP (2018) 1.23% of GDP (2017) 1.2% of GDP (2016) |
Military - note | Poland joined NATO in 1999; Czechia, Hungary, and Poland were invited to begin accession talks at NATO's Madrid Summit in 1997, and in March 1999 they became the first former members of the Warsaw Pact to join the Alliance | the Federal Republic of Germany joined NATO in May 1955; with the reunification of Germany in October 1990, the states of the former German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany in its membership of NATO |
Military and security service personnel strengths | approximately 120,000 total active duty personnel (60,000 Army; 7,000 Navy; 17,000 Air Force; 3,500 Special Forces; 25,000 Territorial Defense Forces; 7,500 joint service) (2020) note - in June 2019, the Polish Government approved a plan to increase the size of the military by 50,000 troops over the coming decade | the German Federal Armed Forces have approximately 180,000 active duty personnel (62,000 Army; 16,000 Navy; 28,000 Air Force; 27,000 Joint Support Service; 20,000 Medical Service, 13,000 Cyber and Information Space Command; 14,000 other) (2020) note - Germany in 2020 announced it planned to increase the size of the military to about 200,000 troops by 2024 |
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the inventory of the Polish Armed Forces consists of a mix of Soviet-era and more modern Western weapons systems; since 2010, the leading suppliers of armaments to Poland are Finland, Germany, Italy, and the US (2020) | the German Federal Armed Forces inventory is mostly comprised of weapons systems produced domestically or jointly with other European countries and Western imports; since 2010, the US is the leading foreign supplier of armaments to Germany; Germany's defense industry is capable of manufacturing the full spectrum of air, land, and naval military weapons systems, and is one of the world's leading arms exporters (2020) |
Military deployments | 240 Kosovo (NATO/KFOR); up to 175 Latvia (NATO); 250 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (June 2021) note: Poland contributes about 2,500 troops to the Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine joint military brigade (LITPOLUKRBRIG), which was established in 2014; the brigade is headquartered in Warsaw and is comprised of an international staff, three battalions, and specialized units | approximately 500 Middle East (NATO/Counter-ISIS campaign); 130 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 500 Lithuania (NATO); 800 Mali (MINUSMA/EUTM); note - Germany is a contributing member of the EuroCorps (2021) |
Transnational Issues
Poland | Germany | |
---|---|---|
Disputes - international | as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Poland has implemented the strict Schengen border rules to restrict illegal immigration and trade along its eastern borders with Belarus and Ukraine | none |
Illicit drugs | despite diligent counternarcotics measures and international information sharing on cross-border crimes, a major illicit producer of synthetic drugs for the international market; minor transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and Latin American cocaine to Western Europe | source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for and consumer of Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and European-produced synthetic drugs; major financial center |
Refugees and internally displaced persons | refugees (country of origin): 9,870 (Russia) (2019) stateless persons: 1,390 (2020) | refugees (country of origin): 572,818 (Syria), 141,650 (Iraq), 140,366 (Afghanistan), 58,569 (Eritrea), 43,244 (Iran), 28,470 (Turkey), 26,015 (Somalia), 8,722 (Russia), 8,639 (Serbia and Kosovo), 8,125 (Pakistan), 7,828 (Nigeria) (2019) stateless persons: 26,675 (2020) |
Terrorism
Poland | Germany | |
---|---|---|
Terrorist Group(s) | Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T | Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T |
Environment
Poland | Germany | |
---|---|---|
Air pollutants | particulate matter emissions: 20.54 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.) carbon dioxide emissions: 299.04 megatons (2016 est.) methane emissions: 46.62 megatons (2020 est.) | particulate matter emissions: 11.71 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.) carbon dioxide emissions: 727.97 megatons (2016 est.) methane emissions: 49.92 megatons (2020 est.) |
Total water withdrawal | municipal: 2.028 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) industrial: 7.035 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) agricultural: 1.018 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | municipal: 4.388 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) industrial: 19.75 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) agricultural: 299.7 million cubic meters (2017 est.) |
Revenue from forest resources | forest revenues: 0.17% of GDP (2018 est.) | forest revenues: 0.03% of GDP (2018 est.) |
Revenue from coal | coal revenues: 0.27% of GDP (2018 est.) | coal revenues: 0.02% of GDP (2018 est.) |
Waste and recycling | municipal solid waste generated annually: 10.863 million tons (2015 est.) municipal solid waste recycled annually: 2,866,746 tons (2015 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 26.4% (2015 est.) | municipal solid waste generated annually: 51.046 million tons (2015 est.) municipal solid waste recycled annually: 24,415,302 tons (2015 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 47.8% (2015 est.) |
Source: CIA Factbook