{"id":555548,"date":"2026-04-28T19:20:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T19:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/555548\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T19:20:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T19:20:19","slug":"record-proportion-of-poles-report-being-financially-comfortable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/555548\/","title":{"rendered":"Record proportion of Poles report being financially comfortable"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team<\/a> and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The proportion of people in Poland who say they are financially comfortable has risen to a record high of 39%, according to the latest findings from a long-running survey conducted by state research agency CBOS. The figure is up from 27% in 2023 and just 3% in the early 1990s.<\/p>\n

The new poll, carried out in March this year, found that 32% of Poles say they \u201clive well\u201d, meaning they can afford most things without the need to save up, while 7% \u201clive very well\u201d, meaning they can afford some level of luxury.<\/p>\n

By contrast, 11% say they live \u201cmodestly\u201d, meaning they have to carefully manage money every day, while just 1% say they live in poverty, meaning they cannot afford even basic necessities.<\/p>\n

The largest proportion, 49%, say they have an \u201caverage\u201d financial situation, meaning they have enough for everyday life but need to save for more important purchases<\/p>\n

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CBOS has been carrying out the same survey since 1993, when only 3% of Poles said they lived well or very well, while the majority, 51%, said they lived modestly or in poverty.<\/p>\n

Those figures have since changed dramatically, as Poland embarked on over three decades of almost uninterrupted growth<\/a>. The situation improved in particular after EU accession in 2004. In 2015, the proportion living well overtook those who negatively assessed their situation.<\/p>\n

However, the trend reversed somewhat from 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and then the effects of Russia\u2019s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. However, from 2023, the upward path resumed.<\/p>\n

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In its latest findings, CBOS notes that the groups most likely to assess their financial situation positively are those aged 18\u201324 (54%), university graduates (58%) and residents of the largest cities (52%).<\/p>\n

\u201cBy contrast, dissatisfaction with their standard of living is relatively common among respondents with [only] primary or lower secondary education (30%) and those aged 65 and over (22%),\u201d the agency added.<\/p>\n

Nearly one in four respondents (23%) said they feared poverty, roughly half the level seen in 2006. Among the remainder, 40% said they were not afraid of poverty but were concerned about a possible deterioration in their financial situation, while 34% said they were fully confident about their financial future.<\/p>\n

Only 2% of Poles were living in severe deprivation last year, the lowest proportion on record and down from 7.8% a decade earlier, according to Poland\u2019s statistical office, which calculates the figure based on whether people can meet a set of basic needs https:\/\/t.co\/BqLL5tVTDK<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Notes from Poland \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1 (@notesfrompoland) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

CBOS\u2019s findings are in line with other data pointing to rising living standards in Poland. Last month, Statistics Poland (GUS), a state agency, reported<\/a> that the share of Poles unable to meet their most basic needs fell to 2% in 2025, the lowest level on record.<\/p>\n

Data from Eurostat also shows Poland narrowing the economic gap with the European Union<\/a>, reaching 81% of the EU average in terms of GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power in 2025, the highest level to date.<\/p>\n

The Polish economy is set to continue growing, with the International Monetary Fund forecasting<\/a> GDP growth of 3.3% in 2026, the fastest among the European Union\u2019s 27 member states, ahead of Cyprus (3.0%) and Lithuania (2.9%).<\/p>\n

Poland\u2019s economy has moved closer than ever to the EU average, new @EU_Eurostat<\/a> data show.<\/p>\n

Its GDP per capita, adjusted for cost of living, reached 81% of the EU average in 2025. That is Poland’s highest ever figure, and up from 44% three decades ago https:\/\/t.co\/DCTyps6uDT<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Notes from Poland \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1 (@notesfrompoland) March 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team<\/a> and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Main image credit: Jakub Zerdzicki\/Pexels<\/a><\/p>\n

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Alicja Ptak is deputy editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She has written for Clean Energy Wire and The Times, and she hosts her own podcast, The Warsaw Wire, on Poland\u2019s economy and energy sector. She previously worked\u00a0for\u00a0Reuters.<\/p>\n

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