Poland - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Poland. Historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain. Mother's mean age at first birth is 27.9 years (2020 est.) (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 2 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Poland
Location Central Europe, east of Germany
Geographic coordinates 52 00 N, 20 00 E
Map references Europe
Tarrain mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border
Natural Resources coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land
Natural Hazards flooding
Irrigated Land 760 sq km (2013)
Major rivers (by length in km) Wisla (Vistula) river source and mouth (shared with Belarus and Ukraine) - 1,213 km
note - longest river in Poland
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 2,865 km
Border Countries Belarus 375 km; Czechia 699 km; Germany 467 km; Lithuania 100 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 209 km; Slovakia 517 km; Ukraine 498 km
Coastline 440 km
Climate temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers
Area
Total Area
Land Area 304,255 sq km
Water Area 8,430 sq km
comparative Area about twice the size of Georgia; slightly smaller than New Mexico
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone defined by international treaties
Elevations
Highest point Rysy 2,499 m
Lowest point near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m
Mean elevation 173 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 48.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 36.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 1.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 10.7% (2018 est.)
Forest 30.6% (2018 est.)
Other 21.2% (2018 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

People and Society

In Poland, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Polish 96.9%, Silesian 1.1%, German 0.2%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 1.7% (2011 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate -1% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 8.4 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 12.2 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 6.5% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 6.5 beds/1,000 population (2018)
Total fertility rate 1.32 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.64 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 62.3% (2014)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 56.6% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 5.2% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate -6.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Polish | Pole(s)
Languages
Religions Catholic 84.6% (Roman Catholic 84.6% and other Catholic 0.3%), Orthodox 1.3% (almost all are Polish Autocephalous Orthodox), Protestant 0.4% (mainly Augsburg Evangelical and Pentecostal), other 0.3%, unspecified 13% (2022 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 14.2% (male 2,830,048/female 2,676,300)
15-64 years 65.9% (male 12,513,402/female 13,036,977)
65 years and over 19.8% (2024 est.) (male 3,097,965/female 4,591,618)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 51.4
Youth dependency ratio 23.4
Elderly dependency ratio 28.6
Potential support ratio 3.5 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 42.9 years (2024 est.)
Male 41.5 years
Female 44.3 years
Urbanization
Urban population 60.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization -0.16% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 1.798 million WARSAW (capital), 769,000 Krakow (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.67 male(s)/female
Total population 0.91 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 4.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 5.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 4.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 76.7 years (2024 est.)
Male 72.8 years
Female 80.9 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 99.9% of population
Improved: rural rural: 100% of population
Improved: total total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0.1% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: 100% of population
Improved: total total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 10.96 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 5.72 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.88 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 4.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 24% (2020 est.)
Male 27.9% (2020 est.)
Female 20.1% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Poland

Want to know more about Poland? Check all different factbooks for Poland below.

Poland is found in Central Europe