Expats in Warsaw benefit nicer economic perspectives than the average of the European Union

 Poland

Year	GDP Growth (%)	Government Spending (% GDP)	Employed People (millions)	Employment Growth (%)
2019	4.6%	42.5%	16.4	0.8%
2020	-2.0%	48.8%	16.1	-1.8%
2021	6.9%	44.2%	16.5	2.5%
2022	5.3%	42.7%	16.8	1.8%
2023	0.3%	49.0%	17.0	1.2%
2024	3.0%	49.5%	17.2	1.1%
2025*	3.2% – 3.7%	50.9%	17.36	0.9%
2026*	3.1% – 3.5%	43.0%	17.45	0.5%

* 2025–2026 are forecasts/estimates.

Main observations

• Poland maintained very strong employment growth despite an ageing population and declining birth rate.
• Employment recovered rapidly after the 2020 COVID downturn.
• GDP growth slowed sharply in 2023 but employment still increased.
• Government spending rose substantially after 2022, driven largely by defense, healthcare, and social programs.
• Poland reached record employment levels in 2025 with more than 17.3 million employed people.  

 European Union

Year	GDP Growth (%)	Government Spending (% GDP)	Employed People (millions)	Employment Growth (%)
2019	1.8%	46.5%	209	1.0%
2020	-5.6%	53.1%	201	-3.8%
2021	6.2%	51.0%	205	2.0%
2022	3.5%	49.6%	209	2.0%
2023	0.4%	49.2%	211	1.0%
2024	1.0%	49.0%	213	0.9%
2025*	1.4% – 1.6%	48.8%	214	0.5%
2026*	1.5% – 1.7%	48.5%	215	0.4%

* 2025–2026 are forecasts/estimates.

Main observations

• The EU experienced a historic contraction in 2020 during the COVID crisis, followed by a strong rebound in 2021.
• Government spending jumped above 53% of GDP during the pandemic due to emergency fiscal programs, subsidies, and healthcare expenditures.
• Employment recovered steadily after 2020 and reached record highs by 2024–2025 despite slow GDP growth.
• Since 2022, EU growth has slowed considerably due to inflation, high interest rates, energy costs, and weaker industrial production.
• Employment growth remains positive, but productivity growth across the EU has been relatively weak.