Usman Salis
⬤ Here's the thing — Poland quietly overtook Portugal in GDP per capita back in 2020, and most people didn't even notice. Inflation-adjusted data from 1990 through 2024 tells the full story: Poland has been on a steady climb for over three decades, and that upward trend hasn't let up.
⬤ Back in the early 1990s, Poland was trailing Portugal, Spain, and the UK by a wide margin. But somewhere around the early 2000s, things started shifting fast. Poland's income grew consistently, while Portugal's progress was slower and bumpier — which is exactly how Poland ended up on top by 2020. Fast forward to 2024, and Poland is still ahead and still moving in the right direction.
⬤ Spain and the UK are still out in front of Poland, but the distance is shrinking. Both countries hit rough patches — especially during the 2008 financial crisis and the 2020 downturn — while Poland kept grinding forward. And since these numbers are adjusted for inflation and cost of living, we're talking about real purchasing power here, not just headline GDP.
⬤ Why does this matter? Because when a country's relative income rises like this, it changes everything — how people move between countries for work, how they spend, and what long-term growth looks like across the region. Poland's story is a solid reminder that sustained growth, over time, can completely reshuffle the economic pecking order in Europe.
Usman Salis
