According to experimental data from Statistics Poland, based on so-called “life traces” in administrative registers, approximately 38.8 million people were present in Poland at the end of 2025 — nearly 40.000 more than a year earlier. This total included around 2.3 million foreign nationals, whose number increased by almost 215.000. Statistics Poland stresses that these are experimental data and should not be compared with official population statistics.
What are “life traces”?
The method used by Statistics Poland is experimental. The number of people present in Poland includes individuals with a PESEL number — both Polish citizens and foreign nationals — for whom activity was recorded in at least one administrative register (a so-called life trace) and who were present in the country as of 31 December 2025. The dataset includes people appearing in at least two administrative registers, excluding those who did not meet this criterion.
The data sources included public-administration registers and information systems, including the Universal Electronic System for Registration of the Population, the Social Insurance Institution, the Ministry of Finance, the Agricultural Social Insurance Fund, the National Health Fund, the Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture, the Office for Foreigners, the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, and the ministries responsible for education and higher education. The address of presence was determined using an algorithm that compared the timeliness, quality and consistency of address data across different registers, giving priority to the residential address.
Experimental data are not official population statistics for Poland and, as Statistics Poland notes, should not be compared with population data published under current statistics. The life-trace method does not take account of the length of stay or absence from the country.
Voivodeship capitals: more than 8 million people
More than 8.1 million people were present in voivodeship capitals (based on the seats of voivodes), accounting for over 20% of Poland’s total population, including more than 970.000 foreign nationals. Warsaw had the highest number of people present — more than 2.07 million, including 301.200 foreign nationals (14.5% of the city’s residents). Kraków ranked second with 897.100 people, while Gorzów Wielkopolski had the lowest number, at 131.300.
Wrocław stood out in terms of the share of foreign nationals, who accounted for 19.5% of residents — the highest proportion among all voivodeship capitals. The share was 12.5% in Poznań and 11.3% in Kraków.
People present in voivodeship capitals in 2025 (thousand people)
| City | Total | Foreign nationals | Share of foreign nationals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warszawa | 2 075 011 | 301 183 | 14.5% |
| Kraków | 897 148 | 101 418 | 11.3% |
| Wrocław | 787 726 | 153 771 | 19.5% |
| Łódź | 698 608 | 72 031 | 10.3% |
| Poznań | 590 167 | 73 855 | 12.5% |
| Gdańsk | 519 680 | 57 121 | 11.0% |
| Szczecin | 427 756 | 56 040 | 13.1% |
| Bydgoszcz | 347 870 | 32 814 | 9.4% |
| Lublin | 345 644 | 24 153 | 7.0% |
| Białystok | 300 414 | 19 086 | 6.4% |
| Katowice | 290 125 | 20 838 | 7.2% |
| Rzeszów | 211 852 | 14 571 | 6.9% |
| Kielce | 186 930 | 7 869 | 4.2% |
| Olsztyn | 168 022 | 6 953 | 4.1% |
| Opole | 133 662 | 13 782 | 10.3% |
| Gorzów Wielkopolski | 131 295 | 17 271 | 13.2% |
Source: Statistics Poland. Own analysis based on Statistics Poland’s municipality-level data from the experimental “life traces” study.
Age structure: where Poland is ageing and where it is getting younger
The highest shares of older people (aged 60 or over) were recorded in municipalities in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in the eastern and southern parts of the Podlaskie Voivodeship, in the southern parts of the Lubelskie, Dolnośląskie and Opolskie voivodeships, and in the northern part of the Śląskie Voivodeship. In three municipalities in Hajnówka County (Podlaskie Voivodeship), the share of older people exceeded 40%.
The highest shares of people aged up to 14 were found in municipalities in the Pomorskie, Małopolskie and Wielkopolskie voivodeships, as well as in municipalities surrounding large cities — Warsaw, Poznań, Wrocław, Białystok, Radom and Rzeszów. In the municipality of Sierakowice (Pomorskie Voivodeship), almost one in four residents was aged 14 or younger.
In most Polish municipalities, the share of children aged under 14 was lower than the share of people aged 60 or over. Only in 73 municipalities (around 3% of the total) did the proportion of children exceed that of seniors, while in 47 municipalities (just under 2% of the total) the shares were similar. In the municipality of Dubicze Cerkiewne (Podlaskie Voivodeship) — Poland’s smallest municipality by population — children under 14 formed a group more than four times smaller than residents aged over 60.
Foreign nationals: where they are present in Poland
In 2025, around 2.3 million people with foreign citizenship were present in Poland, accounting for nearly 6% of the total. Ukrainian citizens made up 73% of this group. The share of foreign nationals varied significantly across the country: it was highest in the Dolnośląskie (9.8%) and Mazowieckie (9.3%) voivodeships, and lowest in the Podkarpackie and Świętokrzyskie voivodeships (around 2% each).
In most voivodeships, Ukrainian citizens were the largest group of foreign nationals — with the highest numbers in Mazowieckie (346.100 people) and Dolnośląskie (237.300 people). Podlaskie was the exception, where the number of foreign nationals of other nationalities exceeded the number of Ukrainian citizens. Foreign nationals were concentrated primarily in large urban agglomerations and their suburban zones, as well as in municipalities with well-developed industrial and logistics functions in Lower Silesia and western Poland, where their local share exceeded 10%. The highest shares (26–30%) were recorded in the municipalities of Ustronie Morskie (Zachodniopomorskie), Mikstat (Wielkopolskie), Głowno (Łódzkie), Raszyn and Mława (Mazowieckie), and Jelcz-Laskowice (Dolnośląskie). The lowest shares of foreign nationals — often below 1–2% — were recorded in municipalities in eastern and north-eastern Poland.
Share of foreign nationals among people present in the voivodeships in 2025
| Voivodeship | Total, 2025 | Year-on-year change | Foreign nationals, 2025 | Share of foreign nationals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mazowieckie | 5 887 178 | +61 495 | 545 740 | 9.3% |
| śląskie | 4 398 925 | -15 874 | 207 195 | 4.7% |
| wielkopolskie | 3 658 810 | +11 412 | 237 209 | 6.5% |
| małopolskie | 3 507 459 | +17 878 | 169 420 | 4.8% |
| dolnośląskie | 3 071 208 | +13 484 | 300 783 | 9.8% |
| łódzkie | 2 462 721 | -1 368 | 155 158 | 6.3% |
| pomorskie | 2 453 663 | +14 055 | 164 756 | 6.7% |
| podkarpackie | 2 053 243 | -6 649 | 40 808 | 2.0% |
| lubelskie | 2 025 476 | -13 546 | 57 912 | 2.9% |
| kujawsko-pomorskie | 2 024 614 | -9 094 | 74 970 | 3.7% |
| zachodniopomorskie | 1 698 276 | -4 042 | 120 572 | 7.1% |
| warmińsko-mazurskie | 1 356 630 | -9 230 | 35 042 | 2.6% |
| świętokrzyskie | 1 163 540 | -10 221 | 23 377 | 2.0% |
| podlaskie | 1 138 081 | -4 341 | 39 049 | 3.4% |
| lubuskie | 1 036 696 | -1 137 | 85 719 | 8.3% |
| opolskie | 923 659 | -5 176 | 40 337 | 4.4% |
The year-on-year change was calculated as the difference from 31 December 2024. Source: Statistics Poland. Own analysis based on Statistics Poland’s municipality-level data from the experimental “life traces” study.
Methodology
The data were compiled using an experimental method drawing on individual-level information from administrative registers and multi-source data-integration techniques. The number of people present in Poland includes all individuals with a PESEL number for whom activity was recorded in at least one administrative register (a so-called life trace) and who were present in the country as of 31 December 2025.
The address of presence was determined by an algorithm using address data from various administrative registers and verifying their timeliness, quality, consistency and availability. The residential address was used first; where unavailable, permanent or temporary registered addresses and correspondence addresses were used. The number of foreign nationals was determined on the basis of citizenship information obtained from selected administrative sources. Given the experimental nature of the study, the data presented should not be compared with official Polish population statistics published by Statistics Poland.
Source: Statistics Poland, “Number of people present in Poland based on so-called life traces — as of 31 December 2025”, Department of Data Integration and Management, 1 July 2026. Own analysis based on Statistics Poland data.
