Country page · Europe & Central Asia
If you were born in Poland
1 in 534 babies · 0.19% of births · about 251,407 a year
Right now, about 0.19% of the world's babies are born in Poland — 1 in 534, or roughly 251,407 a year and 689 a day. Life expectancy there is 78.4 years.
How the 1 in 534 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: Poland has about 251,407 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.19% — 1 in 534. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in Poland, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 82.2 · men 74.8 | 78.4 years | 43rd highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 4.2 / 1,000 | 0.4% | 30th lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 3.6 / 1,000 | 0.4% | 31st lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 2 | 4th lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 1.14 | 10th lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 16.0 years | 36th highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 80.9% | 23rd highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $54,262 | 35th highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | 28.50 | 139th highest of 157 countries |
| People living in cities | 60.1% | 96th highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 6.2% | 51st lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 88.6% | 58th highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | 0.8 | 28th lowest of 155 countries |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 16.2% | 41st lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | — | — |
| People who smoke | 21.7% | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
Poland compared with Europe & Central Asia
Life expectancy in Poland is 78.4 years, against a Europe & Central Asia average of 78.6. The under-5 death rate is 0.4%, versus 0.7% across the region. Income per person is $54,262, against $53,288 regionally; expected schooling is 16.0 years against 15.9. 60.1% of people live in cities, against 67.9% in the region.
| Indicator | Poland | Europe & Central Asia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 78.4 yrs | 78.6 yrs | 73.3 yrs |
| Under-5 deaths | 0.4% | 0.7% | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $54,262 | $53,288 | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 16.0 yrs | 15.9 yrs | 13.0 yrs |
| People in cities | 60.1% | 67.9% | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 78.4 years on average, with roughly 4.2 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 16.0 years of school, and income per person is around $54,262. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in Poland
The game draws Poland in about 1 of every 534 births. From there the life runs year by year: 78.4 years of life expectancy on average, a 0.4% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $54,262 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in Ukraine — 1 in 630
- Chance of being born in Tajikistan — 1 in 491
- Chance of being born in Spain — 1 in 418
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
What are the odds of being born in Poland?
What is life expectancy in Poland?
How many babies are born in Poland each year?
Is Poland a good country to be born in, in the game?
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated 24 Oct 2026.