The new map of Polish entrepreneurship

This article is a part of Poland Unpacked. Weekly intelligence for decision-makers

The number of active enterprises continues to rise, but the pace of new business creation has clearly slowed. Which sectors see the most start-ups, and which the fewest? Do the war in Ukraine and the situation on the Belarusian border affect entrepreneurship in eastern Poland?

In 2024, Poland had 2.77 million active non-financial enterprises, according to Statistics Poland (GUS) in its report Selected Indicators of Entrepreneurship, 2020–2024. This figure covers all forms of business activity, from incorporated companies to sole proprietorships. It represents an increase of 19.7 percent compared with 2016.

In terms of structure, the largest share is accounted for by firms classified by GUS as “other activities” (excluding information and communication, as well as professional services), which made up 28 percent of all enterprises in 2024. This category is dominated by service activities, including healthcare, accommodation and food services, education, and culture and recreation. The next largest sectors are trade and vehicle repair (19 percent) and construction (16 percent). It is worth noting that industry accounts for a relatively small share of the total structure (9 percent), as it is dominated by large entities. However, its contribution to GDP is significantly higher, exceeding 20 percent.

Where are new companies being created?

In 2024, 312,600 enterprises were established in Poland. According to the methodology adopted in the report, this figure includes not only newly founded companies, but also those that resumed activity within two years of suspension. It does not, however, include entities created as a result of mergers, acquisitions, or changes in legal form. The 2024 result is 10 percent higher than in 2016 and 0.6 percent higher than in 2023. That said, slightly more companies were created in 2021–2022, when annual figures exceeded 320,000.

Their sectoral structure differs slightly from that of all active enterprises. The “other activities” category again dominates (30 percent), but construction ranks second (19 percent), followed by trade and vehicle repair (15 percent). The fewest new businesses were established in transport (just 6 percent) and in industry.

Several notable trends emerge in the data on new enterprises since 2016. This is visible in the accompanying chart, which shows how the number of businesses in each sector has evolved relative to 2016.

First, in information and communication – primarily IT-related activity – the number of newly created enterprises in 2024 was 66 percent higher than in 2016. This appears to be a structural shift, indicating a lasting increase in the sector’s importance in the economy. At the same time, however, the IT boom has clearly slowed. In 2022, the number of new companies was more than twice as high as in 2016. This reflected the post-pandemic rebound in the sector, and likely also the creation of businesses by migrants from Ukraine.

An increase in new firm formation was also recorded in construction (up 19 percent compared with 2016) and in professional, scientific, and technical activities (up 14 percent).

Sharp declines, by contrast, were observed in trade and vehicle repair, where 21 percent fewer new companies were created, and in the broadly defined “other activities” category (down 22 percent). This also appears to reflect broader structural shifts in the economy. Many segments of retail and wholesale trade are becoming increasingly concentrated, making market entry more difficult. In service activities outside IT – largely captured in the “other” category – barriers to entry have also increased, including due to rising labor costs.

Entrepreneurship in the regions

There are also interesting differences in the number of firms per 1,000 residents across Poland’s regions. The map above shows the stock of active enterprises. In 2024, the highest concentration was in the Mazowieckie voivodeship – nearly 100 firms per 1,000 inhabitants, or roughly one in ten residents. High figures were also recorded in Wielkopolskie, Małopolskie, Pomorskie, and Dolnośląskie. This is primarily the result of the strong pull of major cities, as well as the concentration of foreign capital in these regions.

The least entrepreneurial regions were Podkarpackie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie, and Lubelskie, with fewer than 57 firms per 1,000 residents. In practice, however, these figures may somewhat understate the true level of activity. GUS data do not fully capture population movements, which means that population counts in regions without major cities are slightly underestimated.

There are also significant differences in the creation of new enterprises. Mazowieckie again leads, with 12 new firms per 1,000 residents, followed by Pomorskie, Dolnośląskie, and Małopolskie. At the other end of the scale is Opolskie, with only 5.7 new firms per 1,000 residents, alongside the eastern regions.

The data also shed light on whether the war in Ukraine and the situation on the Belarusian border have affected new business formation. The chart above shows indicators for four voivodeships in north-eastern Poland. Indeed, in these regions the decline in new business creation has been noticeably stronger than in the country as a whole.

There are grounds to believe this reflects concerns or operational difficulties associated with doing business in border areas. Firms in these voivodeships report weaker sentiment in GUS survey data than businesses in other parts of the country.

A distinctive dataset

What sets these data apart is the way they are constructed. They are based on the European methodology for business demography. As a result, they capture firms that recorded either turnover or employment in a given year – meaning they were genuinely active.

In addition, unlike the REGON register, these data also incorporate certain financial aspects for a subset of firms.

Their main limitation, however, is that they currently extend only to 2024. In other words, they offer a view through the rear-view mirror. Since then, the economic environment has changed significantly. It is also worth noting that agricultural activity, as well as financial and insurance services, are excluded from the statistics.

Scale and structure of entrepreneurship in Poland. In 2024, there were 2.77 million active non-financial enterprises, 19.7 percent more than in 2016. The structure is dominated by services classified as “other” (28 percent, mainly healthcare, accommodation and food services, education), followed by trade (19 percent) and construction (16 percent). Industry accounts for a relatively small share in terms of headcount (9 percent), despite generating more than 20 percent of GDP, as it is dominated by large-scale entities.
Trends in new business formation since 2016. In 2024, 312,600 new enterprises were created—slightly more than in 2023, but fewer than in the peak years of 2021–2022. The strongest long-term growth was recorded in IT (up 66 percent compared with 2016, although the post-2022 boom clearly lost momentum), as well as in construction and professional activities. By contrast, trade (-21 percent) and “other services” excluding IT (-22 percent) saw declines, which the author links to increasing market concentration and higher barriers to entry.
Regional differences and the impact of geopolitics. The highest numbers of firms per 1,000 residents – both overall and newly established – are concentrated in Mazowieckie and other regions with large urban centres (Wielkopolskie, Małopolskie, Pomorskie, Dolnośląskie), while the weakest performance is seen in eastern regions and Opolskie. The data also suggest that the war in Ukraine and tensions on the Belarusian border have had a negative impact on business formation in four north-eastern voivodeships, which is consistent with weaker entrepreneurial sentiment reported in GUS survey data for these regions.