Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Poland
Poland: Public sector employment as a share of total employment was 20.5% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Poland, 2001–2020
Source: World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, public sector employment as a share of total employment in Poland stood at 20.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.9% on the previous year and up 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public sector employment as a share of total employment in Poland peaked at 30.1% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 18.6%, in 2011.
That places Poland 34th out of 79 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.
Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Poland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 30.1% | — |
| 2002 | 29.6% | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 28.5% | -4.0% |
| 2004 | 28.1% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 26.3% | -6.6% |
| 2006 | 26.1% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 25.7% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 18.9% | -26.4% |
| 2009 | 19.2% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 19.1% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 18.6% | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 19.0% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 19.8% | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 19.6% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 20.1% | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 19.9% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 19.6% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 20.5% | +4.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 25.8% | 18.9% | 30.1% | 9 |
| 2010s | 19.5% | 18.6% | 20.1% | 8 |
| 2020s | 20.5% | 20.5% | 20.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Poland
More work & labour data for Poland
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -1.03 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -1.03 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -1.04 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.28 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.0452 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 22,799 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 9,591 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 9,786 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 9,544 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 19,330 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is public sector employment as a share of total employment in Poland?
- Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Poland was 20.5% in 2020, according to World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest public sector employment as a share of total employment recorded in Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 30.1% in 2001.
- What is the lowest public sector employment as a share of total employment recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.6% in 2011.
- How does Poland rank for public sector employment as a share of total employment?
- Poland ranks 34th out of 79 countries with data for 2020.
- Is public sector employment as a share of total employment rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Poland data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Public sector employment as a share of total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of all employed people who are paid employees of the public sector, including government, the armed forces, public services, and state-owned enterprises.