Poland overtakes Germany as a leading European exporter

The German weekly Die Zeit (31 July 2026) reports that Poland’s economy has sustained strong growth, lifting its share of world exports from about 0.5 % in 2000 to 1.8 % in 2024. This places Poland among the 20 largest global exporters, while Germany’s share fell to roughly 7.6 % in the same period. Polish exporters have gained ground in several sectors, notably meat and fish products (over 4 % of global market), furniture, lighting and especially tobacco – with multinational firms such as Philip Morris relocating production to Kraków, giving Poland more than 10 % of worldwide cigarette, cigar and tobacco exports. The country also leads in meat, grain, and technical goods such as washing machines, gas turbines and batteries. The trend is illustrated by tennis star Carlos Alcaraz ordering a yacht from the Gdańsk shipyard, underscoring Poland’s rising manufacturing appeal after its 2004 EU accession and the use of EU structural funds to modernise factories.