Poland is one of the fastest-developing e-commerce markets in Europe. Economic growth is rebounding after a slowdown in 2023, supported by strong private consumption. Gross domestic product in 2024 is expected to reach over US$ 844 billion, a 3% annual increase in GDP according to the World Bank. This growth is expected to continue in the following years, with forecasted GDP of over US$1,063 billion by 2029.
A Fast-Growing International E-commerce Market
With a population of approximately 40 million, the rate of internet users has grown to over 93% in 2023, followed by a rapid increase in the number of online shoppers, reaching over 64%. 30% of Polish internet users buy online from international shops, looking mostly for products at better prices or products that are unavailable on the domestic market.
Retail e-commerce sales in this market are expected to increase from US$41 billion in 2023 to over US$56 billion in 2027.
Global-e Data: Polish Market Growth, 2024
This growth trend is clearly reflected in Global-e’s data, which ranked Poland as the top growing market in the first quarter of 2024, with 29% growth YoY (Q1 2024 vs. Q1 2023).
This follows the continuous uplift we’ve seen since 2022. Over the past two years, Poland has risen from #25 in Global-e’s markets ranking in 2022, to #22 in 2023, and so far in 2024 Poland has risen to #21.
Our data also shows that online shoppers in Poland are high adopters of local payment methods. 61% of international online transactions year to date were made using local and alternative payment methods. The leading local alternative method is Przelewy24 (15%), followed by Bilk (10%) and Dotpay (8%).
Sources:
Statista, E-commerce in Poland – statistics & facts, Statista, 2024; World Bank Group, World Bank Raises Polish Growth Forecast to 3% in 2024 Sluggish Growth Delays Economic Recovery in Emerging Population, 2024; Statista, Internet user penetration rate in Poland from 2014 to 2023, 2023; Statista, Share of online shoppers ordering or purchasing goods or services in Poland from 2015 to 2023, 2024; EMARKETER Forecast, Retail ecommerce sales – Poland, May 2024; Global-e data, 2024Europe and Central Asia, April 2024; Statista, Poland: Gross domestic product (GDP) at current prices from 1987 to 2029, 2024; Statista, Poland: Growth rate of real gross domestic product (GDP) from 2019 to 2029, April 2024; OECD library, OECD Economic Outlook, Volume 2024 Issue 1, 2024; European Commission, Economic forecast for Poland, 2024; Worldometers.info, Poland