Amounts and share of GDP
According to Statistics Poland (GUS), gross domestic expenditure on research and development (GERD) amounted to PLN 58.8 billion in 2025, and its share of GDP rose to 1.50% from 1.41% in 2024.
Compared with the European Union
In Eurostat data, Poland’s R&D expenditure as a share of GDP rose from 0.88% in 2012 to 1.40% in 2024. The European Union average in 2024 was 2.26% of GDP, so the gap is 0.86 percentage points. A chart of both series is in the R&D section.
Who funds and performs research
Most research in Poland is carried out by businesses: in 2025 they accounted for 64.9% of domestic R&D expenditure. The rest falls mainly to higher education and the government sector, including research institutes.
How it is measured
GERD covers all expenditure on R&D performed in the country, regardless of who pays for it. The rules by which statisticians in many countries measure this expenditure are set out in the Frascati Manual – we discuss it on Frascati.science.
Sources
- GUS, Działalność badawcza i rozwojowa w Polsce w 2025 r.
- Eurostat, GERD by sector of performance (rd_e_gerdtot)
- Frascati.science – Podręcznik Frascati
Sources are in Polish. Figures from the register as of 6 November 2026; checked: 2026-11-06.