The magazine said Poland's economy grew 3.6% in 2025, well above the EU average of 1.5% and far outstripping Germany's 0.2% growth, extending a recovery from the pandemic accompanied by strong productivity gains.
Poland's output per hour worked "is growing exceptionally dynamically", the magazine said, while Germany's has been "in almost complete stagnation" for several years.
Reviewing 97 business sectors, Die Zeit found Poland's share of global exports climbed to 1.8% in 2024 from roughly 0.5% in 2000, placing it among the world's top 20 exporters, with total export value up sixfold over that period compared with a 75% rise for Germany. Germany still exports more overall, with a 7.6% global share, but the magazine noted it has twice Poland's population and "four decades of head start in capitalism".
Poland's export growth is spread across sectors rather than concentrated in one product — its success, the magazine wrote, "is not based on specific goods, but rather on their diversity".
It cited meat and fish products, where Poland holds about 4% of global exports, and tobacco goods, where its export share has risen to 10% as international manufacturers relocated production there, while Germany's share fell to 6%. Poland has also overtaken Germany in exports of grain, washing machines and batteries.
Die Zeit pointed to other signs of momentum, including widespread digital adoption — from the BLIK mobile payment system to online public services — and continued foreign investment, citing Mercedes-Benz’s expanded factory in Jawor, Amazon's growing logistics network in Lower Silesia, and Microsoft's data center investments near Warsaw. It also noted the international expansion of Polish firms such as logistics company InPost, clothing retailer LPP and rail manufacturer Pesa.
The shifting economic balance has coincided with a reversal in migration trends, the magazine said: in 2024, for the first time, more people moved from Germany to Poland than the other way around, while Poland became "Germany's fourth most important export market", ahead of China. Since Brexit, Poland has also become the EU's sixth-largest economy, helped by low unemployment and a well-educated young workforce.
Die Zeit also cautioned that Poland still faces significant challenges, including an aging population, heavy dependence on fossil fuels for energy, and a rising public debt burden.
(jh)
Source: Polish Radio