According to the National Debt Register (Krajowy Rejestr Długów, KRD), the total debt of companies listed in the register has now exceeded PLN 11.1 billion. The bulk of this burden comes from businesses in large and medium-sized cities, while debts among companies in small towns and rural areas remain relatively low. Entities registered in locations with populations of up to 5,000 residents owe a combined PLN 349.3 million, accounting for just 3 percent of all corporate arrears, KRD data shows.
More than 267,500 Polish companies are in debt, with total liabilities reaching PLN 11.1 billion. The KRD data indicates that the value of overdue obligations grows in proportion to the size of the municipality. “The fewest liabilities are held by enterprises registered in villages and towns with populations not exceeding 5,000. Only 8,500 companies there are in debt, with total arrears amounting to PLN 349.3 million,” reads the krd.pl report.
By sector, the highest debts in small towns and rural areas are found in the TSL industry (transport, shipping, and logistics) — PLN 69.5 million. Second place goes to the trade sector with PLN 66.1 million in arrears, followed by agriculture with PLN 59.2 million in debt.
Among the largest creditors are securitization funds that have purchased debt from financial institutions (PLN 120 million), as well as banks, credit unions, leasing companies, and insurance providers — together totaling PLN 119 million. A further PLN 37 million is owed by companies in small towns and villages to trade-sector creditors, and PLN 13 million to those in the energy sector.
Small-town businesses in the Mazowieckie province have accumulated the highest debt, totaling PLN 54.4 million. This sum comes from 1,200 entities, each owing an average of nearly PLN 44,000. Within the region, the Mława and Żuromin counties lead with debts of PLN 5.45 million and PLN 5.3 million, respectively. Companies in the Łódzkie province must repay PLN 39.8 million, driven largely by Radomsko County’s PLN 6.1 million debt. High arrears are also found among businesses in the smallest municipalities of the Lubelskie province, where total debt reaches PLN 34.3 million. This region also has Poland’s single most indebted county — Biała County — with companies owing creditors PLN 8.6 million.
“Relatively low debts are found in the Małopolskie (PLN 3.8 million), Opolskie (PLN 5.8 million), and Podkarpackie (PLN 6.5 million) provinces. Importantly, in the smallest communities, a company’s reputation — including its honesty and payment reliability — matters even more than in large cities. Customers are often neighbors, and communities know each other better and have more insight into one another’s affairs,” krd.pl notes.