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Poland’s Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, presented compelling data from Eurostat, indicating that the poverty rate in the country has significantly decreased during the PiS (Law and Justice) government’s tenure. Comparatively, during the coalition of PO-PSL (Civic Platform and Polish People’s Party), the number of people at risk of poverty surged. The Prime Minister confidently hailed the PiS administration as effective, urging the numbers to speak for themselves.
Eurostat data reveals that during the initial PiS government from 2005 to 2007, the poverty rate dropped by 1.2 million individuals. Subsequently, during the PO-PSL coalition’s rule from 2007 to 2015, the poverty rate increased by 0.1 million people. However, from 2015 to 2022, under the PiS government once again, poverty declined by 1.6 million individuals.
Poland’s Progress in the EU Context
According to Eurostat’s June report, the EU as a whole is grappling with 95.3 million people, approximately 21.6% of the population, at risk of poverty or social exclusion. In contrast, Poland’s figure stands at 15.9%, which is lower than the EU average. Only Slovenia (13.3%) and the Czech Republic (11.8%) have achieved better results within the EU. On the other end of the spectrum, Romania (34.4%), Bulgaria (32.2%), and Greece (26.3%) face higher poverty rates.