World Bank: AI could boost Poland’s economy by 12% by 2035

Poland, already Central Europe’s largest economy after crossing the $1 trillion GDP threshold in 2025, is now looking at artificial intelligence as the accelerant that could close the remaining gap with the continent’s richest countries.

Poland’s quiet economic miracle

Poland was reclassified as a high-income economy by the World Bank back in 2009, graduating from upper-middle-income status after years of steady post-communist transformation.

Fast forward to 2025, and Poland has hit the symbolic $1 trillion GDP milestone. That puts it in rare company among Central and Eastern European nations, none of which have reached that mark.

The country is also planning to graduate from the World Bank’s main development lending program, known as IBRD, by 2031. Annual growth has been running at approximately 3% to 3.6% in recent years, powered by EU integration, a skilled labor force, and an increasingly sophisticated services sector.

The AI bet and what it actually means

The World Bank has been studying digital technology adoption across Central and Eastern Europe, with Poland frequently highlighted for its advanced digital ecosystem.

The World Bank’s Country Climate and Development Report suggests that achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 could itself increase GDP by at least 4% relative to current policies.

What this means for investors

The EU’s AI Act, which imposes compliance requirements on high-risk AI applications, could add friction, particularly for smaller firms that lack the resources to navigate complex regulatory frameworks.

McKinsey estimated in 2018 that AI could add $13 trillion to global output by 2030, a figure that increasingly looks optimistic given the pace of actual enterprise AI adoption versus the hype cycle.

Poland was the only EU economy to avoid recession during the 2008 financial crisis.

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