Posted on 10/15/2024 5:41:13 AM PDT by Cronos
Poland has surpassed Russia in terms of the value of exports for the first time on record, new World Bank data for 2023 show. They also reveal that Poland has risen to become the 19th largest exporter in the world.
Poland’s exports of goods and services reached $469 billion last year (up from $433.7 billion in 2022), compared to $466.6 billion in sanctions-hit Russia (down from $640.9 billion in 2022).
The size of Russia’s economy ($2.02 trillion in 2023) remains over twice as large as Poland’s ($811.23 billion) and the Russian population (144 million) is almost four times larger than Poland’s (37 million).
However, Russia has seen its exports slump since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the resultant international sanctions placed on it, while Poland’s long-term rise in exports has accelerated since 2020.
Both countries’ exports began to grow rapidly in the early 2000s, boosted by global economic growth. While Poland’s rose fairly steadily, Russia’s figures have been more bumpy as they are largely based on oil and gas exports, commodities with high price volatility.
Russia’s rise halted for several years after 2014, when it annexed Crimea. Later, its exports briefly peaked at $640.9 billion in 2022, likely due to increased purchases by buyers who wanted to obtain Russian raw materials before the sanctions imposed on the country after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine took full effect.
Poland has been one of Ukraine’s closest allies during the war and also one of the strongest advocates for implementing tougher sanctions on Russia.
Last year, the world’s biggest exporter was China ($3.5 trillion), followed by the United States ($3.1 trillion) and Germany ($2.1 trillion). Poland ranked 19th, just behind Belgium ($535 billion) and Spain ($616 billion).
| Country/State | Poland | Russia | Texas |
| GDP 2024 /State | $833 billion | $2000 Billion | $2664 bilion |
| GDP per capita | $23,014 | $14,391 | $78,339 |
Poland to be NATO’s biggest defence spender this year as proportion of GDP
Poland will spend the equivalent of 4.12% of its GDP on defence this year, which is the highest level among NATO members and more than double the alliance’s guideline of 2%.
Russia could have been so much more if Putin hadn't killed off any opposition and had opened up the economy to the many smart people in Russia
It is also going to spend €2.4bn on fortification of its eastern borders
The project will include new physical infrastructure, such as bunkers, minefields and anti-tank obstacles, as well as electronic elements including satellite monitoring, thermal imaging cameras and anti-drone systems.
The plans will be coordinated with the three Baltic states – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – that also border Belarus and Russia and are stepping up their own military readiness.
The main goals of the plan are to strengthen capabilities against a surprise attack, to impede the movement of enemy troops, to facilitate the movement of Poland’s own forces, and to protect the civilian population.
However, Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasised that the overriding aim is deterrence: to make attacking Poland unattractive to a potential enemy.
Poland will spend the equivalent of 4.12% of its GDP on defence this year, which is the highest level among NATO members and more than double the alliance’s guideline of 2%.
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Given the history of Poland in the last century, then adding the volatility of Europe in history in general, and adding on top of that the volatility among neighboring nations, I would say that 4% defense spending more than advisable.
Poland trying to get the most PR out of the harsh sanctions the west imposed on Russia. All of Russia’s sales aren’t going through western bean counters so the whole story is fake news.
“Given the history of Poland in the last century, then adding the volatility of Europe in history in general, and adding on top of that the volatility among neighboring nations, I would say that 4% defense spending more than advisable.”
Absolutely right. It’s a bad neighborhood. Still stuck between Russia and Germany, and they shouldn’t trust the West too much given their track record. Maybe 4% isn’t enough.
those are also Russia’s own export numbers
The enemy they are defending against is Russia, not their ally Germany and the 30 other NATO allies.
I think this article is one of many that will be appearing for readers in the west as the Brics meeting concludes in October and going forward.
The world bank data does not capture fully the valume of export in Russia due to sanctions and alternative financial arrangements or due to sanctions.
We will see lots of this stuff out of the EU in the future, as the Brics meeting is taking place. The west will tout the higher prices in their economies over the prices of goods in the Brics econmies. In terms of total volume or tonnage, Brics will surpass the West, but the valuaitons assigned in the West will far outwieght in our satistics the value of the Brics trade.
This article shows one thing very clearly. Energy costs affect everything. When a country has to pay 4x more for energy now than they did 3 years ago from Russia.
We in the west import energy and create value out of the imports. Those who trade with the west sell for up to 10x lower than the goods are worth in the economy where it the end user consumes the product.
“The enemy they are defending against is Russia, not their ally Germany and the 30 other NATO allies.”
Things change. Given their record regarding Poland for the last 250 years, Poland shouldn’t trust Germany either. The Western Allies betrayed Poland so I wouldn’t trust them either.
So Russia became a HIGH-INCOME country (per the World Bank), and cut its exports at the same - can mean ONLY ONE THING, which is that Russia no longer relies on Exports (meaning energy and food and other basic items) to sustain its economy - unlike what SOME PEOPLE here have claimed, over and over and over again.
Quit being so desperate, Poland is allied with Germany and 30 more nations to protect their countries from Russia, not themselves.
“Quit being so desperate, Poland is allied with Germany “
What are you going to do now? Call me a Putin stooge? Poland is allied with Germany alright, for now. NATO is mostly useless and untrustworthy. That’s what’s wrong with Europe, they’ve been fighting and backstabbing each other for hundreds of years. You can’t say what could happen in the future. Poland will be better off looking to their own defenses.
LOL, quit searching so hard to avoid the cold hard reality that Russia is the nation that Poland is defending itself from, along with everyone else in Europe.
“LOL, quit searching so hard to avoid the cold hard reality that Russia is the nation that Poland is defending itself from, along with everyone else in Europe.”
You are a real jerk for distorting what I said. I included Russia in my original post.
Which they surly report to the west in an honest fashion while the west is banning them from banks and insurance for oil tankers and stealing their money they had in western banks with plans to give it to the enemy of Russia. Of course, they will offer the west an honest self assessment.
Of course Russia is the entire focus, what was so laughable is how you try to dilute that by pretending that the threat Poland faces is not just Russia, but their ally Germany also.
Poland isn’t building fortifications to protect itself from its allies.
“Which they surly report”
Yes, the Muscowites are surly
yes well, communication is the art of being understood not of correct spelling.
“Poland isn’t building fortifications to protect itself from its allies.”
Again distorting what I posted. Poland should be ready to defend itself. They’ve been stabbed in the back by all their neighbors.
Evidently Poland doesn’t share your imaginary fears and is focused on reality, Russia, the nation that has launched the biggest and bloodiest European War since WWII as it invades its neighbor and threatens Poland and its allies.
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