In Poland, 5 million people live in poverty, 975,000 of whom are deprived of social assistance

The poverty rate in Poland is rising: 5 million people live in poverty. Paradoxically, almost 975,000 of them are considered "too rich" to receive state support, according to the Poverty Watch 2025 report by the Polish Committee of the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN Polska), BelTA reports, citing Wirtualna Polska.

"This increase is a warning that ignoring the problem of poverty can end badly," said the chairman of EAPN Polska. According to him, "the total number of extremely poor and destitute Poles has increased from 4.6 million to 5 million."

The portal's article states that the problem of marginalization of some extremely poor Poles has worsened. Due to a rare adjustment of social assistance eligibility criteria, which occurs every three years, nearly a million Poles are now considered both extremely poor and too "rich" to meet state income requirements for support.

According to the portal, 1.9 million people live in extreme poverty. This means they lack the means to afford everything: housing, food, the cheapest clothing and footwear, even medication.

"It is clear that the situation of less affluent households is not improving," stated the chairman of EAPN Polska. He noted that "this particularly impacts groups such as pensioners and people with disabilities (and their families)."

The authors of the Poverty Watch 2025 report note that among older adults (over 65), extreme poverty rates are stagnating, while relative poverty rates have increased from 11% (830,000 people) to 12.7% (981,000 people). This, the report states, confirms that pension indexation and increases in permanent social assistance benefits have proven insufficient to address the problem.

Households with members with disabilities are in the most difficult situation, with the relative poverty rate among them reaching 16.8%.

The portal notes that the data in the report is based primarily on official statistics published by national and international agencies, eliminating the possibility of subjective opinions. Each EAPN Poland report contains expert recommendations for governments. In the latest report, the authors call for an immediate transition from ad hoc measures to a stable system based on social rights.

Poland has still not ratified the revised European Social Charter, thereby avoiding legally binding commitments to its own citizens, such as access to effective social security, decent housing, and the elimination of extreme poverty and homelessness.

The latest report also notes the shortcomings of Poland's strategic documents for combating poverty and social exclusion at the national, regional, and local levels. It notes that these problems are also present in the draft Polish Development Strategy 2035, which completely lacks goals related to reducing poverty and inequality.