The established Blue Economy sectors in Poland directly employ more than 158 thousand people and generate approximately €3.6 billion in GVA (2021). The Polish Blue Economy represents a relatively small proportion of the national economy, contributing by approx. 1% to national employment and by 0.7% to national GVA.
The relative size and share of the Blue Economy has remained stable in Poland since 2009. However, in absolute terms the number of people employed in the Blue Economy showed a 52% increase from 104 thousand, the lowest level registered in 2011. This brought the contribution to national employment to raise from 0.7% in 2011 to 1% in 2021.
Similarly, in absolute terms, the contribution of the Blue Economy to the national GVA in Poland increased by €1.4 billion over the last decade, from a level of approx. €2.2 billion registered in the 2009-1011 period. The Blue Economy was more resilient to the COVID-19 pandemic than in other EU countries, as it suffered a loss of €114 million (-3%) between 2019 and 2020. The national Blue Economy has fully recovered since, as testified by a 13% increase in GVA between 2020 and 2021.
The largest Blue Economy sector in Poland is Port activities, which contributed to the Polish Blue Economy by 37% in terms of GVA and almost 31% in terms of employment. The second largest Blue Economy sector of the country is Marine living resources, contributing with 21% and 25% to GVA and employment, respectively. Next, is Shipbuilding and repair, contributing with another 21% to the national Blue Economy GVA and 17% to its employment. Coastal tourism represents 16% of the national Blue Economy GVA but employs nearly a fourth of its workforce (24%).
In the EU, Poland ranks 4th in employment and 6th in GVA for Shipbuilding and repair; 5th in employment and 8th in GVA for Marine living resources; and 6th in employment and 9th in GVA for Marine non-Living resources.
The largest container seaport in Poland is the port of Gdansk, which is one of the largest in the Baltic Sea region and the 16th largest cargo port in the EU, handling more than 45 million Tonnes in 2021. Other important seaports include the ports of Gdynia, Swinoujscie, and Szczecin (this latter located at about 68km from the coastline in the Lower Oder Valley), handling nearly 49 million Tonnes in total.
The abovementioned ports are also the largest in Poland for passenger traffic, particularly for ferries and cruise ships, receiving approximately 1.8 million passengers per year.
Several organizations are monitoring the Polish Blue Economy at the national level, as illustrated below:
The Maritime Institute in Gdańsk (Instytut Morski w Gdańsku) is a research and development unit supervised by Ministry of Maritime Economy. For over fifty years the Institute has been closely associated with maritime economy. The Institute conducts research work, scientific and implementation projects, studies and assessments. Its mission is to take care and preserve the values of the sea and sustainable development of the Polish maritime economy.
The National Marine Fisheries Research Institute (NMFRI) is the oldest marine science centre in Poland. Its mission is to provide independent, objective and up-to-date knowledge based on scientific activity as well as research and development works, which support economically sustainable and environmentally sound development of marine fisheries.
- Other sources of information on the Polish Blue Economy are:
- Ministry of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation (Ministerstwo Gospodarki Morskiej i Żeglugi Śródlądowej).
- Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences (Instytut Oceanologii Polskiej Akademii Nauk).
- Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institut (PGI-NRI, Państwowy Instytut Geologiczny - Państwowy Instytut Badawczy).
For more national level data, please visit the Dashboards section within the EU Blue Economy Observatory, where you can also find information about Educational and Employment opportunities in the Blue Economy sectors.
