City profile: Bytom

Map of Bytom

Overview of Bytom

Snapshot of key indicators for Bytom in the most recent year available.

Population

153,274

people · 2021

Avg. gross salary

8.2 K PLN

2024

Unemployment rate

10.3%

% · 2025

Businesses per 10k

1,229

entities / 10k · 2024

Population density

2,105.5

ppl / km² · 2024

Apartment price / m²

3.8 K PLN / m²

2024

About - Bytom

Bytom is a historic Upper Silesian city of about 153,000 residents within the Silesian agglomeration. Once a centre of hard-coal mining, it now faces deep economic restructuring. Bytom's unambiguous advantage is the cheapest housing market in Poland — an average residential price of PLN 3,820/m² (100th percentile) and an affordability ratio of 0.46 monthly salaries per square metre (98th percentile) make the city exceptionally accessible for buyers and renters. This is a real draw for young people and investors. The weaknesses reflect post-industrial challenges: registered unemployment of 10.3% (2nd percentile) is among the highest of any powiat-status city, and just 187 employed persons per 1,000 inhabitants (2nd percentile). The cultural offer is modest (only 1 museum, 3rd percentile), and modern public-transit infrastructure is missing (0 km of bus lanes, 0 Park & Ride lots). New-housing construction remains low (2 dwellings completed per 1,000, 9th percentile), hampering stock renewal. Despite gross wages of PLN 8,238 (95% of the national average), structural labour-market issues and limited investment expansion put Bytom in clear need of economic reactivation.

Strengths and weaknesses of Bytom

Strengths and weaknesses of Bytom based on the city's position across every published Polish-city ranking.

Top 3 rankings of Bytom

Best ranking positions of Bytom across Poland.

Strengths

Housing in Bytom is affordable - few monthly salaries needed per square metre.
Most affordable housing relative to earnings
Rank among medium cities (100–200 thousand inhabitants): #5
Rank in Poland: #7
Stable demographic profile in Bytom - steady population and age-structure indicators.
Most demographically stable cities
Rank among medium cities (100–200 thousand inhabitants): #9
Rank in Poland: #29
Bytom ranks among the wealthiest cities in Poland - high salaries and local-government revenue.
Wealthiest cities
Rank among medium cities (100–200 thousand inhabitants):

Weaknesses

Low investment potential in Bytom - limited capex activity by businesses and local government.
City investment potential
Rank among medium cities (100–200 thousand inhabitants): #23
Rank in Poland: #66
Limited cultural scene in Bytom - few cultural institutions and events.
Best cities for culture
Rank among medium cities (100–200 thousand inhabitants): #23
Rank in Poland: #66
Weak academic base in Bytom - few students and limited university offer.
Best cities for students and education
Rank among medium cities (100–200 thousand inhabitants):

Air quality today

Very good air qualitySource: GIOŚ

The result is based on the reading from 1 monitoring station in Bytom.

PM2.5 now

5.7 µg/m³

PM10 now

8.3 µg/m³

Last updated

05/21/2026, 09:20 PM

Demographics of Bytom

Gender composition and demographic load on the working-age population of Bytom based on the latest GUS data.

Gender split in Bytom

Men73,321 · 47.8%
Women79,953 · 52.2%

Dependency ratios in Bytom

Non-working-age dependency ratio

ppl / 100 working-age · 2024

69.3

Post- per working-age

ppl / 100 working-age · 2024

42.8

Old-age dependency ratio

% · 2024

33.3%

Population change per 1k residents

ppl / 1k · 2024

-9.9

Vital events in Bytom

Births, deaths, marriages and natural increase in Bytom based on GUS data.

Total deaths

2,008

people · 2024

Marriages

562

marriages · 2024

Births / 1k5.66 per 1k people

Deaths / 1k13.67 per 1k people

Natural increase / 1k-8.01 per 1k people

Labour market in Bytom

Salaries in Bytom compared with the voivodeship and national averages, alongside broader employment signals.

Salary benchmark - Bytom

Voivodeship and Poland baselines derived from BDL ratios (Bytom vs. voivodeship / Poland).

Registered unemployment in Bytom

10.3%

% · 2025

Salary growth YoY

14.31%

% · 2024

Job offers at year-end in Bytom

154

offers · 2025

Employed per 1k residents

187

ppl / 1k · 2021

Business activity in Bytom

REGON registrations, deregistrations and net balance in Bytom.

Registrations vs deregistrations - Bytom

New businesses

1,049

entities · 2025

Deregistered

805

entities · 2025

New businessesDeregistered

Net change+244

REGON entities per 10k residents

1,229

entities / 10k · 2024

REGON entities per 1k working-age

208.1

entities / 1k working-age · 2024

Sole props / working-age

13.2%

% · 2024

Foreign-capital companies in Bytom

entities · 2025

Real estate in Bytom

Apartment prices, affordability and construction activity in Bytom.

Apartment price / m² in Bytom

3.8 K PLN / m²

2024

Housing affordability in Bytom

0.46

months of salary / m² · 2024

Dwellings completed / 1k residents

dwellings / 1k people · 2025

Months of gross salary required per 1 m² of apartment in Bytom.

Education in Bytom

Higher-education students, graduates and preschool-age children in Bytom based on GUS BDL data.

Higher-ed students

people · 2024

Higher-ed graduates

people · 2024

Preschool-age children

2,287

people · 2024

Students by gender

Women76
Men23

Transport & infrastructure in Bytom

Registered vehicles, public roads and road infrastructure in Bytom based on GUS BDL data.

Passenger cars

68,674

vehicles · 2024

Cars / 1k residents: 448

Environment and quality of life in Bytom

Air quality, green areas and public-space quality in Bytom.

Green areas per capita

34.5

m² / person · 2024

Municipal green areas per capita

m² / person · 2024

Parks & squares per capita

m² / person · 2024

Green-areas share of total area

7.26%

% · 2024

Air quality

· Monitoring stations: 1

Particulate matter

PM2.5 now

5.7 µg/m³

Fine particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs.

PM2.5 24h avg

8.19 µg/m³

PM2.5 30d avg

11.31 µg/m³

PM10 now

8.3 µg/m³

Larger airborne particles - dust, traffic and heating.

PM10 24h avg

12.05 µg/m³

PM10 30d avg

15.7 µg/m³

High PM10 days (30d)

Maximum number of days with PM10 above 50 µg/m³ at a single station.

Traffic-related pollution

NO₂ now

29.3 µg/m³

Pollution most often linked to road traffic.

NO₂ 24h avg

28.35 µg/m³

NO₂ 30d avg

19.77 µg/m³

Last updated: 05/21/2026, 09:20 PMSource: GIOŚ

Bytom in numbers over time

Multi-year trajectory of the key indicators of Bytom benchmarked against the voivodeship.

Average gross salary in Bytom

Registered unemployment rate in Bytom

REGON entities per 10k inhabitants - Bytom

Population of Bytom

Apartment price per m² in Bytom

Bytom in rankings

How does Bytom rank?

Every city score is built from open data: GUS, GIOŚ, and public registries. A 0–100 score compares a city against the rest of Poland and against peers of similar population size.

Best cities to live in Poland

47.9/ 100

Rank in Poland: #48
Rank among medium cities: #20

settlement year	Taxpayers (1.5%)	Total 1.5% PIT	OPPs in the city	Avg. per OPP
2025	1.1 K	139.5 K PLN	3	46.5 K PLN
2024	900	96.7 K PLN	3	32.2 K PLN
2023	900	96.7 K PLN	3	32.2 K PLN
2022	1.0 K	70.2 K PLN	3	23.4 K PLN
2021	1.2 K	65.8 K PLN	3	21.9 K PLN
2020	1.3 K	61.5 K PLN	2	30.8 K PLN
2019	800	42.0 K PLN	1	42.0 K PLN
2018	700

Indicator	Bytom	Zabrze	Difference
Population	153,274	158,307	−5,033 −3.2%
Population density	2,105.5	1,895.8	+209.7 +11.1%
Avg. gross salary	8.2 K PLN	8.4 K PLN	−114.38 PLN −1.4%
Unemployment rate	10.3%	5.4%	+4.9% +90.7%
REGON / 10k	1,229	1,208	+21 +1.7%
Apartment price / m²	3.8 K PLN / m²	4.8 K PLN / m²	−955 PLN / m² −20%
Green areas / capita	34.5	44.9	−10.4 −23.2%
Housing affordability	0.46	0.57	−0.11 −19.3%

City profile: Bytom

Overview of Bytom

About - Bytom

Top 3 rankings of Bytom

Strengths

Weaknesses

Demographics of Bytom

Gender split in Bytom

Dependency ratios in Bytom

Vital events in Bytom

Labour market in Bytom

Salary benchmark - Bytom

Business activity in Bytom

Registrations vs deregistrations - Bytom

Real estate in Bytom

Education in Bytom

Students by gender

Transport & infrastructure in Bytom

Environment and quality of life in Bytom

Air quality

Particulate matter

Traffic-related pollution

Bytom in numbers over time

Average gross salary in Bytom

Registered unemployment rate in Bytom

REGON entities per 10k inhabitants - Bytom

Population of Bytom

Apartment price per m² in Bytom

Bytom in rankings

Best cities to live in Poland

Best cities to do business in

Best labour market

Most affordable housing relative to earnings

Greenest cities

City investment potential

Most demographically stable cities

Best cities for families

Best cities for students and education

Wealthiest cities

Safest cities

Best cities for culture

Best cities for an active lifestyle

Most tourist-attractive cities

Best weekend cities

Best cities for after-work life

Best cities for women's careers

Best cities for women

Best cities for seniors

Most peaceful cities to live in

Most bike-friendly cities

Cities with the highest parking pressure

Most innovative cities

Public-benefit organisations (OPP) and 1.5% PIT - Bytom

Largest OPP in Bytom

1.5% PIT history - Bytom

Comparison - Bytom vs another city

Percentage difference (Bytom minus peer)

All indicators - Bytom

Companies

Biuro Credere Spółka z Ograniczoną Odpowiedzialnością

Delikatesy ADAM Kubik, Justyna Kubik Spółka z Ograniczoną Odpowiedzialnością

PTB Construction Spółka z Ograniczoną Odpowiedzialnością

Associations

Stowarzyszenie Śląskich Naukowców

Bytomska SIŁA Miasta

Stowarzyszenie Szesnastka-razem dla Bobrka

Foundations

Instytut Pamięci Kresów Wschodnich

Fundacja IM. Vincenta VAN Gogha

Fundacja JEST Takie Miejsce

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Public-benefit organisations (OPP) and 1.5% PIT - Bytom

Largest OPP in Bytom

1.5% PIT history - Bytom

Bytom in rankings

Best cities to live in Poland

Best cities to do business in

Best labour market

Most affordable housing relative to earnings

Greenest cities