Voivodeship profile: Lower Silesia voivodeship
Key indicators for Lower Silesia voivodeship from Statistics Poland's Local Data Bank (BDL)
Overview of Lower Silesia voivodeship
Snapshot of key indicators in the Lower Silesia voivodeship in the most recent year available.
Population
2,904,894
people · 2021
Avg. gross salary
8.9 K PLN
2024
Unemployment rate
5.3%
% · 2025
Businesses per 10k
1,589
entities / 10k · 2024
Population density
143.8
ppl / km² · 2024
Apartment price / m²
8.5 K PLN / m²
2024
Description - Lower Silesia voivodeship
Lower Silesia is one of Poland's economic powerhouses, home to 2.9 million people with Wrocław as its capital. GDP per capita exceeds PLN 103,000 (second-highest in the country) and the average gross monthly salary of around PLN 8,870 sits at 103% of the national average. The region has a heavily industrialised economy (industrial output of PLN 78,000 per capita), a dense business base (1,589 REGON entities per 10,000 residents) and a strong foreign-capital footprint — 8.2 foreign-capital companies per 10,000 residents and 25.4% of investment financed by foreign entities. Wrocław is one of Poland's largest academic centres, with nearly 125,000 students fuelling a strong innovation profile (ranked 4th nationally). The region also offers a varied tourism mix — the Sudetes, spa towns and Wrocław itself — drawing 1,557 tourists per 1,000 inhabitants per year. Weak points are demographic decline (natural growth of −4.96 per 1,000) and public safety: 26.5 crimes per 1,000 residents (the highest in the country) with relatively low detection (62.5%). Lower Silesia ranks 2nd for economic strength and business friendliness, but only 16th for public safety.
Demographics of Lower Silesia voivodeship
Gender composition and demographic load on the working-age population in the Lower Silesia voivodeship based on the latest GUS data.
Gender split in the Lower Silesia voivodeship
- Men1,396,495 · 48.1%
- Women1,508,399 · 51.9%
Dependency ratios in the Lower Silesia voivodeship
Non-working-age dependency ratio
ppl / 100 working-age · 2024
Post- per working-age
ppl / 100 working-age · 2024
Old-age dependency ratio
% · 2024
Population change per 1k residents
ppl / 1k · 2024
Vital events in the Lower Silesia voivodeship
Births, deaths, marriages and natural increase in the Lower Silesia voivodeship based on GUS data.
Total deaths
32,463
people · 2024
Marriages
10,920
marriages · 2024
Divorces
4,650
divorces · 2024
Labour market in the Lower Silesia voivodeship
Salaries, unemployment and broader employment signals in the Lower Silesia voivodeship based on GUS BDL data.
Avg. gross salary in Lower Silesia
8.9 K PLN
2024
Registered unemployment in Lower Silesia
5.3%
% · 2025
Salary growth YoY
12.96%
% · 2024
Job offers at year-end in Lower Silesia
2,218
offers · 2025
Employed per 1k residents
279
ppl / 1k · 2021
Business activity in the Lower Silesia voivodeship
REGON registrations, deregistrations and net balance in the Lower Silesia voivodeship.
Registrations vs deregistrations - Lower Silesia voivodeship
New businesses
32,292
entities · 2025
Deregistered
18,228
entities · 2025
REGON entities per 10k residents
1,589
entities / 10k · 2024
REGON entities per 1k working-age
272.4
entities / 1k working-age · 2024
Sole props / working-age
18.1%
% · 2024
Foreign-capital companies in Lower Silesia
5
entities · 2025
Real estate in the Lower Silesia voivodeship
Apartment prices, affordability and construction activity in the Lower Silesia voivodeship.
Apartment price / m² in Lower Silesia
8.5 K PLN / m²
2024
Housing affordability in Lower Silesia
0.96
months of salary / m² · 2024
Dwellings completed / 1k residents
6.6
dwellings / 1k people · 2025
Months of gross salary required per 1 m² of apartment in the Lower Silesia voivodeship.
Education in the Lower Silesia voivodeship
Higher-education students, graduates and preschool-age children in the Lower Silesia voivodeship based on GUS BDL data.
Higher-ed students
124,955
people · 2024
Higher-ed graduates
28,148
people · 2024
Preschool-age children
49,955
people · 2024
Students by gender
- Women71,041
- Men53,914
Transport & infrastructure in the Lower Silesia voivodeship
Registered vehicles, public roads and road infrastructure in the Lower Silesia voivodeship based on GUS BDL data.
Passenger cars
1,789,958
vehicles · 2024
Public roads, total
24,632.9
km · 2024
Expressways
247.8
km · 2024
Bridges & viaducts
5,307
structures · 2024
Cars / 1k residents: 616.2
Environment in the Lower Silesia voivodeship
Green areas, waste management and public-space quality in the Lower Silesia voivodeship.
Green areas per capita
57.3
m² / person · 2024
Municipal green areas per capita
16.5
m² / person · 2024
Parks & squares per capita
22.9
m² / person · 2024
Green-areas share of total area
0.82%
% · 2024
Lower Silesia voivodeship in numbers over time
Multi-year trajectory of the key indicators in the Lower Silesia voivodeship.
Average gross salary in the Lower Silesia voivodeship
Registered unemployment rate in the Lower Silesia voivodeship
REGON entities per 10k inhabitants - Lower Silesia voivodeship
Population in the Lower Silesia voivodeship
Apartment price per m² in the Lower Silesia voivodeship
All indicators - Lower Silesia voivodeship
Population of Lower Silesia
people · year 2021
2,904,894
Number of men in Lower Silesia
people · year 2021
1,396,495
Number of women in Lower Silesia
people · year 2021
1,508,399
Population density
ppl / km² · year 2024
143.8
Population change per 1k residents
ppl / 1k · year 2024
-3.8
Urban-area population density
ppl / km² · year 2024
1,884
Non-working-age dependency ratio
ppl / 100 working-age · year 2024
71.4
Post- per working-age
ppl / 100 working-age · year 2024
42.3
Post- per pre-working-age
ppl / 100 pre-working-age · year 2024
145
Old-age dependency ratio
% · year 2024
33.4%
Live births per 1k residents
per 1k people · year 2024
6.33
Deaths per 1k residents
per 1k people · year 2024
11.29
Natural increase per 1k residents
per 1k people · year 2024
-4.96
Total deaths in Lower Silesia
people · year 2024
32,463
Marriages registered in Lower Silesia
marriages · year 2024
10,920
Divorces in Lower Silesia
divorces · year 2024
4,650
Infant mortality rate
idx · year 2024
445.2
Life expectancy at birth - men
yrs · year 2024
74.43
Life expectancy at birth - women
yrs · year 2024
81.94
Avg. gross salary in Lower Silesia
year 2024
8.9 K PLN
Registered unemployment in Lower Silesia
% · year 2025
5.3%
Employed per 1k residents
ppl / 1k · year 2021
279
Employed per 1k working-age
ppl / 1k working-age · year 2021
471.7
Unemployed / working-age
% · year 2024
1.2%
Unemployed women / working-age women
% · year 2024
1.4%
Unemployed men / working-age men
% · year 2024
1.1%
Job offers at year-end in Lower Silesia
offers · year 2025
2,218
Job offers during the year in Lower Silesia
offers · year 2025
44,383
Work accidents in Lower Silesia
accidents · year 2024
5,970
Accidents per 1k employed
ppl / 1k employed · year 2024
5.49
Salary growth YoY
% · year 2024
12.96%
Salary vs Poland
% · year 2024
102.75%
REGON entities per 10k residents
entities / 10k · year 2024
1,589
Newly registered businesses in Lower Silesia
entities · year 2025
32,292
Deregistered businesses in Lower Silesia
entities · year 2025
18,228
REGON entities in Lower Silesia
entities · year 2025
32,292
REGON entities per 1k residents
entities / 1k · year 2024
159
REGON entities per 1k working-age
entities / 1k working-age · year 2024
272.4
Foreign-capital companies in Lower Silesia
entities · year 2025
5
Foreign-capital entities per 10 000 inhabitants
entities / 10k · year 2024
8.2
Foreign-capital entities as share of REGON total
% · year 2024
0.5%
Sole props / working-age
% · year 2024
18.1%
Agri-food sector entities in Lower Silesia
entities · year 2025
2,576
Business net change in Lower Silesia
entities · year 2025
14,064
Business net-change rate
% · year 2025
77.16%
Gross domestic product, total
mln PLN · year 2024
302,269
GDP per capita
year 2024
103.6 K PLN
Gross value added, total
mln PLN · year 2024
268,825
Sold industrial production per capita
year 2024
78.5 K PLN
Sold industrial production, total
mln PLN · year 2024
225,570.2
Investment outlays, national economy
year 2024
33.4 B PLN
Enterprise investment outlays in Lower Silesia
year 2024
22.0 B PLN
Gross fixed assets per capita
year 2024
165.7 K PLN
Investment rate
% · year 2023
16.1%
Higher-education students in Lower Silesia
people · year 2024
124,955
Female higher-ed students in Lower Silesia
people · year 2024
71,041
Male higher-ed students in Lower Silesia
people · year 2024
53,914
Higher-education graduates in Lower Silesia
people · year 2024
28,148
Preschool-age children in Lower Silesia
people · year 2024
49,955
Registered passenger cars in Lower Silesia
vehicles · year 2024
1,789,958
Public roads - total length
km · year 2024
24,632.9
Bridges & viaducts
structures · year 2024
5,307
Expressways - total length
km · year 2024
247.8
Apartment price / m² in Lower Silesia
year 2024
8.5 K PLN / m²
Dwellings completed / 1k residents
dwellings / 1k people · year 2025
6.6
Dwellings completed / 10k residents
dwellings / 10k people · year 2025
66.4
Housing affordability in Lower Silesia
months of salary / m² · year 2024
0.96
New office buildings / 1k residents
buildings / 1k people · year 2025
0.01
New retail-service buildings / 1k
buildings / 1k people · year 2025
0.05
JST budget revenue per capita
PLN / person · year 2024
926.11
JST own-source revenue per capita
PLN / person · year 2024
598.02
JST PIT-share revenue per capita
PLN / person · year 2024
74.14
JST CIT-share revenue per capita
PLN / person · year 2024
462.81
JST budget expenditure per capita
PLN / person · year 2024
787.38
JST investment expenditure per capita
PLN / person · year 2024
218.95
Local-govt investment-spend share
% · year 2024
17.2%
JST education expenditure per capita
PLN / person · year 2024
43.99
JST culture expenditure per capita
PLN / person · year 2024
53.15
Green areas per capita
m² / person · year 2024
57.3
Municipal green areas per capita
m² / person · year 2024
16.5
Parks & squares per capita
m² / person · year 2024
22.9
Green-areas share of total area
% · year 2024
0.82%
Parks & squares share of total area
% · year 2024
0.3%
Forestation share (forest area / total area)
% · year 2024
30%
Forest area, total
ha · year 2024
598,542
Forest area per capita
ar / person · year 2024
20.9
Afforestation, total area
ha · year 2024
192.46
