Voivodeship profile: Silesia voivodeship
Key indicators for Silesia voivodeship from Statistics Poland's Local Data Bank (BDL)
Overview of Silesia voivodeship
Snapshot of key indicators in the Silesia voivodeship in the most recent year available.
Population
4,402,950
people · 2021
Avg. gross salary
8.5 K PLN
2024
Unemployment rate
4.4%
% · 2025
Businesses per 10k
1,271
entities / 10k · 2024
Population density
347.9
ppl / km² · 2024
Apartment price / m²
6.5 K PLN / m²
2024
Description - Silesia voivodeship
Silesia is Poland's second-most populous voivodeship (4.40 million) and the most densely populated (348 people/km²), with Katowice as its capital and a unique European agglomeration of 14 large Upper Silesian cities. The region remains the country's industrial heart: GDP per capita is PLN 97,509, industrial output per capita is PLN 79,600 (third-highest), and total industrial production of PLN 342.5 bn ranks second only to Mazovia. The gross salary of PLN 8,538 sits at 99% of the national average and registered unemployment is 4.4%. The region has a strong academic base (121,000 students) and a meaningful foreign-capital presence (4.7 foreign companies per 10,000, 25.4% of investment). Strengths include 3rd place for economic strength and 3rd for the labour market, plus the country's safest roads (the lowest road-fatality rate at 2.9 per 100,000). Weaknesses are structural, however: very poor demographics — the lowest natural growth in the country (−6.05 per 1,000), 14th for demographic stability, population change of −6.6 per 1,000 and a high old-age dependency ratio of 34.1. The environment of the Silesian agglomeration suffers historically from industrialisation, though overall public safety is mid-pack (24.2 crimes per 1,000, but ranked 5th nationally).
Demographics of Silesia voivodeship
Gender composition and demographic load on the working-age population in the Silesia voivodeship based on the latest GUS data.
Gender split in the Silesia voivodeship
- Men2,120,229 · 48.2%
- Women2,282,721 · 51.8%
Dependency ratios in the 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 Silesia voivodeship
Births, deaths, marriages and natural increase in the Silesia voivodeship based on GUS data.
Total deaths
51,441
people · 2024
Marriages
15,158
marriages · 2024
Divorces
7,398
divorces · 2024
Labour market in the Silesia voivodeship
Salaries, unemployment and broader employment signals in the Silesia voivodeship based on GUS BDL data.
Avg. gross salary in Silesia
8.5 K PLN
2024
Registered unemployment in Silesia
4.4%
% · 2025
Salary growth YoY
12.17%
% · 2024
Job offers at year-end in Silesia
3,743
offers · 2025
Employed per 1k residents
282
ppl / 1k · 2021
Business activity in the Silesia voivodeship
REGON registrations, deregistrations and net balance in the Silesia voivodeship.
Registrations vs deregistrations - Silesia voivodeship
New businesses
35,120
entities · 2025
Deregistered
23,889
entities · 2025
REGON entities per 10k residents
1,271
entities / 10k · 2024
REGON entities per 1k working-age
220.5
entities / 1k working-age · 2024
Sole props / working-age
15.8%
% · 2024
Foreign-capital companies in Silesia
7
entities · 2025
Real estate in the Silesia voivodeship
Apartment prices, affordability and construction activity in the Silesia voivodeship.
Apartment price / m² in Silesia
6.5 K PLN / m²
2024
Housing affordability in Silesia
0.76
months of salary / m² · 2024
Dwellings completed / 1k residents
4
dwellings / 1k people · 2025
Months of gross salary required per 1 m² of apartment in the Silesia voivodeship.
Education in the Silesia voivodeship
Higher-education students, graduates and preschool-age children in the Silesia voivodeship based on GUS BDL data.
Higher-ed students
121,102
people · 2024
Higher-ed graduates
29,470
people · 2024
Preschool-age children
72,302
people · 2024
Students by gender
- Women69,790
- Men51,312
Transport & infrastructure in the Silesia voivodeship
Registered vehicles, public roads and road infrastructure in the Silesia voivodeship based on GUS BDL data.
Passenger cars
2,521,665
vehicles · 2024
Public roads, total
24,539.6
km · 2024
Expressways
139.7
km · 2024
Bridges & viaducts
4,395
structures · 2024
Cars / 1k residents: 572.7
Environment in the Silesia voivodeship
Green areas, waste management and public-space quality in the Silesia voivodeship.
Green areas per capita
39.9
m² / person · 2024
Municipal green areas per capita
12.5
m² / person · 2024
Parks & squares per capita
21.4
m² / person · 2024
Green-areas share of total area
1.39%
% · 2024
Silesia voivodeship in numbers over time
Multi-year trajectory of the key indicators in the Silesia voivodeship.
Average gross salary in the Silesia voivodeship
Registered unemployment rate in the Silesia voivodeship
REGON entities per 10k inhabitants - Silesia voivodeship
Population in the Silesia voivodeship
Apartment price per m² in the Silesia voivodeship
All indicators - Silesia voivodeship
Population of Silesia
people · year 2021
4,402,950
Number of men in Silesia
people · year 2021
2,120,229
Number of women in Silesia
people · year 2021
2,282,721
Population density
ppl / km² · year 2024
347.9
Population change per 1k residents
ppl / 1k · year 2024
-6.6
Urban-area population density
ppl / km² · year 2024
2,505
Non-working-age dependency ratio
ppl / 100 working-age · year 2024
73.6
Post- per working-age
ppl / 100 working-age · year 2024
44
Post- per pre-working-age
ppl / 100 pre-working-age · year 2024
148.7
Old-age dependency ratio
% · year 2024
34.1%
Live births per 1k residents
per 1k people · year 2024
5.9
Deaths per 1k residents
per 1k people · year 2024
11.95
Natural increase per 1k residents
per 1k people · year 2024
-6.05
Total deaths in Silesia
people · year 2024
51,441
Marriages registered in Silesia
marriages · year 2024
15,158
Divorces in Silesia
divorces · year 2024
7,398
Infant mortality rate
idx · year 2024
334.7
Life expectancy at birth - men
yrs · year 2024
74.65
Life expectancy at birth - women
yrs · year 2024
81.42
Avg. gross salary in Silesia
year 2024
8.5 K PLN
Registered unemployment in Silesia
% · year 2025
4.4%
Employed per 1k residents
ppl / 1k · year 2021
282
Employed per 1k working-age
ppl / 1k working-age · year 2021
480.7
Unemployed / working-age
% · year 2024
0.8%
Unemployed women / working-age women
% · year 2024
0.9%
Unemployed men / working-age men
% · year 2024
0.6%
Job offers at year-end in Silesia
offers · year 2025
3,743
Job offers during the year in Silesia
offers · year 2025
62,868
Work accidents in Silesia
accidents · year 2024
10,523
Accidents per 1k employed
ppl / 1k employed · year 2024
6.68
Salary growth YoY
% · year 2024
12.17%
Salary vs Poland
% · year 2024
98.93%
REGON entities per 10k residents
entities / 10k · year 2024
1,271
Newly registered businesses in Silesia
entities · year 2025
35,120
Deregistered businesses in Silesia
entities · year 2025
23,889
REGON entities in Silesia
entities · year 2025
35,120
REGON entities per 1k residents
entities / 1k · year 2024
127
REGON entities per 1k working-age
entities / 1k working-age · year 2024
220.5
Foreign-capital companies in Silesia
entities · year 2025
7
Foreign-capital entities per 10 000 inhabitants
entities / 10k · year 2024
4.7
Foreign-capital entities as share of REGON total
% · year 2024
0.4%
Sole props / working-age
% · year 2024
15.8%
Agri-food sector entities in Silesia
entities · year 2025
3,909
Business net change in Silesia
entities · year 2025
11,231
Business net-change rate
% · year 2025
47.01%
Gross domestic product, total
mln PLN · year 2024
419,348
GDP per capita
year 2024
97.5 K PLN
Gross value added, total
mln PLN · year 2024
372,951
Sold industrial production per capita
year 2024
79.6 K PLN
Sold industrial production, total
mln PLN · year 2024
342,513.1
Investment outlays, national economy
year 2024
46.9 B PLN
Enterprise investment outlays in Silesia
year 2024
32.8 B PLN
Gross fixed assets per capita
year 2024
151.0 K PLN
Investment rate
% · year 2023
16.1%
Higher-education students in Silesia
people · year 2024
121,102
Female higher-ed students in Silesia
people · year 2024
69,790
Male higher-ed students in Silesia
people · year 2024
51,312
Higher-education graduates in Silesia
people · year 2024
29,470
Preschool-age children in Silesia
people · year 2024
72,302
Registered passenger cars in Silesia
vehicles · year 2024
2,521,665
Public roads - total length
km · year 2024
24,539.6
Bridges & viaducts
structures · year 2024
4,395
Expressways - total length
km · year 2024
139.7
Apartment price / m² in Silesia
year 2024
6.5 K PLN / m²
Dwellings completed / 1k residents
dwellings / 1k people · year 2025
4
Dwellings completed / 10k residents
dwellings / 10k people · year 2025
40.4
Housing affordability in Silesia
months of salary / m² · year 2024
0.76
New office buildings / 1k residents
buildings / 1k people · year 2025
0.02
New retail-service buildings / 1k
buildings / 1k people · year 2025
0.05
JST budget revenue per capita
PLN / person · year 2024
765.24
JST own-source revenue per capita
PLN / person · year 2024
540.98
JST PIT-share revenue per capita
PLN / person · year 2024
70.78
JST CIT-share revenue per capita
PLN / person · year 2024
414.24
JST budget expenditure per capita
PLN / person · year 2024
744.81
JST investment expenditure per capita
PLN / person · year 2024
234.09
Local-govt investment-spend share
% · year 2024
14.2%
JST education expenditure per capita
PLN / person · year 2024
44.16
JST culture expenditure per capita
PLN / person · year 2024
78.56
Green areas per capita
m² / person · year 2024
39.9
Municipal green areas per capita
m² / person · year 2024
12.5
Parks & squares per capita
m² / person · year 2024
21.4
Green-areas share of total area
% · year 2024
1.39%
Parks & squares share of total area
% · year 2024
0.7%
Forestation share (forest area / total area)
% · year 2024
32.1%
Forest area, total
ha · year 2024
395,940.78
Forest area per capita
ar / person · year 2024
9.2
Afforestation, total area
ha · year 2024
3
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