The service sector in Poland is growing faster than many entrepreneurs assume. Between 2019 and 2024, exports of services from Poland increased by over 70%, reaching PLN 471 billion, and the share of service exports in GDP increased from 11.7% to 13%. This means that Poland is no longer just a manufacturing country – it is increasingly building its advantages as a provider of services to businesses and customers in Europe and around the world.
In this article, based on the Polish Economic Institute’s report ‘The service sector in Poland – diagnosis, challenges and directions for development’, we show why the service sector in Poland is becoming attractive to foreign entrepreneurs, what data is behind this growth, and where the greatest opportunities and risks lie in the 2025+ perspective.
The service sector in Poland in numbers – exports are growing and the potential is still enormous
From the perspective of a foreign entrepreneur, two facts are most important:
1) Poland is rapidly increasing its exports of services
The PIE report shows very clearly that exports of services from Poland increased from PLN 271 billion in 2019 to PLN 471 billion in 2024 (+70%). During this time, the share of service exports in GDP rose to 13%.
This is not a coincidence, but the result of the growing competitiveness of Polish companies, integration with the EU and the increasing importance of business and digital services in the economy.
2) Poland has the lowest share of services in GDP in the EU — meaning there is plenty of room for growth
Although the service sector in Poland accounts for almost 40% of gross value added, this is the lowest share in the entire European Union. In 2022, the share of services in GDP was 38.8% compared to the EU average of 49.2%.
This is a very important signal for investors and entrepreneurs: the service sector in Poland has great potential to catch up with Western markets, which creates space for growth and development of business activities in the coming years.
Why is the service sector in Poland growing? 3 main factors
1) Strong links with the EU market
Over 60% of Polish service exports go to the European Union, and within the EU, Poland ranked 9th in service exports in 2024 (4.5% share in intra-EU service exports).
This means that for foreign companies, Poland is a natural place to build processes and services serving the European market — both in the export model and as operational support for activities in the EU.
2) The growing role of business services
The report indicates that transport and business services are particularly important in the export structure, and that economic relations with Germany are crucial.
In 2024, ‘other business services’ moved into first place in service exports, with their share increasing since 2019 to reach 28%.
3) Digital services are gaining importance
Telecommunications, IT and information services are also an important export category, accounting for 17% of service exports in 2024, with an 11% increase recorded between 2023 and 2024.
This shows that Poland not only has a base of traditional services, but also an increasingly strong digital component, which is conducive to the creation of modern business models.
The service sector in Poland compared to the EU – market structure and labour market
The PIE report shows that Poland still has a different economic structure than Western Europe:
- share of service companies in the total number of companies: 56% in Poland vs 63% in the EU,
- share of employment in services: 40% in Poland vs 52% in the EU,
- at the same time: the share of employees in business-oriented services (within services) is higher than the EU average: 41% vs 38%.
This is an important indication for foreign entrepreneurs: B2B services are relatively well developed in Poland, and at the same time, the entire service sector has room for growth — which in practice favours the scaling of companies in the long term.
Key risks for companies and investors in the service sector
Any decision to enter the market or expand operations must take barriers into account. The PIE report shows that in 2024, service companies most often indicated:
- labour costs – 77%,
- energy costs – 59%,
- legal instability – 56%,
- difficulties in finding employees with the right skills – 44%.
The report also indicates that regulatory instability increases administrative costs and reduces the propensity to invest, citing frequent changes in tax and labour laws and increasing reporting obligations among the reasons.
For foreign companies, this means one thing: it is worth entering the market with a well-thought-out compliance strategy and a good accounting and legal partner, because in the regulatory reality, this is an element of competitiveness, not a formality.
Innovation in services – a gap that can be an advantage
The report shows that service companies are less likely to implement innovations than industrial companies. In 2022–2024, 26.6% of service companies declared innovative activity, compared to 32.8% of industrial companies.
From the perspective of a foreign entrepreneur, this can be viewed in two ways:
- as a challenge (the need to build advantages based on technologies and processes),
- or as an opportunity (the implementation of standards, automation and know-how may bring results faster than in already saturated markets).
Where are the greatest opportunities in 2025+?
Based on the report, several areas can be identified that are becoming particularly important:
- business services (the largest share of service exports),
- IT and information services (strong digital component and growth),
- export models within the EU (over 60% of service exports to the EU),
- services based on productivity and automation, which allow for the neutralisation of rising labour and energy costs (risks identified in the study).
Summary – why the service sector in Poland is becoming increasingly important for foreign business
The service sector in Poland is becoming one of the key pillars of the economy – and is growing dynamically, especially in exports.
Data from the PIE report confirms:
- +70% growth in service exports between 2019 and 2024,
- the growing role of business services (28% of service exports in 2024),
- strong links with the EU (over 60% of service exports to the EU),
- and enormous potential for growth, as the share of services in GDP is the lowest in the EU.
For foreign entrepreneurs, this is a good time to treat Poland not only as an operating market, but as a place where they can develop their service business and scale it up in Europe — taking advantage of growing exports, competences and integration with the EU single market.
