Poland-US trade: The United States as a key market outside the EU

Poland-US trade exceeded $28 billion in 2025, with goods flows in both directions remaining close to balance. The importance of the US market becomes much clearer when Poland’s trade with other EU countries is excluded: the United States accounts for 12.5% of Polish exports to non-EU markets and 9.6% of imports from outside the EU. For businesses, this makes the US one of Poland’s most important non-EU markets for both sales and sourcing.

Poland-US trade should be assessed differently from Poland’s trade with Germany, the Czech Republic or other European Union partners. Most Polish trade takes place within the EU Single Market, which can make the United States’ share of total exports and imports appear relatively modest. The picture changes significantly when only non-EU markets are considered. From this perspective, the US emerges as one of the most important international markets for companies operating in Poland.

How large is trade between Poland and the US?

In 2025, bilateral goods trade exceeded $28 billion. Importantly, the value of goods moving in each direction was almost evenly balanced.

Current U.S. Census Bureau data show approximately $14.30 billion in US exports to Poland and $14.05 billion in US imports from Poland. Total goods trade therefore reached approximately $28.36 billion.

The Transatlantic Economy 2026, prepared earlier using the data available at the time, reported figures of $14.2 billion and $14.5 billion respectively. Despite the small difference between the datasets, the conclusion remains the same: goods trade between Poland and the United States exceeded $28 billion in 2025 and was close to balance.

Metric	2025 value according to the U.S. Census Bureau
US exports to Poland	$14.30 billion
US imports from Poland	$14.05 billion
Total goods trade	$28.36 billion
US trade balance	+$0.25 billion

The trade balance alone should not, however, be treated as the main measure of the relationship’s importance. For businesses, the size of the market, the structure of trade and the US position among Poland’s non-EU partners are more relevant.

Why is the US more important to Poland than its 3.1% share suggests?

The United States accounts for approximately 3.1% of Poland’s total goods exports and a similar share of imports. Once intra-EU trade is excluded, however, the US share rises to 12.5% of Polish exports and 9.6% of imports.

This is one of the most relevant figures for companies assessing expansion opportunities beyond Europe. Around one eighth of Poland’s exports to markets outside the European Union goes to the United States.

In other words, the 3.1% share does not fully reflect the commercial importance of the US market. Poland is strongly integrated with the EU Single Market, so when assessing third-country markets, comparing the United States with other non-EU destinations provides a more useful perspective.

For management teams planning to diversify sales, this means the US market should be assessed as a separate and significant expansion destination rather than as a marginal component of Poland’s foreign trade.

What does Poland export to the US, and what does it import?

Trade between Poland and the United States is predominantly industrial. Machinery, electronics, transport equipment and other manufactured goods play an important role in both directions.

According to sector data for 2024, the main categories of US exports to Poland included transport equipment, oil and gas, computers and electronics, machinery, and chemical products. The United States therefore serves both as a supplier of industrial and technology products to Poland and as one of its sources of energy commodities.

The main categories of Polish exports to the United States in 2024 included transport equipment, electrical equipment, machinery, computers and electronics, and food products.

For businesses, an important point is that bilateral trade is not dependent on a single dominant industry. The relationship spans multiple sectors linked to manufacturing, logistics, energy and advanced supply chains.

US-EU tariffs: what do they mean for companies operating in Poland?

Higher US tariffs have also changed trading conditions for companies operating in Poland. Poland does not, however, set its own tariffs on US goods – customs and trade policy is conducted at European Union level. The current EU-US agreement provides for a maximum all-inclusive tariff ceiling of 15% for most EU exports to the United States, although the actual rate depends on the product and applicable exemptions.

Tariff changes were introduced in stages. In March 2025, the United States imposed additional 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium, followed in April by measures covering cars and a broad range of imported goods. The EU prepared its own rebalancing measures in response, but escalation was halted by the political agreement reached in Turnberry on 27 July 2025 and further detailed in the EU-US Joint Statement of 21 August 2025.

Date	Key development
12 March 2025	The US introduced 25% tariffs on specified steel and aluminium products from the EU.
April 2025	The US introduced 25% tariffs on cars and a 10% baseline additional tariff on a broad range of imported goods.
24 July 2025	The EU adopted a package of potential rebalancing measures covering imports from the US.
27 July–21 August 2025	The EU and US agreed a framework providing, among other measures, for a 15% tariff ceiling on most EU exports to the US.
1 July 2026	The EU removed tariffs on US industrial goods and introduced preferential treatment for selected agricultural and food products.
31 July 2026	The EU extended the suspension of previously adopted rebalancing measures against the US without setting an end date.

The US tariff regime continued to change in 2026. From 24 February to 24 July, a temporary 10% import surcharge applied to a broad range of goods, although some products were exempt. Companies exporting from Poland therefore need to determine the tariff applicable to the specific product rather than assume that a 15% rate automatically applies to all exports to the United States.

How can tariffs affect the profitability of Polish exports?

For a Polish manufacturer selling directly to the United States, an additional tariff burden may result in a higher price for the US customer or put pressure on the exporter’s margin. Contract pricing, the allocation of additional costs and the ability to pass part of the tariff burden on to the customer therefore become more important.

The impact may also be indirect. A Polish component manufacturer supplying a German or other EU company that exports the finished product to the United States may experience changes in order volumes if higher tariff costs reduce the competitiveness of the final product in the US market.

The situation is different on the import side. Since 1 July 2026, the EU has removed tariffs on US industrial goods, which may reduce the cost of importing certain machinery, equipment, components and other industrial products into Poland. Preferential treatment nevertheless requires the relevant conditions for the specific product to be met, including proof of US origin.

Is Poland-US trade limited to goods?

No. The economic relationship also includes multibillion-dollar trade in services and direct investment by companies on both sides of the Atlantic.

According to The Transatlantic Economy 2026, US services exports to Poland reached $4.8 billion in 2024, while US services imports from Poland amounted to $4.2 billion. This is an important part of the broader Poland-US economic relationship. As technology, business services and knowledge-based sectors develop, cooperation is no longer limited to containers, machinery or manufactured goods.

The report also points to a significant presence of US capital in Poland. Trade flows therefore operate alongside investment and business activity, creating much broader economic links between the two countries.

Is Poland-US trade still growing in 2026?

Yes – in terms of the nominal value of trade. From January to August 2026, goods trade between Poland and the United States reached approximately $21.94 billion, compared with around $18.96 billion in the same period of 2025. This represents an increase of approximately 15.7%.

In the first eight months of 2026, US exports to Poland reached approximately $11.82 billion, while imports from Poland amounted to around $10.12 billion. The trade balance therefore shifted clearly in favour of the United States, which recorded a surplus of approximately $1.70 billion.

What does the importance of the US market mean for companies operating in Poland?

For companies expanding sales beyond the European Union, the United States is a market whose importance is considerably greater than an analysis of Poland’s total foreign trade might suggest. This is particularly relevant for industrial companies, machinery and equipment manufacturers, transport-sector suppliers, electronics and technology businesses, and companies participating in international supply chains.

At the same time, the United States is an important source market for imports. For businesses operating in Poland, commercial links with the US may therefore involve both sales and the sourcing of machinery, technology, components or raw materials.

Poland’s growing economy further increases the scale of potential demand. The International Monetary Fund forecasts 3.4% real GDP growth for Poland in 2026.

The main business conclusion is simpler: the US market is not merely a distant export destination for Poland. Among partners outside the European Union, it is one of the main components of Polish trade, while the broader economic relationship also encompasses goods, services and investment.

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Sources:

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce and AmCham EU – The Transatlantic Economy 2026
• U.S. Census Bureau – Trade in Goods with Poland
• European Commission – EU-US trade deal
• EUR-Lex – Regulation (EU) 2026/1455
• International Monetary Fund – Poland