Housing Stock in Poland

Housing Stock in Poland

At the end of 2024, Poland's housing stock totaled nearly 16 million apartments. Apartments in cities predominated in number (67.9%).

Warsaw, Krakow, Lodz, Wroclaw, and Poznan, where more than one-fifth of the urban population lived, accounted for 24.4% of the housing stock in cities. In 2024, the average apartment size in Poland was 75.6 m², with apartments in rural areas being on average 33.2 m² larger than in cities.

Analysis of housing conditions, their spatial variability, and changes over time shows that they are reflected not by one synthetic indicator, but by a system of indicators related to apartment size (average area or number of rooms), occupancy, and their technical equipment.

The long-term improvement in housing conditions is reflected in the number of apartments per 1000 inhabitants, which was 363 in 2014 and 426 in 2024. It is also reflected in the increase in the average usable floor area of apartments, the decrease in the occupancy rate (number of persons per apartment and per room), and the increase in their provision of basic utilities.

Between 2014 and 2024, the average usable floor area of an apartment increased by 2.2 m², and the area per person increased by 5.5 m² (in cities from 26.1 m² to 31.6 m², and in rural areas from 27.6 m² to 33.0 m²).

At the end of 2024, in urban areas, the largest usable floor area per person was recorded in the Mazowieckie voivodeship (33.8 m²), slightly less in the Wielkopolskie voivodeship (32.8 m²), and the smallest in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie voivodeship (27.8 m²). In rural areas, a high average usable floor area per person was noted in the Podlaskie (37.8 m²), Mazowieckie (35.7 m²), and Dolnośląskie (35.2 m²) voivodeships, and a relatively low one (29.4 m²) in the Podkarpackie voivodeship.

Another measure of housing occupancy is the average number of persons per room. In 2024, the average for Poland was 0.61, with the rate in rural areas being higher than in cities. Spatially, this indicator was below average in the Podlaskie, Dolnośląskie, Łódzkie, Mazowieckie, Opolskie, and Śląskie voivodeships, and highest in the Podkarpackie voivodeship. Between 2014 and 2024, this indicator in Poland decreased from 0.72 to 0.61.

According to the European Union methodology (Eurostat), housing conditions are reflected by the number of rooms per person (not, as in Poland, the number of rooms including the kitchen). In many EU countries, this indicator reflects the level of occupancy.

In this context, housing conditions are considered relatively good if there is at least one room per person. This indicator proved to be very diverse spatially across the EU, averaging 1.7 rooms per person. For EU countries (that joined the organization in 2004, 2007, and 2013) the rooms per capita ratio did not exceed the average, while for Poland it was relatively low (1.2).

The rooms per capita ratio reflects average values for countries, with some apartments possibly being overcrowded and others under-occupied. In the context of apartment overcrowding, Poland belongs to the group of countries characterized by a high share of the population living in overcrowded apartments.

In 2024, the share of the population living in overcrowded apartments was 33.7%, although a downward trend was observed in the 2015-2024 period.

On the other hand, under-occupied (inefficiently utilized) apartments are too large in terms of the number and area of rooms relative to the needs of the household (the population living in them).

In 2015-2024, Poland (compared to the EU) was characterized by a low share of the population living in under-occupied apartments in large cities (generally below 10%) and fluctuations over time (without a clear trend). In rural areas, conversely, there was an increasing trend in this share, which reached 22.2% in 2024.

The characteristics of the housing stock consider the level of equipment of apartments with basic sanitary and technical amenities. In the years 2014-2024, Poland saw positive changes regarding the availability of basic sanitary and technical amenities in apartments. As a result, by the end of 2024, 97.8% of apartments were equipped with a water supply, 95.3% with a toilet, and 93.9% with a bathroom. Gas was installed in 59.1% of apartments.

Differences in the availability of basic utilities between urban and rural areas persisted, with the situation being more favorable in cities. By the end of 2024, the disparity in access to gas reached 39.2 percentage points, bathrooms 8.0 percentage points, and toilets 6.2 percentage points, although these differences were gradually decreasing.

Compared to 2014, Poland experienced the greatest increase (21%) in access to the gas network, with the increase reaching 72.2% for apartments located in rural areas. The number of apartments in Poland equipped with central heating increased by 20.6% compared to 2014, most significantly in rural areas (25.7%), while in cities this growth was smaller.

In cities, 96.8% of the population had access to the water supply network, while in rural areas it was 86.6%. Per capita water consumption increased by 4.4 m³ (14.1%) compared to 2014 and was higher in cities than in rural areas. In 2024, the length of the water supply network in rural areas was more than three times greater than in cities.

In relative terms, between 2014 and 2024, the length of the sewer network in Poland increased more than the length of the water supply network: by 30% and 11%, respectively. Rural areas saw a greater increase in sewer network length (by 31,300 km) than cities, where it was almost three times smaller.

Almost two-thirds of the sewer network was located in rural areas. Between 2014 and 2024, the share of the population using sewerage increased from 68.7% to 72.9%. In cities, by the end of 2024, 91.2% of the population used this type of sewer network, while in rural areas it was 46.2%.

By the end of 2024, about 2.5 million household sewerage systems were in operation, of which 81.5% were septic tanks, located primarily in rural areas. Of nearly 2,400 wastewater collection stations, 64.4% operated in this type of area. More than three-quarters (76%) of household wastewater collected by wastewater collection stations came from rural areas, where the volume of collected wastewater increased from 19.1 dam³ in 2019 to 33.3 dam³ in 2024. This increase was partly due to an amendment to the Act on Maintaining Cleanliness and Order in Municipalities, which obligated municipalities to maintain an electronic register of septic tanks, positively impacting the operation of the liquid waste management system.

In 2024, 14.2 million tons of municipal waste were generated in Poland, which is 5.3% more than the previous year. Among collected and separately collected municipal waste, mixed waste dominated, constituting 58%.

Between 2014 and 2024, against the background of a general increase in waste generation, the amount of collected and separately collected municipal waste per capita tripled. In 2024, most municipal waste (86.2%) was collected or managed by households. More than half of the generated municipal waste was recovered, of which nearly 31.1% was intended for recycling (both material and organic).

Between 2014 and 2024, the share of municipal waste intended for landfill disposal in the total amount of generated waste decreased by almost half.

In 2024 compared to 2014, there was an increase in per capita electricity consumption. Cities dominated household consumption, accounting for 58.5% of the market. Sales of thermal energy for heating residential buildings also showed strong spatial concentration in cities.

The combined share of the Mazowieckie, Śląskie, Łódzkie, Pomorskie, and Dolnośląskie voivodeships (encompassing Warsaw, cities of the Upper Silesian Agglomeration, Łódź, the Tri-City, and Wrocław, respectively) in the sales of thermal energy for heating residential buildings exceeded 58%. Solid fuels dominated the production structure, holding a 56.0% market share, while gas reached 42.2%.

In 2024, the total length of the gas network in Poland increased by 1.3%, reaching 176,600 km. Average gas consumption per capita increased by 38.9% and reached 1453.4 kWh in 2024, with consumption in cities being significantly higher than in rural areas.

Among the 6.7 million apartments covered by the housing stock survey and located in managed/administered buildings, the majority (almost 60%) were apartments owned by private individuals in buildings managed by housing cooperatives, 28.2% were apartments owned by housing cooperatives, and only 11.2% were municipal apartments.

Changes in the housing stock structure observed over the years, with an increasing share of privately-owned apartments, are associated with the sale of apartments by legal entities and, to a lesser extent, with the return of apartments to former owners or their heirs. In 2023-2024, nearly 91,000 apartments were sold to private individuals (the sold apartments also include those owned by housing cooperatives for which separate ownership has been established).

In Poland, the total annual costs of maintaining the housing stock in managed/administered buildings amounted to 59.7 billion złoty, which is 23.5% more than in 2022.

The costs of utilities supplied to premises (in managed/administered buildings) increased by 30.1%. The largest share (62.9%) in the utility cost structure was accounted for by expenditures on central heating and domestic hot water.

In 2024, operational costs constituted on average 44.2% of the housing stock maintenance costs (in managed/administered buildings).

The structure of housing stock maintenance costs, broken down into operational costs and costs of services provided, varied depending on the form of ownership. High operational costs were recorded for properties owned by municipalities, other entities, and employers, while low costs were recorded for housing cooperatives and housing associations.

More than 39.2% of the operational costs of housing resources (located in buildings under management/administration) were expenses related to the maintenance of buildings and premises (maintenance and repairs).

Among apartments renovated in 2024 (in buildings under management/administration) to improve housing quality, apartments in buildings managed by housing cooperatives predominated (with a share of 45.3%). In housing cooperatives, the share of renovated apartments reached 40.6%, while in municipal resources it was only 11.1%.

In 2015-2024, Poland saw a trend of a decreasing share of the population in households where total housing maintenance costs exceeded 25% of disposable income.

The share of households where such expenses exceeded 25% of disposable income was relatively low compared to EU countries. In 2024, this indicator in Poland was 19%, while in Greece and Denmark it exceeded 50%, and in the Czech Republic, Belgium, Germany, and Austria it was over 30%.

As of December 31, 2024, in Poland, 22.8% of apartments (out of 8.3 million housing resources, including privately owned and housing cooperative-managed apartments) were in arrears with housing payments. The total amount of arrears (with interest) for unpaid housing payments amounted to nearly 8.6 billion złoty.

The largest share of this debt was attributable to tenants of municipally-owned apartments (65.8%). In 2024, out of 13,000 eviction proceedings, 75.8% concerned tenants occupying municipal apartments. Out of 5,800 issued eviction rulings, 83.2% concerned municipal premises. In 2024, evictions were carried out from 3,900 residential premises, of which 78.4% were municipal apartments.

Between 2014 and 2024, the number of residents of residential premises receiving housing allowances decreased by 44.2%. In 2024, the structure of residents receiving housing allowances was dominated by residents of municipal (37.5%) and cooperative (28.2%) premises.

Spatially, in both 2014 and 2024, the Silesian Voivodeship had a very high number of residents receiving housing allowances, while the Mazovian and Greater Poland Voivodeships also had high numbers. However, relative to the number of apartments, the highest number of residents receiving housing allowances was recorded in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, and in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship it was slightly lower.

In relative terms, the number of such residential users was linked to both the level of urbanization and the income of residents. In 2024, the average housing allowance was 124.3 złoty (60.7%) higher than in 2014, reaching 329.2 złoty, which was related to high inflation.

In 2024, high average housing allowances (often above 350 złoty, and sometimes above 400 złoty) were observed in urbanized counties of the Greater Poland, Pomeranian, West Pomeranian, and Silesian voivodeships.

At the end of 2024, the number of residential lease agreements from municipal housing resources (excluding temporary housing) amounted to 598,500. Almost 92.0% of these agreements concerned premises located in cities. The highest number of residential lease agreements from municipal housing resources was recorded in the Silesian Voivodeship.

In 2024, 119,400 households (mainly in cities) were awaiting rental housing from municipal housing funds and temporary housing. Among these, the highest number of such households was registered in the Silesian Voivodeship, slightly less in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.

The number of social rental agreements for residential premises reached 63,800, with almost 88.0% of these agreements concerning premises in cities.

The average area of a residential premises rented under a social rental agreement was 35 m², which was a full 9.6 m² less than the average area of a residential premises rented from municipal housing funds.

In Poland, at the end of 2024, the area of land owned by municipalities and designated for housing construction was 24,300 hectares. The share of land designated for individual housing construction accounted for 75.7% of this area (63.9% in cities and 95.4% in rural areas). Of the total area of land designated for housing construction, 47.5% was built-up land, of which 61.9% was located in cities.

In 2024, municipalities transferred 628.7 hectares of land to investors for housing construction, of which 81.7% was intended for individual housing construction. Of the total area of land transferred for housing construction, 58.5% was located in cities.

The largest share, 69.9% of land transferred to investors for housing construction, was intended for construction by private individuals, and 23.5% for construction by companies and other entities. Only 4.0% of land from municipal resources was allocated for municipal housing, 1.6% for cooperative housing, and only 1.0% for social housing initiatives.

The low share of land transferred to investors for municipal and social housing, associated with the dominance of the market model of housing construction in Poland, constitutes a significant obstacle to the construction of rental apartments by municipalities and social housing associations.

Housing Stock

The term "housing stock" refers to all occupied and unoccupied residential premises located in residential and non-residential buildings. The housing stock does not include premises in collective residential establishments (i.e., workers' hotels, student dormitories, boarding houses, and social welfare homes), except for apartments, temporary structures, and mobile structures (i.e., barracks, railway carriages, barges, and ships) located there.

In Poland, at the end of December 2024, the housing stock comprised approximately 16.0 million apartments, with a total usable floor area of 1,206.8 million m², containing 61.2 million rooms.

The largest number of apartments, 9.2 million (57.9%), were owned by individuals outside of housing cooperatives, and almost 4.0 million (24.3%) belonged to housing cooperatives.

The total area of privately-owned apartments amounted to 1,070.6 million m², accounting for over 88% of the total apartment area in the country.

Housing cooperatives had nearly 2.0 million apartments, municipal apartments – 0.8 million, and social housing association apartments – 0.1 million.

In cities, there were 10.8 million apartments with a usable area of 704.2 million m², containing almost 38 million rooms. In rural areas, there were 5.1 million apartments with an area of 502.6 million m² and 23.2 million rooms.

Compared to 2023, the number of apartments in cities increased by 138,900 (1.3%), their usable area by 9,802,200 m² (1.4%), and the number of rooms by 444,000 (1.2%).

In rural areas, the number of apartments increased by 47,600 (0.9%), their usable area by 6,340,600 m² (1.3%), and the number of rooms by 239,200 (1.0%).

The share of apartments located in cities is increasing (67.9%). In the five largest cities: Warsaw, Krakow, Lodz, Wroclaw, and Poznan (home to over 20% of the urban population), there were 2,644,700 apartments, accounting for 24.4% of the total urban housing stock.

The greatest increase in the number of apartments over the last 10 years was recorded in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, with a slightly smaller increase in the Lesser Poland and Greater Poland Voivodeships.

In Pomerania and Greater Poland, the growth in housing construction was observed mainly in rural areas, while in Lesser Poland, it was in cities. During this period, the smallest increase in the number of apartments was noted in the Opole and Świętokrzyskie Voivodeships.

As of December 31, 2024, the average apartment size in Poland was 75.6 m², which is 0.1 m² more than in 2023.

Apartments in rural areas were on average 33.2 m² larger than in cities (the corresponding figures for rural areas were 98.1 m², and for cities – 64.9 m²).

The largest average apartment size was recorded in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship (85.0 m²), smaller in the Opole Voivodeship (82.3 m²), Greater Poland Voivodeship (82.1 m²), and Lesser Poland Voivodeship (80.9 m²).

The smallest average apartment size was recorded in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (69.9 m²), as well as in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship (70.3 m²), Lower Silesian Voivodeship (71.1 m²), Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (72.0 m²), and Łódź Voivodeship (72.1 m²).

The improvement in the housing situation is reflected in the number of apartments per 1000 inhabitants, which is an important indicator of housing needs satisfaction. In 2014, this indicator was 363, and in 2024, it rose to 426. The best situation in this regard is in the Mazovian Voivodeship (465), Lower Silesian Voivodeship (463), and Łódź Voivodeship (461). The lowest indicator was recorded in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship – 353.

Key Indicators Characterizing Housing Conditions

Analyzing the indicators reflecting the housing situation in society, it can be observed that it has improved significantly over the last 10 years. This is reflected in most statistics, such as the average number of rooms per apartment, the number of persons per apartment and per room, the usable floor area of an apartment, the occupancy rate, and the level of utility services.

In 2024, the average usable floor area per person was 32.2 m². Compared to 2023, in cities it increased from 31.0 m² to 31.6 m², and in rural areas from 32.5 m² to 33.0 m². Regionally, this indicator ranged from 28.6 m² in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship to 34.5 m² in the Mazovian Voivodeship.

At the end of 2024, the largest usable floor area per inhabitant in cities was recorded in the Mazovian Voivodeship (33.8 m²), slightly smaller in the Greater Poland Voivodeship (32.8 m²), and the smallest in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (27.8 m²).

In rural areas, a high average usable floor area per inhabitant was noted in the Podlaskie Voivodeship (37.8 m²), Mazovian Voivodeship (35.7 m²), and Lower Silesian Voivodeship (35.2 m²), while a low average usable floor area per inhabitant was recorded in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship (29.4 m²).

The average number of rooms per apartment at the end of 2024 was 3.83 and remained at a similar level in the long term. In cities, this indicator was 3.50, and in rural areas it was 4.54. Low values of this indicator were recorded in the Mazovian (3.64), Lower Silesian (3.67), and Łódź (3.68) voivodeships, while high values were recorded in the Podkarpackie (4.24) and Opole (4.18) voivodeships.

In cities, apartments with the largest number of rooms were recorded in the Podkarpackie (3.87) and Podlaskie (3.76) voivodeships, while those with the smallest numbers were in the Mazovian (3.34) and Lower Silesian (3.37) voivodeships. In rural apartments, the Opole (4.93) and Silesian (4.85) voivodeships had the highest average number of rooms, while apartments in the Warmian-Masurian (4.19) and Lublin (4.24) voivodeships had low numbers.

Over the last 10 years, the average usable floor area of an apartment increased by 2.2 m², and the area per person increased by 5.5 m² (in cities from 26.1 m² to 31.6 m², and in rural areas, where single-family housing predominantly was built, from 27.6 m² to 33.0 m²).

Development density is reflected in the average number of persons per apartment, although the number of persons per 100 apartments is often given interchangeably.

In 2024, the national average was 235 persons, with 205 persons per 100 apartments in cities and 297 persons in rural areas. In the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, this indicator was the highest and reached 283 persons. Low average values were recorded in the Mazovian (215 persons) and Lower Silesian (216 persons) voivodeships.

In urban areas, the highest density of apartment occupancy was observed in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, where this indicator was 2.34 (persons per apartment), and the lowest was in the Mazovian (1.90) and Łódź (1.91) voivodeships.

In rural areas, this indicator ranged from 2.61 in the Podlaskie Voivodeship to 3.32 in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship.

Between 2014 and 2024, the average number of persons per apartment decreased from 2.75 to 2.35.

In urban areas, this indicator decreased from 2.46 to 2.05, and in rural areas from 3.35 to 2.97.

The average number of persons per room is also an indicator of apartment occupancy density. In 2024, this indicator for Poland was 0.61, with higher values observed in rural areas (0.65) than in cities (0.59).

Spatially, lower-than-average values were recorded in the Podlaskie, Lower Silesian, Łódź, Mazovian, Opole, and Silesian voivodeships, while the highest value was noted in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship – 0.67. Over the last decade, this indicator for Poland decreased from 0.72 to 0.61.

Equipment of Apartments with Basic Technical and Sanitary Amenities

The characteristics of the housing stock consider the degree to which apartments are equipped with basic sanitary amenities. An increase in the share of apartments equipped with such amenities indicates an improvement in the housing conditions of the population.

Positive changes are observed in the housing stock regarding access to basic sanitary amenities. Over the last 10 years, such changes have occurred, among others, in the Lublin and Podlaskie voivodeships, particularly affecting rural areas.

In Poland, at the end of 2024, 97.8% of apartments were equipped with a water supply, 95.3% with a toilet, and 93.9% with a bathroom. Gas was installed in 59.1% of apartments. Differences in the equipment of apartments with basic amenities persisted between cities and rural areas, in favor of cities.

At the end of 2024, the difference in access to the gas network reached 39.2 percentage points, in the availability of bathrooms – 8.0 percentage points, and in the availability of toilets – 6.2 percentage points. However, these differences gradually decreased between 2014 and 2024.

Compared to 2014, the greatest increase – 21% – was observed in the availability of gas from the network. For apartments located in rural areas, this increase was 72.2%, and in cities – 13.8%.

The number of apartments equipped with central heating increased by 20.6% compared to 2014. An increase of 25.7% was recorded in rural areas, and 18.6% in cities.

Data source: Statistics Poland (GUS)