To those who think that "the West" is still uncatchably ahead: Hello from
#Warsaw, the capital of a country that has been on the move for more than 30 years. First, some personal impressions and then a few facts: 🇵🇱
I travelled by train from Berlin. The train was late in Germany, and there was a delay of about half an hour at the border. I couldn't work because I didn't have internet. As soon as I got to Poland, I had 5G almost all the time and could work and make calls without interference. In addition, the train in Poland made up for the delay from Germany, so I arrived on time. 🚄
I've been here since yesterday, and when I compare the city with Berlin, I notice that people here dress at least as cool, there are lots of bike lanes and far fewer homeless people on the streets. Of course, this is only a brief and very personal impression, so a fact check:
According to the CIA World Fact Book, Poland's Gini coefficient is 30.2, Germany's 31.7 and the UK's 35.1 - so income and wealth seem to be more equally distributed in Poland than in Germany or the UK. 💶
While GDP per capita (current US$) in 1990 was 1,731 (PL), 19,095 (UK) and 22,304 (DE), in 2021 it was 18,000 (PL), 46,510 (UK) and 51,203 (DE). In short, incomes have increased more than tenfold in Poland and slightly more than doubled in the UK and DE. 📈
GDP growth in Poland remains well above that of Western European countries (in 2022 it was 5.1% vs. 4.1 (UK) and 1.9 (DE)). If we extrapolate all these figures into the future, Poland will have reached the GDP per capita that we have in the UK or DE in about ten years. 📊
The unemployment rate in Poland is also below that of Germany or the UK, at 2.6%. 👨🏼💻
I admit: I could also have picked out figures that show how much catch-up potential still lies in Poland and other CEE countries. I am sure that these countries will use their potential. They are hungry countries whose time is just beginning. And I, as a German with Croatian roots, am very happy about that. 🇭🇷
(Photo taken this morning from my hotel in Warsaw)