Electronic Database of Investment Areas

Statistics

Population: 3,475,323 people

Area: 29,826 km²

Capital city: Poznań (542,348 inhabitants)

Larger cities: Kalisz, Konin, Piła, Ostrów Wielkopolski, Leszno, Gniezno

Average gross remuneration in the sector of enterprises: 3,920.76 (as at 31 July 2016).

Number of business entities: 411,416 (including 7,263 with foreign capital) (as at 31 July 2016).

GDP in 2014: PLN 166,700 million (9.7% of Polish GDP)

Long-term national rating: AAA(pol)

Unemployment rate: 5.3% (as at 31 July 2016)

 

Source: Central Statistical Office of Poland

Economy

In Wielkopolska, unemployed persons account for 5.3% (July 2016) of the total number of people capable of working.

Stopa bezrobocia (GUS 2016 r.)	Unemployment rate (Central Statistical Office of Poland, 2016)
Wielkopolska	Wielkopolska
5,3	5.3
8,6	8.6
Polska	Poland

 

Wielkopolska is one of the most economically developed regions in the country and is characterised by a high concentration of foreign capital. The economic situation of the region is determined by factors such as the sustainable rate of economic growth, high industrialisation and advanced technological level. Investment attractiveness of the voivodeship is confirmed by other large investments located in the region. Factors such as a high level of special education at universities in the Wielkopolska Region and a number of potential business partners and suppliers have an influence on this effect.

Higher education institutions in Wielkopolska provide the region with well-qualified employees. Poznań is one of the largest academic centres in Poland. It has 38 higher education institutions, the most outstanding of which include the Adam Mickiewicz University with a student population of nearly 40 thousand, Poznań University of Technology, University of Economics and Business, University of Life Sciences and University of Medical Sciences. The total number of students in the Wielkopolska Region amounts to nearly 143 thousand. Apart from Poznań, there are also academic centres in Gniezno, Jarocin, Kalisz, Konin, Leszno and Piła.

Universities in Poznań offer attractive programmes of studies including: Production Management and Engineering, Computer Science or Bioinformatics, Economy, Accounting and Finance, Biotechnology, Neurobiology, Pharmacy, Electronics and Communication, Electrical Engineering, Mechanics and Machinery Construction, Mechanics and Machine Design, Automation and Robotics, Materials Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Commodity Science, and many more.

In 2014, the Wielkopolska Region ranked third in Poland in terms of the amount of invested foreign capital, which accounted for 7.7% (over PLN 16.5 billion). Currently, 411,416 businesses (as at 31 July 2016), including 7,263 entities with foreign capital, operate in Wielkopolska.

 

Podmioty gospodarcze w województwie…	National business entities by the scope of activity (Central Statistical Office of Poland, 2013)
Przetwórstwo..	Industrial processing
Handel/naprawa pojazdów samochodowych	Trade/repair of motor vehicles
Działalność finansowa…	Financial and insurance activities
Działalność profesjonalna,…	Professional, scientific and technical activities
Budownictwo	Construction sector
Transport…	Transport and warehouse management
Obsługa rynku….	Real estate services
Opieka zdrowotna …	Health care and social welfare

 

 

NATIONAL BUSINESS ENTITIES BY THE SCOPE OF ACTIVITY (Central Statistical Office of Poland, 2015)

Trade/repair of motor vehicles – 25.66%

Construction sector – 12.68%

Industry – 10.27%

Professional, scientific and technical activity – 9.71%

Transport and warehouse management – 5.89%

Health care and social welfare – 5.36%

Real estate services – 4.14%

Education – 3.43%

 

EMPLOYMENT IN THE ENTERPRISE SECTOR (Central Statistical Office of Poland, 2015)

Industry – 46.80%

Trade/repair of motor vehicles – 29.92%

Transport and warehouse management – 6.39%

Construction sector – 5.29%

Administration and support activity – 4.20%

Professional, scientific and technical activity – 2.15%

Information and communication – 1.53%

Real estate services – 1.10%

 

The largest companies which have invested in Wielkopolska include representatives of the following industries:

• Automotive (Volkswagen, MAN, Bridgestone, Solaris Bus&Coach, Inter Groclin),
• Food (Kompania Piwowarska, Imperial Tobbaco Polska, Dino, WrigleyPoland Sp. z o.o., Nestle),
• Transport and logistics (Amazon, Raben Group, Kuehne + Nagel),
• Electronics (Samsung Electronics),
• BPO/SSC (Arvato Services, Contact Center, Holicon, Franklin Templeton),
• Pharmaceutics and Beauty (GK GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, Nivea),
• Airlines (Pratt&Whitney Kalisz Sp. z o.o.).

Wielkopolska puts a strong focus on cooperation between the scientific and research institutes and the business. The Regional Innovation Strategy for the Wielkopolska Region for 2010-2020 provides that support for the science sector will lead to a real increase in the quality of conducted scientific research, will expand research areas corresponding to real economic needs, and will result in creating effective mechanisms for cooperating with enterprises.

The Wielkopolska Region has determined its own economic and social priorities within so-called smart specialisations, i.e., areas which, thanks to the science sector support and the available business potential, can generate goods and services and also compete in the global marketplace.

As a result of analytical works and ongoing entrepreneurial discovery process, the following 6 areas of smart specialisations have been identified: bio-resources, future interiors, industry of tomorrow, specialised logistical processes, development based on ICT, modern medical technologies.

 

Poznań is a large BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) and SSC (Shared Services Centres) centre. At the same time, the priority sectors for the capital of the region are: technologically advanced production, research and development (R&D), convention and exhibition activity, and recreational and entertainment infrastructure. Most of the foreign capital which has been invested in Poznań has come from Germany, Great Britain, USA, France, Japan, Sweden, Spain, Netherlands and Republic of South Africa.
Fitch Ratings, international rating agency, has confirmed ratings for Wielkopolska as for the debt in the foreign currency at the “A-“ level, for the debt in the national currency at the “A” level, and a long-term national rating at the “AAA(pol)” level. The outlook on all ratings is stable.

In 2014, Wielkopolska generated 9.7% of the Polish GDP. Thus, it ranked third among other regions in the country. In comparison to 2013, the value of the GDP generated in the Wielkopolska Region had increased by 0.1%.

 

GDP figures for 2014 (source: Central Statistical Office of Poland)

 

Dane na temat Produktu Krajowego Brutto w roku 2014 (źródło GUS)

 

GDP in Poland	GDP in Wielkopolska
PLN 1,719,097 million	PLN 166,752 million
100%	9.7%

Population

The Wielkopolska Region is inhabited by 3,475,323 people (more than in Latvia and Estonia put together), over half of whom lives in cities.

Ludność…	Population of Wielkopolska
Wieś	Villages
Inne	Other
Pozostałe miasta	Other cities

In 2015, 19.16% of the inhabitants were in the pre-working age, 62.61% were in the working age, and 18.24% of the inhabitants of Wielkopolska were in the post-working age.

Ludność Wielkopolski z podziałem na wiek	Population of Wielkopolska by age (Central Statistical Office of Poland, 31.12.2015)
Wiek przed…	Pre-working age
Wiek produkcyjny	Working age
Wiek poprodukcyjny	Post-working age

Poznań International Fair

The Poznań International Fair is one of the most important institutions supporting economic development of the region and the whole country. By owing approximately 55% share in the fair market in Poland, it is the leader in the Polish exhibition industry and also the first organiser of such events in the Central Europe. The Poznań International Fair events of 2015 attracted 9.606 thousand exhibitors and 634,427 thousand visitors. The size of the PIF’s exhibition infrastructure makes the PIF the 25^th largest trade fair organiser in Europe. The PIF is the owner of an area of 213.2 ha, including 22.9 ha exhibition space with administrative space and facilities. The Poznań-based fair owns 16 air-conditioned halls, large space for talks and business meetings, banquet facilities, and an open area with parking space for 2,000 cars.

Location

The Wielkopolska Region is located in west and central Poland, in the Warta river basin, on the main European east–west route. Poznań, which is the capital of the region, is located at a distance of 270 kilometres from Berlin and almost 310 kilometres from Warsaw. The agglomeration of Poznań is inhabited by about 1 million people. The city boasts a strong, stable and diverse economy, which it owes to the entrepreneurial spirit of its inhabitants and a large number of major Polish and foreign companies. The capital of Wielkopolska is a city of young people and ranks first in terms of the number of inhabitants aged 25–34 years among Polish cities.

Historical and cultural background

Wielkopolska is the cradle of the Polish state. Gniezno and Poznań were the first capitals of the state in 10th and 11th century. In the 19th century, Wielkopolska came under the German rule and its impact has been apparent in the culture of Wielkopolska until now. One of the aspects of struggle of the Polish people to keep their national identity became known as the organic work based on economic development and support for Polish enterprises. That is why Wielkopolska became one of the most economically advanced Polish regions, and inhabitants of Wielkopolska are famous for their thriftiness and work ethos.
The region is administratively divided into 35 districts and 226 municipalities. There are 109 cities in Wielkopolska, including Poznań, which are inhabited by 1,907,900 people (54.9% of the population).
Poznań, which is the capital city of the region, is a large urban centre inhabited by nearly 543,000 people. In total, the agglomeration of Poznań is inhabited by about 1 million people.

The Wielkopolska Region is located in a temperate climate zone, tempered by oceanic air masses. The average annual temperature is 8.2°C. The relief of the Wielkopolska Region has been formed during the old-time glaciations. In the northern and central part, where lowlands or rolling areas occur, there are numerous lakes, while in the south part there is a less varied relief.

Transport

The location of Wielkopolska has allowed building profitable national and international transport connections. The region is crossed by the A2 motorway which connects Warsaw and Berlin. The capital of the region has road connections in motorway, expressways and national roads standard.

Wielkopolska has a well-developed rail network with a total length of 1,884 kilometres. Apart from a large number of small and local lines with railway sidings, the region is crossed by routs of national and international importance. The capital city of the region has a direct railway connection with most of capitals of the administrative regions of Poland and also with Berlin and the Ruhr district.

The international Poznań–Ławica Airport (POZ) in Poznań handles nearly 1.5 million passengers every year (2015). The airport has modern terminals and cargo. Scheduled air services include flights to Warsaw, London, Munich, Oslo, Paris, Rome and Frankfurt.