Explore Warsaw’s cultural significance and economic prowess
Warsaw is a city of constant change. It’s not just its historic buildings, location or importance in the region. Warsaw stands for its residents who want to participate in making decisions about their own city and to develop it. Warsaw is open, friendly, active and diverse.
The Warsaw Metropolis
Warsaw is Poland’s capital city and its most important economic centre. It has a population of over 1.8 million and covers an area of 517 km2. It is composed of eighteen districts.
Along with its neighbouring municipalities, it forms the Warsaw Metropolis, which is one of Europe’s most rapidly developing areas. It features seventy municipalities, over 6,000 km2 of area and about 3.1 million residents.
Warsaw is an important academic and scientific hub. Some of the country’s best universities, attracting students not just from Europe but from around the world, are based here. The city occupies a prominent position among developing technological hubs.
With the city’s creative sector on the rise, Warsaw is becoming even more attractive to talented creators and artists.
Green Warsaw
Warsaw has a lot of green areas to offer and an incredibly well-developed public transport network. Green areas and forests cover more than 40 percent of the city’s total area. A unique natural asset are the Vistula’s wild river banks. The city has a rich and varied cuisine and an incredible restaurant base, ranking among the top vegan-friendly cities.
Feel at home in Warsaw
The local government actively works to make the city inclusive to all and Warsaw continues to attract visitors and investors eager to contribute to the economic development of Poland’s dynamic capital.
Bringing business together
Director of Economic Development Department, City of Warsaw, Grzegorz Kaczorowski speaks with Bridges
We are a local government unit within the Capital City of Warsaw, whose goal is economic development by, among others, attracting foreign investments to Warsaw and the region. We also play the role of an incubator — we support entrepreneurship initiatives and small, medium and large enterprises. We work closely with the private sector, actively participating in investment projects (for instance in the PPP formula), which create growth opportunities in Warsaw.
Initially, as part of a European project when we started, we focused on helping small businesses, but now we have expanded and cover all kinds of activities concerned with doing business within the city.
Today we are actively bringing the business community together and getting more businesses involved with specific projects.
We concentrate on promoting the safe, quality-of-life Warsaw offers to attract talent-leaders and develop Warsaw as a regional and European business hub.
Grzegorz Kaczorowski, Director of Economic Development Department – City of Warsaw
Investments being made in the city are, in the main part, connected to making life better for people. Green initiatives and public transportation investments have been crucial in making Warsaw more attractive and connecting people – this is very important for the people living here.
We are generating a modern city that is extremely easy for people to live in. The Japanese have been coming to Poland and Warsaw to make investments and gain access to Europe for a long time and we appreciate the trust they have placed in us. We want to be a high-value partner for Japanese and Asian investors as they consider Warsaw.
Poland has a natural connection with the Baltic countries, with Berlin and Vienna etc. and we will continue to be a connector for investors and businesses. There are many positive things about this region and Warsaw is becoming a modern city. People are amazed that Warsaw has achieved so much in such a short time and this is what we want to communicate as we drive economic growth. This region of Europe is a very exciting part of the world right now.
A thriving destination for growth and opportunity
As the capital of Poland, Warsaw stands out economically, academically, and culturally. In 2022, Warsaw boasted the highest net disposable income per capita in Poland at €17,980, while maintaining a cost of living lower than many Western European cities.
A Hub of Investment and Innovation
Warsaw is not just a Polish powerhouse; it leads the Central and Eastern European market in investment and business.
Warsaw is among the leaders of the Oxford Economics 2024 ranking, confirming its position as a dynamically developing business and economic centre. According to expert forecasts, the city has a chance to experience the fastest development in the next four years. Warsaw is expected to achieve average GDP growth of approximately 3% per year in 2024-2028.
Recognized as second in European Cities and Regions of the Future in the Business Friendliness category and fourth in the overall index by the 2024 report, Warsaw is home to 1/3 of Poland’s startups and a multitude of foreign and regional investments. With a low unemployment rate of 1.5%, an 85.4% regional employment rate, and an A- rating with a stable outlook from Fitch Ratings, Warsaw is a thriving ground for IT, finance, game development, and BSS industries.
A Strategic Investment Destination
Situated strategically among major European business centres, Warsaw serves as a prime investment destination. The city hosts numerous offices, consulates, ministries, and government institutions. With a rich history of hosting international events like UEFA Euro 2012, COP19 in 2013, and the NATO Summit in 2016, Warsaw’s global significance is underscored. Warsaw claimed the top spot in the European Best Destination 2023 competition, solidifying its status as an attractive and dynamic city.
Insightful and comprehensive publications on Warsaw’s economic potential, key sectors, quality of life, etc., are available at: https://biznes.um.warszawa.pl/materialy-do-pobrania
