The 2024 edition of the Social Development in Poland Compared to EU Countries: Catch-up Index study, unveiled at the Karpacz Economic Forum in southern Poland last week, shows progress in Poland's attempt to align its economic standards with those of more developed European nations.
Overall, the third edition of the catch-up index reflects a minor decrease in the disparities in living conditions and quality of life in Poland compared to the broader EU community, especially those countries that were members before 2004, the report's authors said.
The concept of the catch-up index was developed in 2019 by a team from the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH). It assesses a broad range of living conditions in Poland against a background of other EU countries, including both those which were members before 2004 and those that joined the EU alongside Poland in 2004 or later.
Agnieszka Chłoń-Domińczak, a co-author of the report, said that the study seeks to gauge Poland's pace in catching up with Western Europe.
"We focus on social development and issues that affect all citizens, which are important from the perspective of how each of us perceives life and our living conditions," she said.
The catch-up index measures seven dimensions: income and material deprivation, labor market, housing conditions, health, education, transport, and environmental protection. Each dimension includes specific indicators, mainly derived from Eurostat data.
Findings from 2022 show that, although Poland still lags behind the 14 original EU members, it performs above average compared to the 13 nations which joined the EU in 2004 or later.
From 2010 to 2020, there was a significant reduction in the disparity in social development levels among all groups, and in 2022, the overall index improved relative to both the EU14 and the wider EU27.
Poland maintained its advantage over the EU13 countries at levels similar to 2020 and 2021.
The report also says that Poland fared better than all three country groups in terms of income and material deprivation in 2022.
However, significant gaps remain, especially in education, environmental protection, and transport and infrastructure.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP