Keep our news free from ads and paywalls by making a donation to support our work!
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
China overtook Germany to become Poland’s biggest source of imports for the first time in July, according to new data from the central bank. It ends a period of around 35 years in which Germany had consistently held top spot.
The shift came as imports of Chinese goods surged, driven in part by a sharp increase in Chinese cars, while imports from Germany declined.
“In July 2026, China was the largest supplier of goods to Poland for the first time, overtaking Germany in that month,” wrote the National Bank of Poland (NBP) in an announcement on Monday.
“A significant increase in imports of computer hardware, passenger cars and durable consumer goods influenced the shift in the geographical structure of imports,” added the bank.
Znamy już pełne dane handlowe za lipiec 2026 – za miesiąc kiedy Chiny po raz pierwszy w historii stały się największym dostawcą towarów do Polski, przed Niemcami. W lipcu import ogółem z Chin wzrósł o 28,8% r/r, podczas gdy z Niemiec spadł o 1,8% r/r. Import pojazdów… pic.twitter.com/LfJ50nXzNM
— PKO Research (@PKO_Research) September 15, 2026
In a comment on the new data, analysts at PKO, a Polish bank, said that the July shift was partly due to “one-time factors” and noted that Germany remains Poland’s largest supplier on a 12-month basis, although its lead has been steadily shrinking.
In July, Polish imports from China rose 28.8% year-on-year, while imports from Germany fell 1.8%, according to PKO. Imports of motor vehicles from Germany fell 9.3% year-on-year, while imports from China rose 54.4%.
Imports from China of computers, electronics and optical equipment rose 31.5% year-on-year in July, the strongest increase since 2022.
More detailed data on trade with the two countries, published also on Tuesday by Statistics Poland (GUS), a state agency, provided further insight into the shift.
According to GUS, Poland imported goods worth €36.7 billion from China in the first seven months of the year, giving China a 15.9% share of total Polish imports, up from 14.9% in the same period of 2025.
Imports from Germany stood at €43.1 billion in that period, 18.6% of the total, down from 19.4% in 2025. Poland’s third-largest source of imports was the United States, with €12.7 worth of goods, a share of 5.5%, up from 4.9% in 2025.
Poland has been NATO's biggest importer of arms over the last five years, according to new data from @SIPRIorg.
Over 90% of Polish imports have come from South Korea and the United States https://t.co/jij0nfbhFc
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) March 9, 2026
Germany has been Poland’s largest trading partner since the collapse of communism, leading both in imports and exports. It overtook the Soviet Union, which had dominated Poland’s foreign trade during the communist era.
But China has steadily gained ground as a source of Polish imports since the 2010s, rising to second place behind Germany by the 2020s.
In terms of exports in the first seven months of this year, Germany dominates, receiving goods worth €69.8 billion, or 26.3% of all Poland’s exports. It is followed by the Czech Republic (€14.3 billion), France (€14.0 billion), the United Kingdom (€11.6 billion) and the Netherlands (€10.9 billion).
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: Dan/Flickr (under CC BY-SA 2.0)
Alicja Ptak is deputy editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She has written for Clean Energy Wire and The Times, and she hosts her own podcast, The Warsaw Wire, on Poland’s economy and energy sector. She previously worked for Reuters.
