Poland is now the 20th largest economy in the world.

This is a fact that, just a decade or so ago, would have sounded like political fiction. Our exports, entrepreneurship, growth rate, and resilience to successive crises have propelled us into the global major league. And yet, when we look at quality-of-life indicators, the picture is far less clear-cut.

On global quality-of-life maps, Poland sits in the middle of the pack. Scoring around 150 points, we rank roughly between 45th and 60th in the world. While we are in the top third of the globe, we remain clearly outside the group of nations that set the standard for daily comfort. This begs the question: why does our economic momentum not translate directly into quality of life?

1. Income vs. Cost of Living. It’s not about nominal salaries, but about what actually remains in one's pocket after paying for housing, energy, education, and healthcare. For the middle class—the bedrock of a stable society—this balance is becoming increasingly strained.

2. Quality of Public Services. Healthcare, the judiciary, administration, and the predictability of law. In the long run, these are elements that private resourcefulness cannot replace. A state that operates slowly or unpredictably lowers the quality of life, even amidst economic growth.

3. Institutional Stress. Frequent changes in regulations and uncertainty about tomorrow mean that citizens and entrepreneurs must spend more energy protecting themselves "against the system" than on actual development.

4. The Nature of Politics. It’s not the existence of debate—which is natural in a democracy—but its toxic form. Permanent conflict and the politicization of institutions, driven by a narrative of division rather than responsibility, erode social trust and paralyze progress.

What is needed for Poland to climb 20–30 points in these rankings? We need stable and simple laws, efficient courts, a systemic overhaul of healthcare, and a political culture focused on the long-term interest of the state rather than short-term conflict.

Poland is not a poor country. Poland is a systemically unfinished country. Our potential is immense. The challenge now is to ensure that the quality of life begins to match the scale of our economy. Ultimately, the true measure of a state's success is not its GDP, but the daily lives of its citizens.