national birds

Fun Facts: Poland vs. the U.S.

When the United States gained its independence from Great Britain on July 4th, 1776, Poland was already more than 800 years old. There are buildings in Poland older than the 13 original U.S. colonies.

Despite being radically different ages, the two nations share much—a common heritage of democratic values and equality under the law (with exceptions like any other country) for one, and a valorous history of fighting and dying for those values for another.

At their heart, then, Poland and the U.S. have the same beat.

>> See what Poland and the U.S. share

Of course, it’s always interesting to see how other aspects of these two countries stack up against each other. Here’s some fun and interesting comparisons.

Poland vs. the U.S. Go!

The surface area of the U.S. is 3.797 million square miles. Poland’s surface area is 120,726 square miles, or about the size of the state of New Mexico (map not to scale).

poland vs. the u.s.

The tallest building in the US is One World Trade Center in New York at 1,776 feet. Poland’s tallest building is the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw at 778 feet.

poland versus us
One World Trade Center, New York City (left); Palace of Culture & Science, Warsaw (right)

The highest mountain in the U.S is Mount Denali in Alaska, soaring 20,310 feet into the air. Poland’s tallest mountain is Mount Rysy at 8,212 feet.

poland versus us
Mount Denali, Alaska (left); Mount Rysy, Poland (right)

Poland’s longest river is the Vistula, which runs for 651 miles. The Missouri River, at 2,341 miles, is the longest U.S. river.

poland vs us
Vistula River, Poland (top); Missouri River, U.S. (bottom)

Poland’s population is 38 million, while the U.S. population is 326 million.


Poland’s capital and largest city, Warsaw, has a population of 1.7 million. Washington D.C., the U.S. capital, has a population of 693,972. The largest city in the U.S. is New York, with a population of roughly 8.1 million.

us vs poland
Warsaw skyline (left); New York City skyline (right)

The GDP, or total value of all goods and services in Poland is $469.5 billion (2016). The GDP of the U.S is $18.57 trillion (2016).


When it comes to debt, Poland owed 54.1% of its GDP in 2016, while the U.S. debt to GDP ratio was 105.4% as of 2017!


While 88.5% of the U.S population uses the internet, 72.4% of Poland’s population is connected to the World Wide Web.

poland v.s. the u.s.

Poland’s largest religion is Roman Catholicism, practiced by more than 90% of the population. The largest religion in the U.S. is Christianity in general, with 70% of the population claiming to adhere to the faith.

polish religion
The interior of Saint Mary Basilica in Krakow, Poland

According to the United Nations’ 2017 World Happiness Report, the U.S. is the world’s 14th happiest country. Poland is the world’s 46th happiest country.


Statistically, Poland has 0.94 males for each female; the U.S. has 0.97 males for each female. Guys, your odds are slightly better in Poland.  >>See more


In the end, the U.S. is obviously larger than Poland in many respects. But remember that bigger doesn’t necessarily always mean better in everything. After all, something about Poland always makes me want to go back.

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  1. I am the Editor of the Polish Eaglet, journal of the Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan, and would like your permission to reprint you article on “The Story Behind the Polish Eagle.” I do not have a specific timeframe as yet as I am just assembling articles for our fall and spring editions.


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