When it comes to the best cities to live in Poland, two large centers won ex aequo in the last ranking – Poznań and Rzeszów.
Look: Where is the best place to live in Poland? The results are surprising [RANKING]
But what if we took into account only one criterion from Damian Słomski's study – that is, how long do you have to wait to see a doctor under the National Health Fund? On the occasion of World Health Day, we took a look at this research thread.
Lublin in first place
The shortest queues for doctors in the National Health Fund among all the cities surveyed are in Lublin, according to the study. Łódź was in second place, and Rzeszów was in third place. The next places are taken by Białystok and Katowice.
|
1 |
Lublin |
|
2 |
Łódź |
|
3 |
Rzeszów |
|
4 |
Białystok |
|
5 |
Katowice |
Warsaw's relatively low position may be disappointing – the capital was only in ninth place. However, this may be due to the fact that it is simply difficult to get a doctor under the National Health Fund in the largest metropolises. It is no coincidence that Lublin wins, with just under 330,000 inhabitants. inhabitants. Relatively small provincial cities also rank high – Rzeszów or Białystok.
And in which city do you have to wait the longest for such a visit? This time, Olsztyn came last. This city, however, goes a bit beyond the mold. It is relatively small (only a little over 160,000 people), and yet getting to a doctor there is not easy.
We also checked how the list has changed compared to last year. And so, in August 2025, the “healthiest” city was also Lublin. But Rzeszów was in second place at that time, and Łódź was in third place. The last one was – just like this year – Olsztyn.
Here we have provided more detailed data, including how long the wait time is to visit each city.
Of course, health is influenced by many different factors, not only access to a doctor under the National Health Fund. Every year, Business Insider Polska also examines air quality in key Polish agglomerations. Here, Olsztyn, last in terms of access to doctors, lands in… first place. Katowice was in last place.
How is the ranking created? At Business Insider, we collect key numbers from 16 cities (one from each voivodeship). We take a closer look at the numbers unemployment, wages and second-hand housing prices. Additionally, we compare aspects important for overall life satisfaction, such as: access to doctors, crime and air quality.
See also: The whole truth about salaries in Poland. Hardly anyone earns an average salary
