How much do you have to earn to be in the 1 percent? the richest Poles? We estimated it [KWOTY]
The Forbes list of the 100 richest Poles, the latest edition of which was published on February 26, is an ultra-elite club. This is not even a percentage of the most affluent citizens of our country. If we only take into account adults, the top hundred constitute 0.0003%. population. That is, three millionths or three thousandths of a permille.
1 percent that's a completely different thing. Depending on the methodology we are talking about hundreds of thousands of people here.
Check if you are missing much of this group. Or maybe you are in it?
Read also in BUSINESS INSIDER
A few months ago, we estimated that up to the top 1 percent highest-earning Poles it's not that hard to get the hang of it.
“The amount collected every month by an average football player in the Polish Ekstraklasa, a successful and hard-working doctor or a high-level manager in a medium-sized company is enough,” we wrote then.
Data provided by the Ministry of Finance show that this is indeed the case. We'll say more: it looks real the threshold is still slightly lower than our November estimates. Today we are wiser thanks to further data from the Central Statistical Office.
See also: You earn more than you think. This is the profitable ladder for Poles [KWOTY]
1 percent highest-earning Poles. How many people is that?
A bunch of 1 percent The highest-earning Poles may not be as elite as the aforementioned “Forbes 100”, but they are still an extremely elite group.
Taking into account the entire population (i.e. people of working age, regardless of their sources of income, but also including retirees and pensioners), group of 1 percent the richest number about 260,000. people.
At the end of 2025, the Ministry of Finance published a study by Paweł Chrostek, one of the ministry's analysts. Based on annual PIT returns, i.e. specific data of specific Poles, he presented the truth about Poles' earnings.
At the same time, it also showed how much you have to earn to be in the top 1 percent. people receiving income from work or sole proprietorship.
The thing is that the data published by the Ministry of Finance come from the 2022 declaration. This is still a much more reliable study than the one available so far, but from the perspective of 2026 it is still not up to date.
To make them more realistic, we decided to check how wages in Poland have changed since 2022. The average four years ago was just over 6.3 thousand. zloty. In 2025, it was already 8.9 thousand. zloty. It turns out that during this time wages increased on average by 40.3%.
See also: These are Polish pockets of wealth. This is where salaries are definitely the highest [MAPA]
1 percent highest-earning Poles. We have specific amounts
And if so, we can now estimate how much the 1% earned at the end of 2025 (less than four months ago). the richest Poles.
It turns out that the threshold here is 457.9 thousand. PLN gross per year. Every month this amounts to just over 38 thousand. PLN gross per monthi.e. approx. 26 thousand PLN on hand at the beginning of the year.
In the following months, after exceeding the tax threshold, it will be PLN 19,000. PLN, and at the end of the year, when the so-called 30-fold threshold – 22 thousand PLN per month.
However, these numbers include retirees and pensioners, who still significantly underestimate their earnings data. Even though the number of seniors with high benefits is growing, these are still exceptions.
See also: They have pensions higher than 80 percent salaries. Poles. These are the retired croissants
Without retirees and pensioners, the 1% club. the richest are only 163 thousand. people and the entry threshold increases to 552.7 thousand PLN gross per year, which gives PLN 46,000. PLN per month.
Retiree, contractor or entrepreneur?
Paweł Chrostek's analysis goes even further. We will find there not only the richest 1 percent. the general population, but also the income elite for each of the specified sources of income.
So we find out what benefits does the 1% have? the richest retirees, how much money does the top 1% gain from rent? pensioners and what income entitles them to the group of 1 percent. the most resourceful entrepreneurs.
We present specific data in the table below, but we emphasize that these are data based only on Paweł Chrostek's analysis, but adjusted at the end of 2025 by our estimates.
| Source of income | The size of the “1 percent club” the richest for each source | The threshold for joining the group of 1 percent. richest (gross per year) |
|---|---|---|
|
business activity |
15,504 |
PLN 2,112,648 |
|
employment contract |
135,609 |
PLN 378,023 |
|
civil law contract |
47,420 |
PLN 152,647 |
|
pensions/pensions |
97 193 |
PLN 125,973 |
|
hire |
1 017 |
PLN 123,453 |
|
securities |
1,739 |
PLN 1,423,793 |
As you can see in the table, the most elite group is the 1%. highest-earning entrepreneurs. The entry threshold here is over PLN 2 million per year. It is slightly easier in the case of holders of securities, whose income is less than PLN 1.5 million per year.
In turn, 1 percent The richest Polish retirees receive approximately PLN 126,000 annually. PLN, which gives a benefit of PLN 10.5 thousand. PLN gross per month. On a full-time basis, admission to the club is 1%. guaranteed annual salary of PLN 386,000 PLN, i.e. just over 32 thousand. PLN gross per month.
