The risk of poverty and social exclusion in Poland in the period 2006–2015 in the comparison to the European Union countries

Motivation: The study of poverty is extremely important because of the negative impact it can have on the economy. Improving the situation of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion is one of the most important objectives of the social policy both in Poland and in the European Union. The aim is consistent with such official Polish documents as: Strategy for the Development of Human Capital 2020 National Development Strategy 2020.Aim: The aim of the article is to assess the risk of poverty and social exclusion in Poland in the period 2006–2015, and to compare the degree of risk of poverty in Poland and other European Union countries.Results: The study shows that the risk of poverty in Poland decreased in the analyzed period. In comparison to the EU countries, Poland made the greatest progress in reducing the risk of poverty. Dynamics of changes in reducing the risk of poverty in Poland was the highest among the EU countries. The scale of the risk of poverty in Poland in 2006 was one of the highest (with a higher risk noted only in Latvia). The situation in Poland in 2015 indicated that in 2015 the degree of risk of poverty was lower in Poland than in many EU countries: Portugal, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Cyprus, Italy, Spain, Greece, Ireland, Estonia. In addition, the world economic crisis of 2008–2010 did not affect the risk of poverty in Poland. In most EU countries during the crisis the risk of poverty increased, however in Poland it declined. This undoubtedly allowed for improving the situation in Poland to a higher extent than in other EU countries.