Poland

There were 22,452,100 internet users in Poland (representing 58.4% of the population) in June 2011, according to Internet World Stats. (Internet world Stats, August 2011)

---

Of Europe's 372 million unique visitors, Poland accounted for 18.2 million unique visitors during August 2011, according to comScore. Users in Poland spent an average of 24.1 hours online in the past month, consuming 2,794 pages online. (comScore, October 2011)

---

The prices of internet access in Poland are 39% lower on average when compared to other European countries and the US, according to the recent report prepared by the Office of Electronic Communications (UKE).  The average cost of an internet connection in Poland is lower in all speed variants ranging from 1Mb/s to 20 Mb/s.

According to OECD data, in October 2009, the average cost of internet access in nominal prices totalled to €20.4 per month in Poland, which was the second-lowest charge after South Korea (€19.2). Luxembourg and Turkey had the most expensive connections, of €86.1 and €75.7 a month, respectively. (PMR Ltd, June 2010)

---

Poland's 17.8 million internet users age 15 and older were most likely to visit the Google Sites web property (97% market penetration) in August 2010, but local web brands rounded out most of the top 20 properties, according to a comScore overview of internet usage in Poland.

Google Sites (which also includes YouTube) ranked as the top property with 17.2 million visitors, followed by MIH Limited with 14.2 million visitors (80% penetration). Polish social networking site Nasza Klasa ranked in the #3 position with 13.9 million Unique Visitors, followed by Polish web portal Onet.pl that attracted more than 12 million visitors during the month.

While the top web properties across many global markets are led by global Internet brands, Poland boasts numerous local companies among its top properties, a true testament to the home-grown technological talent and innovation in this market, according to Wolf Allisat, comScore EVP for International Markets. (comScore, September 2010)

Searches and Search Engines

Europeans age 15 and older conducted 41 billion searches at an average of 116 searches per searcher in August 2010, according to comScore. Poland ranked highest in Europe with 157 searches per searcher, followed by the UK (144 searches per searcher) and Finland (141 searches per searcher).

Top 10 European countries by searches per searcher, August 2010 (Total Eurrope, Age 15+, Home & Work locations):
Europe: 116.3
1. Poland: 156.8
2. UK: 143.8
3. Finland: 140.8
4. Turkey: 138.3
5. Ireland: 129.9
6. Belgium: 129.9
7. France: 129.4
8. Portugal: 118.0
9. Italy: 114.8
10. Sweden: 112.3
(comScore, September 2010)

UGC and Social Media

Facebook had around 9.9 million users in Poland as of January 2011, according to a report by PBI Megapanel PBI/Gemius. The popularity of the portal has been growing gradually among Polish internet users; still, the service has not yet surpassed Nk.pl, which boasts 12.3 million users.

Among the largest web portals are Onet.pl with 12.1 million users and Wp.pl with 10.9 million users, while the leading position among all services is still reserved for Google.pl, which was visited by 15.9 million people in January 2011. (PMR Ltd, March 2011)

Seven out of ten Poles shop online several times a year at least, according to a report by Ceneo.pl. Around half of responders use auction sites, 13% use offers placed in social networking websites, while 8% visit group purchases services.

The largest group of online shoppers are those aged between 25 and 34 years old, while the smallest group are people over 55.

The most popular products/services bought online are computer games (36%), clothing, footwear and jewellery (31%), telephones and accessories (30%), computers (26%), books (18%), as well as airline tickets, travels, hotel reservations and tickets for events. The number of Poles buying food online is also increasing.

Among the advantages of shopping online are factors such as the lack of need to leave home and lower prices.

The report also found that 40% of Poles do not use the internet to shop at all. (PMR - IT and telecommunications sector in Poland, August 2011)