How many Poles have a driving licence?
Data as of: 21 July 2026 · Source: CEPiK / dane.gov.pl (dataset 1396)
Around 22.5–22.7 million people in Poland hold a valid driving licence — roughly 60% of the population. Category B alone is held by about 21.5 million drivers. In 2023, 330,281 new licences were issued — 170,094 went to women and 170,187 to men.
22.5 M
valid driving licences (CEPiK, end of 2023)
60%
of Poland’s population holds a licence
330,281
new licences issued in 2023
How many driving licences are issued each year?
The record was set in 2008 — around 842,000 new licences. Since then the trend has been clearly downward: a demographic dip and rising course prices have taken their toll. In 2016, 453,590 documents were issued; in 2018 — 417,973 (both figures computed by us from the raw CEPiK files on dane.gov.pl).
The pandemic year 2020 brought a slump to about 295,000, after which the market rebounded but never returned to former levels. Since 2022 the number of new licences has stabilised at around 330,000–340,000 per year. In 2023 it was exactly 330,281, and preliminary data for 2024 points to about 330,000.
| Year | New licences | Data type |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | ~842,000 | approximate |
| 2016 | 453,590 | exact (CEPiK) |
| 2017 | 414,412 | exact (CEPiK) |
| 2018 | 417,973 | exact (CEPiK) |
| 2019 | ~370,000 | approximate |
| 2020 | ~295,000 | approximate |
| 2021 | ~372,000 | approximate |
| 2022 | ~340,000 | approximate |
| 2023 | 330,281 | exact (CEPiK) |
| 2024 | ~330,000 | preliminary |
Which regions gain the most new drivers?
The most new licences are issued where the most people live. In 2018 (the last full year in the open regional data), Masovia led with 56,678 documents, ahead of Silesia (42,026) and Greater Poland (40,446). Podlaskie (12,205) and Opole (10,333) close out the list. Hover over or tap a region to see its exact value.
| Voivodeship | New licences (2018) |
|---|---|
| Masovia | 56,678 |
| Silesia | 42,026 |
| Greater Poland | 40,446 |
| Lesser Poland | 38,632 |
| Lower Silesia | 29,614 |
| Pomerania | 25,949 |
| Subcarpathia | 25,906 |
| Lublin | 25,820 |
| Łódź | 24,918 |
| Kuyavia-Pomerania | 23,802 |
| West Pomerania | 18,816 |
| Warmia-Masuria | 15,951 |
| Świętokrzyskie | 14,566 |
| Lubusz | 12,311 |
| Podlaskie | 12,205 |
| Opole | 10,333 |
Values computed by us from the full-year file of dataset 1396 (dane.gov.pl). The distribution tracks each region’s population.
Women and men — an almost perfect tie
In 2023, for the first time, new licences were split practically evenly: 170,094 documents went to women and 170,187 to men — a difference of just 93 documents out of more than 330,000.
The latest monthly reading (March 2026): 30,025 new licences, of which 48.3% went to women and 51.7% to men.
Who earns a driving licence? Mostly the young
A driving licence is still a rite of passage into adulthood. In March 2026, as much as 79.2% of new documents went to people aged 18–24. After the age of 35, only a handful still go for a licence.
79.2%of new licences go to people aged 18–24 (March 2026)
- 18–2479.2%
- 25–3411.0%
- 35–445.5%
- 45–592.7%
- under 181.4%
- 60+0.2%
The most popular driving licence categories
Category B is the clear leader — held by about 21.5 million Poles, roughly 56% of the population. Around 2 million people hold a lorry category (C), about 1.6 million a motorcycle category (A), and about 200,000 a bus category (D).
60% of Poles have a driving licence. Will you join them?
Check whether you would pass the theory test today: take a free mock exam drawn from the real bank of 3,392 official questions — the same ones used in the state exam. Questions are available in English.
Frequently asked questions
How many Poles have a driving licence?+
According to CEPiK, around 22.5–22.7 million people hold a valid driving licence — roughly 60% of Poland’s population (as of the end of 2023).
Which driving licence category is the most popular?+
Category B (passenger cars) — held by about 21.5 million drivers, roughly 56% of Poland’s population. Next come categories C (about 2 million), A (about 1.6 million) and D (about 200,000).
Are more women getting driving licences?+
Yes. In 2023, women received 170,094 of the 330,281 new licences — practically exactly half. Among new drivers, women have drawn level with men.
How many driving licences are issued in Poland each year?+
Currently around 330,000 per year — in 2023 exactly 330,281. That is far fewer than in the record year 2008, when about 842,000 new licences were issued.
Sources and methodology
The 2016–2018 yearly totals, the regional breakdown, and the gender and age structure for March 2026 are our own calculations from the raw CSV files of dataset 1396 "Prawa jazdy" (CEPiK) published on dane.gov.pl. The remaining figures come from CEPiK announcements and their press coverage — we mark those as approximate. Region outlines on the map: geoBoundaries (CC BY 4.0).
Public data from dane.gov.pl may be reused with attribution. When citing this analysis, please credit "CEPiK / dane.gov.pl, analysis by PrawoJazdyGO.pl" with a link to this page.
- [1]dane.gov.pl — zbiór danych 1396 „Prawa jazdy" (CEPiK)(accessed: 2026-07-21)
- [2]gov.pl/web/cepik — Prawa jazdy wydane w 2023 roku(accessed: 2026-07-21)
- [3]gov.pl/web/cepik — Prawa jazdy wydane w 2024 roku(accessed: 2026-07-21)
- [4]CEPiK — portal statystyk(accessed: 2026-07-21)
- [5]geoBoundaries (kontury województw na mapie, CC BY 4.0)(accessed: 2026-07-21)
Updated: 22/07/2026