THE STANDARD OF LIVING OF THE POPULATION IN POLAND 20 YEARS AFTER EU ACCESSION. A TAXONOMIC APPROACH

<ns3:p>Poland's accession to the European Union in 2004 was a pivotal moment that initiated a period of dynamic economic growth and infrastructural transformation, contributing to the modernization of the country and strengthening its competitiveness on the international stage. This article addresses the issue of the effects of Poland's integration with the EU after twenty years of membership, focusing on the question of whether the observed economic growth has contributed to both improving and levelling the living conditions across different regions of the country. The study analyzes changes in the territorial differentiation of living standards in Poland at the provincial level in 2004 and 2022. For this purpose, classic Hellwig’s taxonomic measure of development was applied. The research results indicate that the standard of living in Poland improved significantly after 2004. Analyzing the changes in the synthetic indicator used in the study, it can be concluded that the largest beneficiaries of the observed changes were the residents of the lubuskie and kujawsko-pomorskie voivodeships, while the improvement in living conditions was the smallest in Podlasie.The study also confirmed the hypothesis of a gradual reduction in regional disparities in the standard of living across the country, although the number of provinces where the standard of living is currently lower than the national average has increased. The highest standard of living continues to characterize provinces with leading metropolitan centers, while the regions of Eastern Poland still lag behind the national average, despite gradual improvements in the living conditions of their inhabitants.</ns3:p>