The three-tier administrative (territorial) division of Poland was introduced on 1 January 1999 and divided the territory of Poland into voivodships, then into powiats (including gminas that are cities with powiat status) and gminas. This division replaced the two-tier administrative division into voivodships and gminas which was in force since 1975.
The division introduced in 1999 included:
- 16 voivodships,
- 308 powiats and 65 cities with powiat status,
- 2489 gminas (including 11 gminas of the capital city of Warsaw)
This division has been slightly modified since its introduction. In 2002, 7 powiats and one gmina were created, one powiat was transformed into a city with powiat status and 12 gminas were abolished. In 2003, one city with powiat status was abolished (and then restored in 2013). In 2015, one gmina was created. Both in 2015 and 2019, one gmina was abolished. In addition, small adjustments of boundaries of voivodships, powiats or gminas take place every year.
As of 1 January 2024, the administrative division of Poland included:
- 16 voivodships,
- 314 powiats and 66 cities with powiat status,
- 2477 gminas (including 302 urban gminas, 711 urban-rural gminas and 1464 rural gminas)
Information on the number of individual administrative units in individual years may be obtained from the website of National Official Register of the Territorial Division of the Country (TERYT).
On the basis of the administrative division of Poland, the types of gminas and urban and rural areas are determined.
Administrative division of Poland into voivodships and powiats as of 1 January 2024
