The types of gminas and urban and rural areas are distinguished in official statistics on the basis of a territorial division of the country using identifiers of the National Official Register of the Territorial Division of the Country (TERYT).

It is a formal division based solely on the administrative criterion.

The following three types of gminas are distinguished:

• urban gminas whose boundaries coincide with the boundaries of the city or town forming the gmina (urban gminas may also be cities with powiat status);
• urban-rural gminas which include both the city or town within its administrative boundaries and areas outside these boundaries;
• rural gminas which do not have a city or town within their area. 

Cities and towns in Poland are localities with city rights or city/town status granted by the relevant regulations.

The following two types of areas are distinguished in official statistics:

• urban areas (cities and towns) including areas located within the administrative boundaries of cities and towns, i.e. areas of urban gminas and cities or towns in urban-rural gminas;
• rural areas (countryside) including areas remaining outside the administrative boundaries of the cities consists of areas of rural gminas and rural parts of urban-rural gminas.

The types of gminas and the range of urban and rural areas is being updated every year, on 1 January, as a result of changes in the administrative division of Poland announced by regulations of the Council of Ministers on the establishment of gmina and town boundaries and granting a locality the status of a town. For example:

• in 2017, the area of 10 cities and towns was increased (including 4 urban gminas, of which 3 were cities with powiat status), the area of one town was reduced (an urban gmina became an urban-rural gmina) and 4 new towns were created (therefore 4 rural gminas became urban-rural gminas);
• in 2018, the area of 5 cities and towns was increased (including one urban gmina which was also a city with powiat status) and 7 new towns were created (therefore 7 rural gminas became urban-rural gminas);
• in 2019, the area of 10 cities and towns was increased (including 5 urban gminas, of which 2 were cities with powiat status), the area of one town was reduced (in an urban-rural gmina) and 10 new towns were created (therefore 10 rural gminas became urban-rural gminas);
• in 2020, the area of 5 cities and towns was increased (including 2 urban gminas, of which one was a city with powiat status), the area of one town was reduced (in an urban gmina) and 4 new towns were created (therefore 4 rural gminas became urban-rural gminas).
• in 2021, the area of 15 cities and towns was increased (including 4 urban gminas, of which 3 were a city with powiat status), the area of 2 towns was reduced (in a city with powiat status and in urban-rural gmina) and 10 new towns were created (therefore 10 rural gminas became urban-rural gminas).
• in 2022, the area of 5 towns was increased (all in urban-rural gminas) and 10 new towns were created (therefore 10 rural gminas became urban-rural gminas).

Types of gminas in Poland according to the TERYT register as of 1 January 2022

Urban and rural areas in Poland according to the TERYT register as of 1 January 2022