Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Quarterly business demography (QBD), the data include number of registrations and bankruptcies of legal units.
3.2. Classification system
Polish Classification of Activities (PKD 2007) equivalent to NACE Rev.2.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Legal units with a predominant type of activity classified as, according to NACE Rev. 2, sections from B (mining and quarrying) to S (other service activities), excluding section O (public administration and defence; compulsory social security) and division 94 (activities of membership organisations).
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
The number of bankruptcies in a given quarter applies to legal units against which a decision on declaration of bankruptcy has been issued by a competent District Court in a given quarter. The number of registrations in a given quarter applies to legal units that were registered in the National Official Business Register (REGON) in a given quarter.
3.5. Statistical unit
The legal unit is both a reporting and observation unit.
3.6. Statistical population
Target population: in terms of NACE sections from B (mining and quarrying) to S (other service activities), excluding section O (public administration and defence; compulsory social security) and division 94 (activities of membership organisations).
3.7. Reference area
Poland
3.8. Coverage - Time
From the third quarter of 2013 on.
From the reference period of June 2022 onwards, monthly data are sent to Eurostat on a voluntary basis.
Data records for monthly reference periods from January 2015 to May 2022, has also been provided.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable
The unit of measure is "pure number" of registrations and declarations of bankruptcies.
Month - From the reference period of June 2022 onwards, monthly data are sent to Eurostat on a voluntary basis.
Quarter
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European business statistics, repealing 10 legal acts in the field of business statistics (EBS-Regulation).
Commission Implementing Regulation 2020/1197 laying down technical specifications and arrangements pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 mentioned above.
The legal basis of Statistics Poland's responsibility for collection, processing and dissemination of statistics is the Act on Official Statistics passed on 29th June 1995 with subsequent amendments (consolidated text published in the Journal of Laws 2021 no 955).
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Data are transmitted to Eurostat. EBS Regulation N° 2019/2152, Table 1 of the Commission implementing regulation N° 2020/1197.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
All statistics collected and published by Statistics Poland are governed by the Act on Official Statistics. This Act establishes the statistical independence of Statistics Poland. Statistics Poland cannot publish, or otherwise make available to any individual or organization, statistics that would allow the identification of data for any individual person or entity.
The question of confidentiality is explained in the art. 10, 38 and 38a of the Act on Official Statistics:
Article 10. Identifiable individual data collected in statistical surveys are subject to absolute protection. Such data may only be used to prepare statistical studies, compilations and analyses, as well as to create a statistical survey sampling frame by the President of Statistics Poland; making such data available or using them for purposes other than those specified herein is prohibited (statistical confidentiality).
Article 38.
Identifiable unit data obtained in statistical surveys may not be published nor made available.
Statistical data obtained in statistical surveys that can be linked and identified as data concerning a specific natural person, as well as information and statistical data characterising economic and financial results of national economy entities conducting economic activity, may not be published nor made available if the given aggregation consists of fewer than three entities or the share of one entity in a given compilation is greater than three-fourths of the whole.
In the case of national economy entities, the information and statistical data referred to in sec. 2 may be published if the person authorised to represent a given entity has consented to the publication of specific data characterizing the economic and financial results of that entity.
Article 38a.
The President of Statistics Poland, at the request of entities referred to in Art. 25 sec. 1 point 9, justified by the preparation of specific programmes, forecasts and analyses, may provide these entities with identifiable unit data of public finance sector entities within the meaning of Art. 9 of the Act of 27 August 2009 on public finances.
The data made available in accordance with sec. 1 may be used only for the purpose indicated in the application, subject to the rules referred to in art. 38 sec. 1 and in Regulation No. 223/2009.1. Identifiable unit data obtained in statistical surveys may not be published nor made available.
The data covering quarters from Q1 2019 to Q1 2025 were published on the Statistics Poland website as news releases. The policy provides dissemination of statistical data to all users at the same time.
M (monthly) - From the reference period of June 2022 onwards, monthly data are sent to Eurostat on a voluntary basis.
Q (Quarterly)
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Registrations and bankruptcies data were for the first time published as a news release at Statistics Poland Website for 1st quarter of 2019, the presented data covered the quarters from the 1st quarter of 2018 to the 1st quarter of 2019. Since then, the data has been released on a quarterly basis, the last published information was for the 1st quarter of of 2025.
The data are published as news releases series "Registrations and bankruptcies of enterprises" - only in electronic form, on the Statistics Poland website.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Data are not published in on-line database.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not available.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
The data are sent to Eurostat on a monthly basis.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Methodological notes are included in the text of signal information "Registrations and bankruptcies of enterprises", which is available on Statistics Poland website.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
According to article 3 of Act on Official Statistics - the official statistics provide reliable, objective and systematic information to the public, state authorities and public administration as well as to national economy entities about the economic, demographic, social and natural environment situation.
Documentation on procedures applied for quality management and assessment is available on the website: Quality in statistics
11.1. Quality assurance
The legal basis of the quality measurement and assessment is the internal Regulation of the President of Statistics Poland No 35 of 28th December 2011, which came into force in the 4th quarter of 2012. The quality assessment of statistical surveys is conducted according to an annual quality programme for the public statistics which is in line with the Regulation of the President of Statistics Poland No 35 of 28th December 2011.
Procedures and rules applied in quality assessment and monitoring are based on the ESS Quality Standards, i.e. the ESS Quality Declaration, recommendations of the ESS Leadership Expert Group on Quality (LEG) and the European Statistics Code of Practice (CoP).
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Comparability of series is maintained. Concerning timeliness and punctuality all releases are delivered on time.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
External users:
Eurostat, international organisations etc.
Data are also widely available on the Statistics Poland website as news release.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Regular surveys related to the user's satisfaction regarding the availability and the quality of the data have not been carried out.
12.3. Completeness
Full completeness.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
The data are obtained directly from administrative sources, therefore they are not burdened with errors.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
Data are released in 40 days after the end of the reference period.
14.2. Punctuality
No delays of transmission of data to Eurostat.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Data comply with EBSR definitions, sole proprietors are included in the national data.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Definitions of registrations or declarations of bankruptcies did not change in the course of the period for which data are available.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
When comparing data on bankruptcies and registration to data on births and deaths of enterprises, it should be noted that definitions are different.
The only reason for inclusion in the bankruptcy data is decision on declaration of bankruptcy issued by a competent District Court. On the other hand, the data on the deaths of enterprises show amounts to the dissolution of a combination of production factors - it is not necessary to issue a decision of the court.
In registration, the very fact of registering a legal entity is important, unlike data on the establishment of an enterprise, where what matters is whether a set of production factors has been created.
In addition, data on bankruptcies and registrations refer to legal units, while data on births and deaths refer to enterprises which may consist of one or more legal units.
Therefore, these figures cannot be directly compared and a detailed analysis of the definition of individual variable is necessary.
15.4. Coherence - internal
The aggregates are coherent with the lower level NACE activities.
Data are collected from administrative sources there is no additional burden for respondents.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Data revision policy is consistent with Eurostat recommendations (ESS guidelines on revision policy for PEEIs). The same revision policy is applied nationally and in transmission to Eurostat.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Currently no data revision is planned.
18.1. Source data
Decisions on the declaration of bankruptcy are published on the website of National Register of Debtors (KRZ), source of information about registrations is the National Official Business Register (REGON) – the administrative register conducted by Statistics Poland.
Registrations - data are extracted monthly form the National Official Business Register (REGON).
Bankruptcies - decisions on the declaration of bankruptcy are published on the website of National Register of Debtors (KRZ).
18.4. Data validation
Appropriate validation procedures are applied during the whole production process of statistics.
Validation is also carried out using the SDMX converter tool - provided by Eurostat.
18.5. Data compilation
Data on registrations does not require editing and is entered to the database and aggregated for the required breakdowns. In the case of bankruptcy data, some characteristics are taken from the statistical business register by micro data linking based on the unique statistical ID number of the National Official Business Register or the number of the tax identification.
18.6. Adjustment
No adjustment was made. Not applicable.
No further comments.
Quarterly business demography (QBD), the data include number of registrations and bankruptcies of legal units.
13 June 2025
The number of bankruptcies in a given quarter applies to legal units against which a decision on declaration of bankruptcy has been issued by a competent District Court in a given quarter. The number of registrations in a given quarter applies to legal units that were registered in the National Official Business Register (REGON) in a given quarter.
The legal unit is both a reporting and observation unit.
Target population: in terms of NACE sections from B (mining and quarrying) to S (other service activities), excluding section O (public administration and defence; compulsory social security) and division 94 (activities of membership organisations).
Poland
Month - From the reference period of June 2022 onwards, monthly data are sent to Eurostat on a voluntary basis.
Quarter
The data are obtained directly from administrative sources, therefore they are not burdened with errors.
The unit of measure is "pure number" of registrations and declarations of bankruptcies.
Data on registrations does not require editing and is entered to the database and aggregated for the required breakdowns. In the case of bankruptcy data, some characteristics are taken from the statistical business register by micro data linking based on the unique statistical ID number of the National Official Business Register or the number of the tax identification.
Decisions on the declaration of bankruptcy are published on the website of National Register of Debtors (KRZ), source of information about registrations is the National Official Business Register (REGON) – the administrative register conducted by Statistics Poland.
