Data work is an indispensable part of economic history, and part of the reason why the case of Poland has been relatively overlooked in the international literature is the lack of readily available data sources. As a side project, I am doing what I can to bring the publications of Poland’s Central Statistical Office from between 1917 and 1945 into wider circulation by indexing them in English and digitising the data they contain.

This page contains links to the resulting indexes and spreadsheets, as well as (in future) other data used in my completed papers.

Data Files

Wiadomości Statystyczne GUS (Central Statistical Office Weekly Bulletins), 1923-24

A general-purpose effort to digitise the statistical materials selected by GUS as most representative of the national economic situation. These cover most domains of economic life (and demographics) and are split into ten sections, according to the classification in the volumes from 1927 onward when the page count is greatly expanded.

Currently, the most valuable part of the collection consists of the monthly series of headline variables (over 300 in total, though not all cover the entire period)

For the rest, what is available is more a cross-sectional taste of what is available even during the ‘lean years’ of hyperinflation when budget cuts restricted GUS activity than time series that can be used ‘out of the box’: most of the data collected to date spans from October 1923 to the beginning of 1924. New versions of these files are uploaded on a rolling basis, so check back regularly for the latest updates.

Monthly Time Series of Key Variables (Ready for Use)

January 1922 – August 1923

No series published 1924 – 1925 due to budget constraints.

November 1925 – June 1936

Other Series from Wiadomości Statystyczne GUS, By Category (October 1923 – January 1924 as of 7/2021)

Mostly prefigurative for now, but actively being expanded.

1. Production (Agriculture and Industry)
2. Trade
3. Transport and Communications
4. Prices
5. Labour Statistics
6. Firms and Businesses
7. Financial Markets
8. State Finances
9. Local Government (Empty – 7/2021)
10. Demographics and Health
11. Other Data (Empty – 7/2021)
12. Interim Results, Census of 1921

Central Statistical Office Indexes (No Data, Table Headings Only)

I wised up pretty quickly that this was an inefficient thing to do, so this is likely going to be the only index of its kind. May it prove useful to someone nevertheless.

Statistical Year-Book of the Republic of Poland, 1920-21.

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Ex Libris Bibliotheca Serpentina (2019-2021) 🐍.