Health in Poland


Life expectancy in Poland at birth was 74.1 years for men in 2017 and 81.8 for women. It is still three years below the EU average. There are high rates of obesity and a rising burden of mental disorders.
According to the National Health Situation Report 2016, the main causes of death in Poland are:
The legal age for buying tobacco or alcohol is 18.
The National Health Situation Report 2016 points smoking, alcohol abuse and overweight/obesity as the main factors contributing to years of life lost in the disability-adjusted life year scale:
Smoking itself causes loss of 13.1% life, where behavioural factors takes away 36% of life.
A blanket ban on smoking in public places was introduced on November 15, 2010, with a penalty fine up to 500 zlotys. Smoking rooms, called ‘palarnia’ in Polish, are permitted but it is not permitted to serve food in them. Municipalities may extend the ban to places such as parks and bus stops.
The average consumption of alcohol in 2015 was 19.8 litres per year for men and 5.8 litres per year for women. Beer is consumed much more than wine.