Poland is expanding its digital transformation agenda beyond urban hubs to include “smart villages,” the Ministry of Digital Affairs announced at the Smart City Expo Poland 2025, signalling a strategic shift to integrate rural heartlands into the nation’s technological framework.

While traditional smart cities focus on high-density challenges like traffic management and public Wi-Fi, the smart village concept tailors technology to rural needs, such as precision agriculture, decentralised renewable energy grids, and digital administrative hubs that remove the need for long-distance travel to regional capitals.

The initiative, supported by the GovTech Department, aims to preserve the socio-economic vitality of the Polish countryside, which remains central to the nation’s identity and food security. Unlike the country’s Western European neighbours, nearly 40% of Poland’s population resides in rural areas, where the agricultural sector and local craftsmanship form a significant pillar of the national economy. By focusing equally on villages, Warsaw seeks to prevent a “digital divide” and stem the tide of rural depopulation by providing high-tech employment opportunities and modern services outside of major metropolitan areas.

The Polish concept of the Smart Village focuses on overcoming distance and resource constraints. Key technologies include IoT for soil and crop monitoring, e-learning platforms for remote schools, telemedicine, and local energy cooperatives powered by biomass or solar. With over 21,000 villages, Poland views rural digitisation as essential for maintaining its status as a leading European food producer and ensuring equitable access to the digital economy.

“Digital Poland begins in local governments, which are closest to the people,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski during the event. The ministry showcased platforms designed to help local administrators manage public services digitally, alongside workshops focused on making smaller municipalities resilient to digital crises. Experts at the summit noted that as cyber threats against public infrastructure rise, building robust, secure networks in villages is now considered as critical to national security as protecting city grids.