The World of Apples

Apples of Poland

6 varieties in the atlas came from Poland. The oldest is Kosztela, dated 16th century.

Map of where the apple varieties in the atlas came from A map of the world on the Equal Earth projection, with a dot for each variety at its place of origin.

Harvest

Poland grew 3,384,500 tonnes of apples in 2024, 3.5% of the world's harvest; it ranked fourth among the world's producers.1

1961 2024
The figures
YearTonnes
2024 3,384,500
2023 3,892,700
2022 4,264,700
2021 4,067,400
2020 3,555,200
2019 3,080,600
2018 3,999,520
2017 2,441,393
2016 3,604,271
2015 3,168,818
2014 3,195,299
2013 3,085,074
2012 2,877,336
2011 2,493,078
2010 1,877,906
2009 2,626,273
2008 2,830,658
2007 1,039,967
2006 2,304,892
2005 2,074,951
2004 2,521,514
2003 2,427,753
2002 2,167,518
2001 2,433,940
2000 1,450,376
1999 1,604,221
1998 1,687,226
1997 2,098,297
1996 1,951,515
1995 1,288,289
1994 1,441,124
1993 1,841,755
1992 1,569,690
1991 1,145,544
1990 812,340
1989 1,312,026
1988 1,392,946
1987 504,428
1986 1,920,051
1985 1,343,142
1984 1,564,430
1983 1,729,491
1982 2,125,690
1981 779,693
1980 844,106
1979 1,050,671
1978 1,030,343
1977 911,928
1976 1,160,890
1975 840,722
1974 594,300
1973 682,500
1972 558,500
1971 563,200
1970 691,100
1969 654,300
1968 743,100
1967 537,000
1966 794,000
1965 197,000
1964 840,000
1963 377,000
1962 160,000
1961 285,000

Growing regions

  • Grójec Called "the biggest orchard in Europe", Grójec county had orchards on 69% of its farmland by 2010

Varieties from Poland, oldest first

  • Kosztela

    Probably raised by monks at Czerwińsk in the 16th century; a legend ties its name to King John III's garden at Wilanów

    Poland, 16th century

  • Watercolour painting of Danziger Kantapfel apples by Deborah Griscom Passmore.

    Danziger Kantapfel

    Described by Knoop in 1760 and grown in Germany under dozens of local names; a parent of Freiherr von Berlepsch

    Poland, by 1760

  • Ligol

    Selected at Skierniewice in 1972 from Linda and Golden Delicious; by 2017 the fourth most planted apple in Poland

    Poland, 1972

And 3 more in the catalogue, A to Z

Sources

  1. FAOSTAT: Production: Crops and livestock products, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Updated 31 December 2025. Supports: each country's apple harvest by year (item 515, apples, in tonnes, 1961 to 2024), the shares of the world's harvest and the ranks worked out from them, and which figures FAOSTAT estimated or imputed.