Objectives:
The aim of the study is to assess the competitiveness of Poland's voivodeships and to identify those areas of competitiveness that constitute the strengths and weaknesses of the Polish regions.

Material and methods:
The study used a comparative analysis on the basis of the Regional Competitiveness Index (RCI) of 2016 and 2022, as well as a detailed assessment of the sub-indices of the RCI index. In this way, Polish regions were compared among themselves, in relation to the national and the EU average competitiveness.

Results:
Apart from the Warsaw-Capital region, none of the Polish regions achieved the EU average level of the RCI index. The highest competitiveness among the remaining regions was found in the Śląskie and Małopolskie voivodeships. In contrast, the four regions of eastern Poland, i.e. Warmińsko-Mazurskie, Świętokrzyskie, Podlaskie and Lubelskie, in particular, were characterised by low competitiveness.

Conclusions:
Considering the particular areas of regional competitiveness in Poland, it should be noted that only in primary and higher education and labour market efficiency is a level above the average EU competitiveness achieved. The major problem of Polish regions is the low level of business sophistication and poor infrastructure.