There is still a development gap between the Polish economy and the economies of highly developed countries. Accession to the European Union, access to the single European market is of great importance for the acceleration of development processes. The relatively high rate of economic growth allows for the shortening of the development distance. The weakening of the economic growth rate may lead to the fact that the Polish economy may fall into the middle income trap. The essence of this trap is a slowdown in economic growth following a period of accelerated development. As a result, a country that was economically successful in the past will never be able to Dorians to highly developed countries. The study describes the conditions that should be met by the Polish economy. To avoid being trapped in the middle income. The most important of them include the factors determining socio-economic development and the messages of sustainable economic growth. The course of development processes is significantly influenced by the directions of economic policy. The study focuses on those undertakings which contributed to maintaining the pace of economic growth. In the longer term, when factors disturbing the internal or external balance emerge, economic growth may slow down significantly, which would mean a long-term exit from the middle income trap.