In the title polymeric compound, [Pb(C(12)H(6)N(2)O(4))](n), the Pb(II) cation, located on a mirror plane, is N,N'-chelated by a 2-2'-bipyridine-5,5'-dicarboxyl-ate (bpdc) anion and is further coordinated by six O atoms from four carboxyl groups of bpdc anions in an irregular N(2)O(6) geometry. The carboxylate groups bridge the Pb(II) cations, forming a three-dimensional polymeric structure. The carboxyl-ate group is twisted away from the attached pyridine ring by 11.4 (3)°.