Immigration in Poland: The Data That Destroys the Popular Narrative

Immigration is one of the most controversial topics in Europe right now — especially in countries like Germany, the UK, France, Sweden, and increasingly, Poland.

Many people believe Poland’s success comes from not allowing large-scale immigration. Others fear Poland could “end up like Western Europe.” But what happens when we look past opinions and actually look at the data?

In this video, I break down how immigration has impacted Poland’s economy, using official statistics, central bank research, and international studies. We compare two very different eras:
• When Poland was a labour-exporting country, sending millions of workers abroad
• And today, when Poland has become a labour-importing country, welcoming foreign workers — mainly from Ukraine and Eastern Europe

You’ll learn:
• How over 2 million Poles once left to work abroad after EU accession
• Why remittances boosted GDP short-term but created long-term labour shortages
• How over 1.1 million foreign workers now support Poland’s economy
• Why immigrants contribute more in taxes than they receive in benefits
• How Ukrainian refugees alone boosted Poland’s GDP by 2.7% in a single year

This video isn’t about ideology. It’s about facts vs fear, data vs popular narratives, and why Poland’s experience with immigration challenges what many people think they know about Europe today.

Whether you’re worried about immigration, supportive of it, or just curious, this video will give you the context most debates are missing.

📌 Watch until the end for a clear comparison between Poland’s labour-exporting past and its immigration-driven present.

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Timestamp
00:00 Immigration Debate in Poland, Fear vs Facts
00:38 Why People Fear Immigration in Europe
01:40 Poland as a Labour-Exporting Country (2004–2012)
02:10 Polish Workers Abroad and Remittances Explained
02:26 Labour Shortages and Brain Drain in Poland
02:45 When Poland Became a Country of Immigration
03:00 Foreign Workers in Poland – Who Is Coming and Why
03:12 Ukrainian Immigrants and Refugees in Poland
03:19 How Immigration Boosted Poland’s GDP
03:35 Immigration and Economic Growth in Poland
03:50 Immigrants, Taxes, and Poland’s Public Finances
04:30 Immigration Myths vs Economic Data
06:32 Is immigration easy?
06:56 Is Immigration Really Ruining Europe?
07:00 Does Poland need immigrants
07:10 Immigrants are not replacing natives, they are simply filling gaps.
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References:
This is an adaptation of an original work by the OECD.
Source: OECD (2024), [Title of the publication]
Licensed under CC BY 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Adapted from the original work. The OECD does not endorse this content.

Paweł Strzelecki & Jakub Growiec & Robert Wyszyński, 2025. "How Much Are Ukrainian Refugees Contributing to the Polish Economy?," NBP Working Papers 376, Narodowy Bank Polski.