89 thousand businesses: how Ukrainians are forming a new economic niche in Poland
10 April 2025 20:56
After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Poland became not only a humanitarian rear for millions of Ukrainians, but also a platform for professional and entrepreneurial realization. According to the Polish Economic Institute (PIE), a state-owned think tank, from January 2022 to the end of 2024, Ukrainian citizens registered 89,000 new businesses in the country, which is almost one-tenth of all businesses opened during this period, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Ukrainians lead the ranking of foreign entrepreneurs in Poland: 84% of all businesses started by foreigners are owned by Ukrainian citizens. In 2024, every eighth new sole proprietor in Poland was a Ukrainian, accounting for 12% of the total number of registered individual entrepreneurs.
No other national diaspora has demonstrated such dynamics. By comparison, Belarusians, who have also been moving to Poland en masse since 2020, have opened only a few thousand businesses, mostly in the IT sector.
The most popular areas: IT, construction, and beauty
There are 89 thousand registered businesses:
- 23% are in the construction sector: these include both repair services and small-scale contract manufacturing, such as window installation, electrical installation, etc.
- 18% are in the IT sector: programmers, designers, web developers who have switched to a self-employment model.
- 13% – health and beauty services: hairdressing, cosmetology, manicure, massage.
Many entrepreneurs work in logistics (taxi, delivery), trade, coworking, and educational services.
What is behind this trend?
Analysts name several reasons for this activity:
Simplified legislation. Since 2022, Poland has allowed Ukrainian citizens to start a business on the same terms as Poles. A PESEL number and tax registration are enough.
Lack of vacancies in the specialty. Many Ukrainians were unable to continue working in traditional fields (medicine, education, civil service) because of the language barrier or the non-recognition of diplomas.
The desire to preserve professional identity. People did not want to work in unskilled positions and chose self-employment.
Access to grants. In 2023-2024, many Polish voivodeships launched programs to support Ukrainian entrepreneurs: start-up grants, vouchers for consultations, and free business courses.
Contrast with Polish investments in Ukraine
While Poland has become a leader in hosting Ukrainians and has benefited from their presence in terms of taxes and jobs created, the reverse dynamic looks more modest.
Today, about 3.6 thousand Polish companies are registered in Ukraine, mainly in the areas of trade, logistics, and agricultural processing. This figure is more than 20 times lower than the number of Ukrainian businesses in Poland.
The main reasons for this are high security risks, instability of the energy system, and the lack of transparency of the judicial system, which deter Polish investors.
Migration policy experts predict that in 2025 the rate of opening new businesses may slow down, but Ukrainian entrepreneurs have already become an integral part of small and medium-sized businesses in Poland. Increasingly, they are uniting in business associations, launching franchises, and starting to hire staff, including Poles.
In the long run, this could change the labor and business market in Poland, as well as deepen economic integration between the two countries.
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