How Ukrainians adapt to the Polish market – a study
3 March 2025 15:21
Over the past three years, Ukrainians have registered 77.7 thousand individual entrepreneurs in Poland and founded 11.3 thousand companies with Ukrainian capital. This was reported by the analytical center of the international employment company Gremi Personal, citing the Polish Economic Institute, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Of all the sole proprietorships opened in Poland in 2024, 12% belonged to Ukrainian citizens, and Ukrainians accounted for 84% of the total number of sole proprietorships registered by foreigners. These are also data from the Polish Economic Institute.
What do Ukrainian entrepreneurs do?
The most popular areas of activity of Ukrainian companies are:
– construction (23%)
– information and communications (18%),
– other services (13%).
In the other services sector, 82% of companies provide hairdressing and cosmetic services. In 2022-2024, the number of Ukrainian enterprises increased by an average of 34% annually.
“The growth in the number of Ukrainian companies in Poland clearly illustrates not only the activity and adaptability of Ukrainians, but also structural changes in the Polish labor market. Many Ukrainians who used to be employed are now choosing self-employment or starting their own businesses. This is not only a response to labor market constraints, but also a way to effectively use their own skills and experience,” says Yuriy Hryhorenko, representative of the Gremi Personal think tank.
According to a study by the Forum for Responsible Development, without immigration after 2014, Poland’s GDP would have been 2.3% lower in 2023. In the long term, migration will contribute to a 12.5% increase in GDP by 2050.
How many Ukrainians are currently residing in Poland
According to the Polish Office for Foreigners, as of the end of February 2025, there were 1.55 million Ukrainians in the country.
This number includes Ukrainians residing in Poland on the basis of a permanent residence permit, a temporary residence permit, a European Union resident card, and on the basis of a special law on assistance to citizens of Ukraine.
According to the Office for Foreigners, Ukrainians continue to be the most numerous group of foreigners – 78% of the total number of foreign nationals in Poland.
Most Ukrainians in Poland have temporary protection. This means that they came to the country after the outbreak of a full-scale war.
In total, 993 thousand Ukrainians have such protection. Every second of them is a minor, and almost two-thirds are women.
Valid temporary residence permits in Poland have now been issued to 462 thousand Ukrainian citizens. Most of them were issued in connection with work in Poland. Another 92 thousand Ukrainians have a permanent residence permit or a long-term resident card of the European Union.
Where are there the most Ukrainians in Poland?
When it comes to the territorial distribution of Ukrainians moving to Poland, they most often stay in voivodeships with large urban agglomerations.
22% of all Ukrainian citizens in Poland live in the Mazovian Voivodeship (centered in Warsaw).
12% – in Lower Silesia (centered in Wroclaw).
11% – in Wielkopolska (centered in Poznan).
9% – in Lesser Poland (centered in Krakow).
9% – in Silesian (centered in Katowice).
