International migration in Poland 1950-2023

Net migration reached its lowest level in 1950 (-52.8 thousand) when the number of migrants arriving in the country was estimated at around eight thousand, compared to around 61 thousand people departing. In 2023, there were more inflows than outflows, resulting in net migration of nearly seven thousand people.

Foreign migration of population

For several years Poland has been witnessing a positive balance of migration. The number of immigrants reached 16.7 thousand, while emigration reached 9.9 thousand in 2023. The main directions of permanent emigration are Germany and the United Kingdom. Immigrants coming to Poland to live permanently are mostly returning Polish emigrants. Hence the most significant number of people came from the United Kingdom and Germany. Much larger is the scale of migration for temporary residence. There has been an increase in the number of immigrants temporarily staying in Poland in recent years. The number of economic immigrants is growing, especially Ukrainian citizens interested in taking up temporary employment. There is also a noticeable increase in the number of foreigners interested in continuing their education at Polish universities. The analysis of migration trends indicates that Poland is transforming from a typical emigration country into an emigration and immigration country.

Internal migration of the population

The period from 2017 to 2019 saw an increased number of internal movements. However, due to the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the number of internal migrants fell to 385 thousand in 2020. As a result of internal migration, rural areas gained residents. The balance of migration for rural areas amounted to nearly 40 thousand people. In Mazowieckie, Pomorskie, Małopolskie, Dolnośląskie, and Wielkopolskie region, the inflow of population was greater than the outflow. Therefore, internal migrations caused an increase in the population of those voivodeships. The remaining voivodeships recorded a decrease. The most significant population loss in 2020 was experienced by Lubelskie and Śląskie voivodeships - this trend has been maintained for several years.