With the outbreak of war, a huge number of refugees arrived in Poland. At the same time, thousands of Ukrainians returned to defend their homeland. This movement changed the portrait of Ukrainians living in the neighboring country. Find out how Ukrainians in Poland have changed

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The full-scale invasion significantly changed the portrait of Ukrainians in Poland. Thousands of men returned to defend their homeland, while women and children made up the bulk of the refugees.

How has the portrait of Ukrainians in Poland changed? We tell in more detail.

Which Ukrainians currently live in Poland?

The EWL Platform, the EWL Foundation and the Center for East European Studies of the University of Warsaw conducted the study "Citizens of Ukraine on the Polish labor market. New challenges and prospects." The survey of Ukrainian citizens living in Poland was conducted on March 4-13, 2023 in more than ten Polish cities. 500 adult citizens of Ukraine took part in the study.

The study revealed that compared to 2021, the number of Ukrainian men in Poland has almost halved, from 57% in 2021 to 31% in 2023. At the same time, the number of women has increased significantly - 67%. The main reason for this trend was the fact that the vast majority of Ukrainian refugees are women (92%).

Portrait of an average Ukrainian in Poland in 2023

As of the beginning of 2023, the average portrait of a Ukrainian in Poland is a woman with children, who works at a job below the level of her own qualifications, speaks Polish poorly and has certain difficulties adapting to new living conditions.

What is the average age and level of education of Ukrainians in Poland?

In 2023, there will be many more young Ukrainians in Poland. Almost 49% of adult Ukrainians living in a neighboring country are younger than 36 years old. For comparison, in 2021, 16% of Ukrainians aged 18 to 25 lived in Poland, currently 23% of them.

The number of people older than 45 years has significantly decreased, if in 2021 the indicator was 23%, then in 2023 it will be 12%. Unfortunately, this trend is quite difficult for the Ukrainian economy, because there is an outflow of young people who will be able to realize themselves in Poland.

The level of education of Ukrainians has also changed quite significantly, because there are much more people with higher education among refugees than among pre-war migrants. Many educated Ukrainians came to Poland. 69% have full or incomplete higher education, among pre-war migrants this figure was 46%.

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Do Ukrainians speak Polish?

Ukrainians became less proficient in the Polish language. In 2021, 46% of migrants knew Polish well or even very well. Now this figure is 35%, while only 14% of refugees say that they speak Polish at least at a good level.

From which regions did the citizens of Ukraine come?

According to the survey, the largest number of Ukrainians came from the northern part of our country - 35%. In 2021, 27% came from the northern region.

The level of employment of Ukrainians in Poland in 2023

The results of the study showed that 78% of Ukrainians in Poland are employed - this is a very high indicator, because a large part of Ukrainians are refugees. Currently, 83% of those who moved to Poland before the war and 71% of refugees have a job. Experts say that such a high percentage of employment is largely related to the desire of Ukrainians themselves to work, as well as the implementation by the Polish government of a number of state programs to support refugees and businesses.

We will remind you that earlier we told how much money Ukrainians save in Poland. Read about how many refugees do not plan to return from Poland to Ukraine here.

Photo: FORUM, photo: Krzysztof Zatycki

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