The NBP report reveals the truth about Ukrainians in Poland. The conclusions may surprise you
NBP analysts looked at the economic situation of Ukrainians in Poland. According to data at the end of June 2025, there were approximately 1 million of them in our country. We are talking about people who came to our country after the outbreak of a full-scale war in February 2022.
This group included: over 660 thousand adults and 329 thousand kids. In addition, of course, there are the so-called pre-war immigrants, i.e. those who decided to come before Putin's invasion.
In total, during less than four years of war, 1.9 million refugees from Ukraine found themselves in Poland.
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It should come as no surprise that most of them are women. The latest data is 57 percent. compared to 43 percent men. For comparison, among adult Poles the gender breakdown is 52 to 48 percent.
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Educated, but working below their qualifications
What is striking is the level of education of immigrants from the East. Almost every second woman arriving has a university degree. Among men, this percentage is 35%.
Education of immigrants from Ukraine
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NBP
Importantly, the overwhelming majority of newcomers, both pre-war immigrants and refugees, work. It is still often a job below their qualifications (especially among women), but an increasing number of immigrants find better employment or have managed to change industries.
Income from work is the primary source of income for immigrants from Ukraine. In the income structure of pre-war immigrants, income from work constitutes 92 percent, and in the income structure of refugees – 78 percent.
As in previous years, only in subsequent places as a supplement to income, there are remittances from Ukraine and Polish social benefits, primarily from the 800 plus program.
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Where do Ukrainians work and how much do they earn?
The NBP study shows that Ukrainians earn significantly less than Poles. The median salary differs by almost 20%. For visitors it is approximately PLN 4.4 thousand. PLN on hand, while among Poles it exceeds 5.3 thousand. PLN net per month.
“The differences between wage rates representing groups of domestic workers and immigrants are typical of relatively recent migration and may result from many factors. The most important of them is the structure of occupations – immigrants work more often in less productive and lower-paid professions compared to all Polish employees. Education and experience gained before leaving have relatively little importance for their remuneration, which makes in many cases they have to start their professional career from scratch,” we read in the NBP study.
Where do Ukrainians usually work? In industry. Every fourth pre-war immigrant is employed in this sector. It is also the most popular branch of the economy among refugees, in which 16 percent work. of them.
Next we find trade, administration, tourism and gastronomy. At the bottom of the scale are the IT industry, finance and law.
Industries in which Ukrainians work
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NBP
On the other hand, IT is the best-paid profession for Ukrainians. It is definitely ahead of transport and construction.
Increasingly better integration with Poles
The report of the National Bank of Poland shows that, contrary to many opinions expressed, among others, by politicians, Ukrainians are becoming more and more assimilated into our society. It is increasingly difficult to meet an immigrant who does not know our language.
In this year's study, as many as 63 percent respondents declared good or fluent knowledge of the Polish language, and only 4 percent lack of knowledge of the language. Age is key here. The older the immigrant or refugee, the greater the probability that he or she will not know Polish. This is clearly visible in the chart below.
Knowledge of the Polish language among Ukrainians by age groups
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NBP
The growing level of integration with Poles also has another dimension. Many Ukrainians also decide to buy real estate and use the so-called methods of collective accommodation, e.g. refugee camps.
Social ties are also strengthening, and Ukrainians no longer live in isolated diasporas. As much as 73 percent immigrants admits that they have at least one person among Poles to whom they can turn for advice on difficult matters. If we take into account only those who came to us before the war, the percentage increases to as much as 81%.
The attitude of Ukrainians towards long-term stay in Poland is also changing. “In 2025, the percentage of immigrants planning to stay permanently increased significantly compared to previous yearswhich the report involves, among others, with increasing language skills, stabilization of professional life and separation of families in Ukraine. Only a small part of respondents declared their willingness to return quickly – often making this decision dependent on the course of the war and the security situation,” we read in the report of the National Bank of Poland.
