The main reason why Ukrainians are leaving Poland has been named

The main reasons are the feeling of alienation, bias and uncertainty. The number of Ukrainians who plan to stay in Poland permanently decreased from 19 per cent to 13.2 per cent compared to last year. Such data was published by the Analytical Centre Gremi Personal following the results of a large-scale survey among migrants in the seven largest cities of the country.

The survey was conducted in May-June 2025 and covered Ukrainians living in Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw, Gdańsk, Poznan, Łódź and Szczecin.

The main results of the survey:

• 45.3% of Ukrainians admitted that they have not decided on their long-term plans. A year ago there were 43% of such people.

• 17.9% want to return home as soon as it is safe to do so.

• 10.4% plan to stay in Poland only for a few years.

• Only 11% consider themselves fully integrated into Polish society.

• Another third of respondents describe themselves as "half their own".

Reasons for alienation

According to Damian Guzman, chief operating officer of Gremi Personal, formal integration - work, housing, children at school - does not guarantee a sense of belonging.

It's not about language or documents. It's about emotions, acceptance, the feeling that you belong here. And that's what many people lack," he explained.

Social reasons for leaving:

• 69% have experienced negative or prejudiced attitudes.

• Half of the respondents hardly socialise with Poles outside of work.

• Negativity increased during elections and economic crises - migrants were often made to "blame" for queues, wages and the burden on the social system.

What keeps Ukrainians or makes them think about returning:

• 30.7 per cent - confidence in the future.

• 23.6% - the opportunity to be close to family.

• 15.1% - familiar surroundings.

• Only 10 per cent name the availability of a good job as a determining factor.

Experts' conclusions

This is a signal for both countries. For Poland - the need to revise integration policy. For Ukraine - an opportunity to bring people back if security, stability and show that they are needed, - Guzman emphasised.

As Socialportal wrote, currently more than 4 million Ukrainians have temporary protection status in the EU. Most have been able to obtain legal status, basic support, access to medical care, education and the labour market. However, life in a foreign land is accompanied by many challenges, and a significant proportion of people still live "between two worlds". What can the state do to bring back its citizens and how they help the country those who have become part of the Ukrainian diaspora abroad. Read the answers to these and other questions in the exclusive mater on Socialportal.

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