For much of the early 21st century, the story of migration between Britain and Poland ran in one direction. Following Poland’s accession to the EU in 2004, hundreds of thousands of Poles arrived in the UK, drawn by higher wages and the promise of opportunity. At its peak in 2016, the Polish-born population in Britain approached one million.
In a detailed report for the Daily Mail, Ed Holt shows how and why record numbers of Britons are now moving to Poland, attracted by a lower cost of living, rapid economic growth and a quality of life many feel has become harder to secure at home. According to a study by 5 Real Estate cited in the article, the number of British migrants in Poland rose from 41,000 in 2015 to nearly 185,000 in 2024, a rise of 340 per cent.
The economic contrast is stark. Poland’s economy is forecast to grow by 3.5 per cent this year, compared with 1.3 per cent in the UK. Once seen as a post-communist success story still catching up with the West, Poland is now among Europe’s fastest-growing economies, its cities modernised with EU investment and its labour market expanding, particularly in technology and IT.
For many British migrants, the appeal is immediately visible. Ivan Prothero, a 27-year-old PR professional who moved to Kraków with his Polish wife in 2024, told the Daily Mail that the difference between the two countries became “quite apparent” once they settled.
Polish supermarkets, he said, are “packed with all kinds of produce available in high quantities”, while British high streets increasingly feel hollowed out. In Poland, by contrast, “shopping centres are thriving”.
Others emphasise affordability. Tony Arnold, a 51-year-old English teacher who moved from Hertfordshire to Olsztyn with his family, said the decision was “purely financial”.
Unable to get on the property ladder in England, he bought a three-bedroom flat in Poland for £60,000, a fraction of the value of the smaller home he rented in the UK. “I was just done with the UK,” he admitted, adding that in Poland, he could secure a future for his children rather than merely tread water.
Longer-term residents describe not only economic change but also social transformation. Zachary Warchol, who moved from Nottingham to Lublin in 2016, has witnessed Poland’s rapid modernisation first-hand.
When he arrived, public transport still relied on vehicles dating from the communist era; today, electric buses and hydrogen investment symbolise what he calls a national “boom”. He also praises a social atmosphere he finds more relaxed, with “less cancel culture” and greater tolerance for differing opinions.
Not everyone romanticises the move. Several migrants say they miss British pub culture, familiar food, and in some cases the UK education system.
Yet few express any urgency to return. Even retirees are joining the eastward flow. A 2023 report cited in the article notes that over 2,200 UK pensioners have settled in Poland since Brexit, drawn by cheap property, low crime and rural tranquillity.
Industry figures confirm the trend. Mike Harvey, managing director of 1st Move International, told the Daily Mail that searches by Britons looking to relocate to Poland have risen by 27 per cent.
He described Poland’s post-2004 transformation as “remarkable”, noting that GDP per capita has surged to within touching distance of Japan’s in little more than a generation. Low public transport costs, generous parental leave and strong family-oriented policies only add to the attraction.
Meanwhile, immigration advisers report that Poland has deliberately eased entry routes for non-EU nationals, positioning itself as a “gateway to Europe” for professionals, entrepreneurs and retirees alike.
The symbolism is hard to miss. Twenty years after Poles crossed the continent in search of opportunity, Britons are now making a similar calculation, swapping Walsall for Warsaw, Croydon for Kraków. As one retiree in rural Poland put it simply: “To put it simply, my life is wonderful.
What was once a one-way journey west has become a two-way mirror reflecting not only Poland’s rise, but Britain’s growing unease about where prosperity, security and balance are now easiest to find.
Source: Daily Mail
Photo: X/@as_arek
Tomasz Modrzejewski
