The last two years have witnessed the growth of the contribution of Ukrainians to Poland’s GDP, according to the Deloitte analysis for UNHCR titled “Analysis of the economic impact of Ukrainian refugees on the Polish economy.” The report states that in 2023 they accounted for between 0.7 and 1.1 percent of GDP, a figure likely to keep rising.
The fact that the refugees have been integrated into the Polish labor market, with many finding employment or setting up their own businesses, means that they are contributing by paying taxes and social security insurance rather than living off of humanitarian aid and welfare. According to the analysis, 225,000 to 350,000 Ukrainian refugees are currently working in Poland.
The UNHCR head in Warsaw, Kevin J. Allen, praised Poland for the solidarity shown to Ukrainians and added that the Deloitte analysis indicated that the support given to Ukrainians has had a positive effect on the economy and has enabled Ukrainians to develop. He also said that although most Ukrainian refugees want to return to their homeland, their economic activity in Poland will help them to be better prepared for that eventuality.
Julia Patorska from Deloitte added that humanitarian aid for refugee families was now just a fraction of the income of the refugees. According to her, 80 percent of their income was from work and only 5 percent from aid for refugees.
However, the publication acknowledged that nearly a million Ukrainian refugees in Poland — most of them women and children — are covered by some form of aid. This is because in almost half of Ukrainian households in Poland there is a person suffering from long-term illness, while in 10 percent, there is someone who is disabled.
