Increasing numbers of Polish people are returning home from the UK, an annual migration report on the movement of people between the UK and other regions, conducted by the Office for National Statistics, has revealed.
The Office for National Statistics recently released its annual migration report on the movement of people between the UK and other regions of the world.
The newest edition of the dataset, titled ‘Long-term international immigration, emigration and net migration flows,’ revealed that in the year ending June 2025, an increased number of Polish people have returned to their home country.
Polish people currently make up the second-largest immigrant group in the UK after Romanians, for whom similar trends were evident.
However, last year, over 25,000 Poles returned to Poland, the largest figure since 2022.
This reflects an 8.7% annual increase in the number of expats returning to Poland from the UK.
While the number of Polish people entering the country has increased by 20% over the past year, rising from an estimated 5,000 to 6,000, this number has yet to reach its pre-2021 peak.
George Byczynski, founder of the online community British Poles, commented on the possible reasons for the trend.
He said: “Poland is now seen as a secure and clean place; it is not just a country where people go back for sentiment.
“It is becoming a European growth hub, with Poland now spending 5% of its GDP on defence.
“Cities like Warsaw, Kraków and Wrocław are vibrant tech and defence sector centres attracting investment and skilled workers alike.”
The growing number of Poles leaving the UK after making the move has raised questions about the reasons fuelling decisions to return to Poland.
Monika Kłos, a nurse from Kent, said: “Brexit has had a huge impact on the quality of life in the UK and the economy here.
“Many people are returning home because they have achieved everything they wanted to in the UK, and are going back to Poland for retirement and to be with their families again.”
Poland is currently one of the fastest-growing economies in the European Union, attracting not only tourists but also students and individuals seeking job stability.
Antoni Kałduński, a Polish student living in the UK, said: “There are lots of new companies opening up, both in Poland and internationally, that offer competitive salaries, which means going abroad for work doesn’t feel as necessary as it used to.
“Young people in Poland have pretty strong foreign language skills, meaning they can work for international companies while staying home.”
Professor Paweł Kaczmarczyk, director of the University of Warsaw Centre for Migration Research, added: “People approaching retirement age or those considering entrepreneurship will also be returning.”
Others have cited rising crime rates in the UK compared to those in Poland, pointing to Poland’s stricter working visa regulations as aiding in lower crime rates.
Furthermore, Reform UK’s leader, Nigel Farage, called for a reversal of Indefinite Leave to Remain in September 2025, which has raised further concerns among immigrant groups in the UK.
Mariusz Wiśniewski, a lecturer who is planning to move back to Poland, said: “London is in bad shape.
“I am slowly closing off all the doors here and returning to Poland as soon as possible.
“I can work every day in Poland and earn significantly more than I do in the UK in my profession.
“Additionally, living costs are now cheaper there, which makes it better to save up money.”
He added: “I am not sure what it would take for me to want to stay in this country for much longer – the political and economic state of the country is worsening day by day.”
The Polish community in the UK is estimated to be around 700,000 people, making it one of the largest Polish communities outside of Poland.
The Londoners recently spoke to Polish people who have emigrated back to Poland from the UK about their reasons for the move.
Paula Darby, from Gdynia, North Poland, said: “I moved back because I missed my family, the culture and traditions.
“It also helped that I could expand my job prospects in Poland even after being made redundant in the UK.
“Regarding safety as a woman and a mother, I do not feel unsafe while walking the streets or in large crowds anywhere in Poland, but in the UK, I felt this much more often and to a greater extent.”
However, another account from Karolina Ptak, from Karłowice in South-Western Poland, stated that she made the move back because she fell in love and wanted to start a family in Poland.
She cited having moved to the UK as a young girl and always being curious about what living in Poland was like, and whether it was ‘as bad as it was traditionally portrayed.’
She said: “I believe the two countries both have their stronger and weaker aspects.
“While jobs in Poland are more stable, the healthcare system in the UK is arguably better, for example.”
In response, a government spokesperson from the UK Home Office said: “We will always value the Polish community in the UK, who contribute to this country both economically and culturally.
“We have set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system, backing British workers and boosting economic growth.
“Net migration is at its lowest level in half a decade and has fallen by more than two-thirds under this government.”
The next release of the report is scheduled for 21 May 2026.
Featured image credit: Karola G via Pexels.
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