The Migration Transition in Poland

Abstract

In the period 1950–2020, international migration in Europe changed significantly. One of the most characteristic features was the change in net migration from negative to positive. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Poland belonged to the minority of countries in this respect – that is, it experienced strong emigration but only minor immigration. However, migration in Poland has also been changing. In the second decade of this century, the outflow of people has weakened, the inflow of migrants has increased and the migration balance has become positive. I analyse these phenomena from the theoretical perspective of the migration transition that was experienced in the second half of the twentieth century by most countries in Western, Northern and Southern Europe. I attempt to answer the question of whether the latest migration phenomena prove that this transition is also occurring in Poland. In conclusion, I argue that the available to-date evidence provides an affirmative answer to this question