Polish PM Donald Tusk boasted on X that, for the first time, more Poles have traveled from Germany to Poland than the reverse, a statement that stirs debate amid a historic negative migration balance.
Tusk Publishes Post on Polish Migration to Germany
On Wednesday, 8 October, Donald Tusk posted on the social platform X that “for the first time, more Poles have left Germany for Poland than Poland for Germany.” He added that a year of patriotic, competent governance had produced this outcome, praising it as a positive development.
Negative Polish Migration Balance Recorded for First Time in Over 25 Years
According to data from the German statistical office, 76,3 thousand Poles arrived in Germany in 2024, almost 12,1 thousand fewer than those who left Poland for Germany. This marks the first time in at least a quarter‑century that the migration balance was negative. The closest point to zero occurred only once in 2008.
The decline is mainly due to fewer Poles opting to move abroad. In 2024, the number of people leaving Poland for Germany fell by 21,6 thousand— the steepest drop since the pandemic in 2020—bringing the count of new Polish migrants to its lowest level since 2000. Although returns rose by 3,3 thousand, the figure remains low historically.
Decreasing Emigration Reflects Healthy Polish Economy
Dr. Dominika Pszczółkowska‑Mościcka of the Polish Institute of Migration Research notes that the shrinking tendency to emigrate signals a strengthening Polish economy. Living conditions along the Vistula are increasingly comparable to those in Western Europe, reducing the economic incentive to leave.
