At the beginning of July 2025, 29,044 companies owned by Ukrainians were recorded in the Polish National Court Register. Of this number, 13,014 companies were opened after February 2022, i.e. after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which resulted in around one million refugees from Ukraine settling in Poland.
Gremi Personal’s analytical centre highlights that approximately 6% of all new companies registered in Poland in the last 3.5 years are owned by Ukrainians, and the total capital of companies established after the outbreak of war exceeds PLN 533 million (approximately €125 million).
In 2024, Ukrainian entrepreneurs and employees paid almost PLN 1.65 billion (€385 million) to the Polish budget in the form of income and corporate income taxes.
“These figures show that Ukrainians in Poland are strengthening the economy and positively influencing its development through their substantial contribution in the form of taxes, but also daily consumption. And they don’t take work away, they give it to others, which also affects the quality of services and business competition,” said Damian Guzman, Deputy CEO of Gremi Personal.
“Of course, when doing business in Poland, they should adapt to the rules of our economy and business and, if they want to develop further, they must do so on the basis of the principles prevailing here and in the European Union. And this may be a challenge for some of them, as doing business in Ukraine differs in many ‘aspects’ from doing business in Poland.”
Over 100,000 Ukrainian companies in Poland
But establishing a company is not the most popular way Ukrainians are doing business in Poland. According to the Polish Economic Institute, from the beginning of 2022 to April 2025, Ukrainian citizens established 88,500 sole proprietorships (JDG)—a simplified way to be self-employed in Poland—including more than 33,000 last year.
This means that, including companies, more than 100,000 Ukrainian businesses have been established in Poland since the outbreak of the war. Currently, every tenth JDG established in Poland is a Ukrainian business, and among the business activities registered by foreigners, Ukrainian businesses account for 85%.
“The sectoral structure of registered business activities indicates the dominance of construction, IT and service activity companies. These three sectors account for more than half of all established companies,” Dr Katarzyna Dębkowska, head of the Economic Foresight Team at the Polish Institue of Economics (PIE) told Euronews.**
She pointed out that Ukrainian construction companies are mainly engaged in finishing activities, IT companies specialise in programming, and over 80% of service activities are hairdressing and beauty companies.
Why do so many Ukrainians decide to open a business in Poland?
According to Dr Dębkowska, there are three main reasons. Firstly, it is the best way for them to work according to their competences, because, according to research, Ukrainians employed in Poland on a permanent basis or on a contract basis usually get a position below their competences.
The second reason is accounting and taxation issues—Polish companies often require JDG status from their employees. The third reason is the prospects related to the European Union market—registering a company in Poland gives access to the entire EU market.
Immigrants support the economy
On the other hand, many Ukrainian entities operate very locally. “Emerging Ukrainian businesses often offer products or services mainly aimed at Ukrainian citizens living in Poland, e.g. beauty establishments, catering, educational units,” Dębkowska said.
Dębkowska also emphasised that companies run by Ukrainian citizens are in line with the needs of the Polish economy and partially fill the gaps in the labour market, as evidenced by the share of construction, ICT or transport and logistics companies.
“The entrepreneurship of immigrants, including Ukrainian citizens, supports economic development, innovation and competitive advantages. Immigrants create jobs, especially in their own communities, and fill market niches. Through transnational connections, there is an opportunity to internationalise companies and transfer knowledge. Highly skilled immigrants accelerate technological development and increase the number of patents,” Dr Katarzyna Dębkowska concluded.
