Migration: Why are more and more Germans emigrating to Poland?

Warsaw. The blue Porsche creeps through Warsaw's rush hour traffic, inside there is techno blaring from the speakers, outside we go past construction sites. “There used to be an old brewery site here,” says Kevin Wörner, pointing out the window, “today everything is full of offices.” A few streets away, a new glass tower is currently being built - the center of Warsaw almost looks like Frankfurt's financial district.

Wörner drives into the underground car park of a new six-story building. A few months ago, the 33-year-old moved into his office here with “Channel Craft”. The company builds social media content for medium-sized companies in the USA and Germany.

Until a year ago, Wörner lived in Berlin. But because of his ex-girlfriend he spent a lot of time in Warsaw. Over the months, the idea of ​​moving here completely matured.

In 2025, it wasn't just Wörner who emigrated to Poland: 4,941 other Germans did the same. This puts the country ahead of Great Britain, Italy and the Netherlands. Since the pandemic, not so many German citizens have moved to the neighboring country to the east.

At the same time, only 1,720 Germans returned from Poland - so the “migration balance”, as the Federal Statistical Office puts it in official language, is negative.

Why are more and more Germans moving across the Oder? What exactly works better in Poland's economy than in Germany? And what should we learn from our eastern neighbor so as not to permanently lose skilled workers?