Living costs in the United States are waking people from the American dream
It is Europe, not the United States, that is today the main destination for temporary Polish emigration, according to data provided by the Polish Economic Institute.
European countries are chosen by 94% of people deciding to make such a move from Poland.
Meanwhile, in the case of the USA we are increasingly seeing the opposite trend, more Poles return from there to the country, than leave for the ocean.
“The sudden change occurred during the financial crisis of 2007-2009, when the net migration balance for permanent residence from the USA approached zero, and in 2016 for the first time reached a positive value,” we read in the report.
“The United States stopped being a destination for Polish emigration – today it is rather a destination for returns, which translates into a positive migration balance,” added the report.
Experts emphasize that even in the times of the PRL the United States attracted Poles, being at that time the fulfillment of the so‑called American Dream (English: American Dream) depicting the “promise of capitalist prosperity, opportunity and a better life, away from the realities of a centrally planned economy.”
“It was precisely this promise that drove subsequent waves of emigration: in the peak years of emigration (1986-1987) the net migration from the USA for permanent residence reached even about -2,9 thousand per year,” explained.
This situation, however, changed, and the differences between the United States and Europe decreased significantly.
The average salary, as reported by PIE, in full‑time terms in 1995 amounted to about 38% of the American level, while in 2024: 53,3%.
The gap is also closed in the case of adjusted household disposable income.
“It takes into account, in addition to price differences, taxes, transfers and health and education protection, which gives a fuller picture of the real standard of living than the salary alone. In this regard the ratio of Poland to the USA rose from 28,5% in 1995 to 55% in 2024, and in recent years even exceeded the wage ratio,” the report said.
The PIE report shows that among other factors, Poland’s accession to the European Union is responsible for this turnover, and consequently the acceleration of convergence visible in GDP dynamics, income levels, or living conditions of Poles.
“It can be said, that the improvement of material conditions in Poland reduces Poles’ willingness to emigrate to the United States,” the report said.
“It is worth noting that the comparison of living standards does not reduce itself to the level of wages alone. The importance also lies in how much households have to spend on basic elements of social advancement, including education,” added.
It is no secret that access to higher education in Poland is far less financially burdensome than in the USA, where studying often involves long‑term debt resulting from taking out student loans necessary to pay for all education costs.
“From this perspective the material distance between Poland and the United States turns out to be smaller than the entrenched image of America as a land of opportunities and possibilities, which Poland now also offers,” the report concluded.
Source: Polish Economic Institute.
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Source: Polish Economic Institute.
