{"id":46461,"date":"2026-04-03T11:43:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T09:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/badania.uew.pl\/?p=46461"},"modified":"2026-04-03T11:52:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T09:52:41","slug":"they-earned-more-in-belgium-they-live-better-in-poland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/badania.uew.pl\/en\/they-earned-more-in-belgium-they-live-better-in-poland\/","title":{"rendered":"They Earned More in Belgium. They Live Better in Poland."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Karol was born in Poland, raised in Belgium, and returned in his thirties – to open a caf\u00e9 in the centre of Warsaw. Ingrid arrived for a three\u2011month internship at the Belgian Embassy. She decided to stay. Both could have gone back to Brussels. Both chose a different path.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"po<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Their story is not an exception. It reflects a broader transformation described by Dr Pawe\u0142 Dobrza\u0144ski, Associate Professor at Wroclaw University of Economics and Business. In February 2026, his analysis appeared in The Brussels Times, and shortly after, the same themes were discussed on TVP3 Wroc\u0142aw. The message in both places was clear: Poland is no longer a country that merely catches up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The End of the Old Hierarchy<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For decades, Europe\u2019s mental map seemed simple: Western Europe on top, Central and Eastern Europe behind. As Dr Pawe\u0142 Dobrza\u0144ski, Associate Professor at WUEB argues, this hierarchy no longer reflects reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhat we are witnessing is not a reversal of the hierarchy, but its gradual dissolution. Poland is no longer the country left behind – it has caught up faster than many in Western Europe are willing to admit.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In real terms, Poland\u2019s GDP is now three times higher than in the 1990s. And the cost\u2011to\u2011income ratio has shifted so significantly that the old saying \u201cyou earn more abroad\u201d no longer answers the question of where life is actually better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a television interview, Dr Pawe\u0142 Dobrza\u0144ski, Associate Professor at WUEB, said that Europe today is not a ladder with the West at the top and the East at the bottom, but a network of competing states and metropolitan areas. This metaphor – more powerful than statistics alone – captures the direction of change: Europe increasingly functions as a constellation of equal hubs competing for talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Numbers Reveal a Clear Trend<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Data from Belgium\u2019s statistical office Statbel shows that migration from Poland to Belgium fell from around 6,300 annually (2015) to 3,600 (2025), while movement in the opposite direction remains stable at roughly 2,500 people per year. Poland now hosts over 700 Belgian companies, and the European Commission forecasts continued strong economic growth in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Dr Pawe\u0142 Dobrza\u0144ski, Associate Professor at WUEB explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cMillions of Poles left out of necessity. Today, many of them return with experience, capital and networks. Return migration has become a powerful mechanism of economic advancement and knowledge transfer.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It is a pattern well known from the success stories of Ireland, South Korea or Taiwan – but rarely associated with Central Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Poland Offers – and What the West No Longer Guarantees<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In his research, Dr Pawe\u0142 Dobrza\u0144ski, Associate Professor at WUEB identifies several overlapping factors behind Poland\u2019s growing attractiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Access to housing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Belgium or the Netherlands, prices exceeding \u20ac10,000 per square metre make home ownership unrealistic for most graduates entering the labour market. In Poland – despite rising prices – the income\u2011to\u2011housing ratio remains significantly more favourable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Twenty years of rapid infrastructure development<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poland became one of the largest beneficiaries of EU cohesion funds. Highways, rail modernisation, airports, digital administration and revitalised public spaces have not only improved living standards but also drawn foreign investors. Where Poland once envied Western connectivity, today it competes with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. A flow of ready\u2011trained specialists from abroad<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This phenomenon is particularly visible at universities. Students from Italy, Spain and Germany come to Polish cities – and increasingly choose to stay. Dr Pawe\u0142 Dobrza\u0144ski, Associate Professor at WUEB, has compared Poland to the \u2018Japanese model of seizing opportunities\u2019, calling it the Japan of Europe: a country that absorbs every developmental impulse with determination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strengths and Risks<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The picture is not unambiguously optimistic. Associate Professor Dobrza\u0144ski identifies weaknesses with equal clarity. Infrastructure remains the country\u2019s strongest asset. Political polarisation, however, carries an economic cost: it deters investment and weakens Poland\u2019s image abroad. Demographics remain a structural challenge \u2013 policies supporting young families and retaining talent are a precondition for sustaining the pace of development Poland has achieved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poland\u2019s strongest assets include infrastructure, human capital, social stability and a growing appeal to foreign graduates. But the picture is not exclusively optimistic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Pawe\u0142 Dobrza\u0144ski, Associate Professor at WUEB points to several structural risks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n