Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has turbocharged Poland’s tech sector. Sustaining momentum once the war ends is another matter.
Poland, its IT sector at least, has been a beneficiary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Since 2022, the country has absorbed Ukrainian IT specialists, hosted nearshoring and relocation of Ukrainian IT businesses, and attracted foreign firms seeking alternatives to Kyiv. Combined with its own dynamic sector and fast development, Poland now ranks among Europe’s largest and fastest-growing tech economies. Whether this growth represents structural transformation or temporary windfall remains to be seen.
The country ranks 33rd globally, up one spot, and fourth in Eastern Europe, hosting 1,251 start-ups—representing 12 per cent of the region’s total, roughly four per 100,000 people. Poland boasts 11 unicorns (3.8 per cent of the EU total) and targets 20 by 2030. Marketing and sales leads with 89 start-ups (7 per cent of the national total), ranking 26th globally and third in Eastern Europe. Programmes like Poland.Business Harbour and Poland Prize aim to attract foreign entrepreneurs. The integration of Ukrainian war refugees provides a skilled talent pool that has partially addressed domestic labour shortages.
According to the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2025, Poland lags EU averages in digital public services. Citizen-focused services scored 70.69 (EU: 82.32), up from 63.73 in 2023, with cross-border services improving from 42.38 to 49.58. Business-focused services scored 85.0, with cross-border services rising from 51.39 to 70.0. Poland leads in e-health access (91.82, above the EU average of 82.7). Under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, Poland adopted policies in 2024 for digitalising education and equipping schools with ICT infrastructure, though delays of nearly two years have slowed implementation.
ICT specialists comprise 4.5 per cent of employment in 2024, up from 4.3 per cent in 2023, targeting 6 per cent by 2030 (the EU targets 10 per cent). Female ICT specialists dropped from 19.1 per cent to 17.5 per cent—a troubling reversal. Domestic labour challenges persist, including shortages of affordable skilled workers. Tools like employee stock ownership plans could incentivise talent retention, but regulatory improvements are needed.
Reinvantage’s IT Competitiveness Index places Poland third out of 32 countries, above Lithuania by 0.6 points and below Cyprus by 2.06 points. The country ranked fourth last year, meaning Poland would rank second amongst the original cohort. Performance is outstanding in Talent (first) and strong in IT Infrastructure (fourth) but weaker in Economic Impact and Future Technologies (15th in both).
The underlying metrics show rapid growth. Average gross ICT salaries stood at 3,124 euros in 2024, representing 54 per cent growth since 2020—one of the rare cases where economy-wide wage growth (62 per cent) exceeded ICT. Employment in the sector is strong, rising from 445,750 in 2020 to 671,000 in 2024—the highest number among all surveyed countries. Almost 4 per cent of the workforce is now employed in ICT, up from 2.7 per cent in 2020.
Students in ICT-related fields are projected to have grown almost 25 per cent between 2020 and 2024. Graduates are estimated to have increased 33 per cent, indicating persistent interest from the younger generation.
ICT services exports rose from 1.55 per cent of GDP in 2020 to 2.14 per cent in 2024—substantial growth for such a large country. Value added increased from 3.91 per cent to 4.4 per cent, with both metrics growing steadily in absolute terms throughout 2020–2024.
Poland’s tech sector has surged, fuelled by Ukrainian talent and business relocation. Once the war ends and normalcy returns, maintaining this trajectory will require more than geopolitical fortune. For now, Warsaw enjoys the dividend. How long it lasts depends on whether Poland can convert temporary advantage into permanent competitiveness.
You can find out more about Poland’s tech sector, as well as those of 31 other countries, in the Reinvantage Future of IT 2026 report.
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