Based on 2021-2024 data, approximately 680,000 to 750,000 Polish nationals or Polish-born residents live in the UK. Although numbers reached over 1 million around 2016-2017, they have since decreased. However, Polish people remain one of the largest foreign-born groups in the UK, with significant communities in England, particularly London.
What is the largest foreign nationality in the UK?
In 2020/21 there were approximately 696,000 Polish nationals living in the United Kingdom, the highest non-British population at this time. Indian and Irish were the joint second-largest nationalities at approximately 370,000 people.
According to the National Statistical Office, 25,000 Polish citizens left the UK in the past 12 months, while just 7,000 arrived. This represents a decline in the migration balance of more than two-thirds over the course of a single year.
Poland is rapidly closing the wealth gap with the UK, with its GDP per capita reaching about 81% of the UK's by late 2025, up from 36% in 1995, although the UK remains richer overall. While the UK's nominal GDP per capita is roughly double that of Poland's, Poland's economy has grown significantly faster since 2019, with some Polish regions now wealthier than parts of the UK.
The top immigrant nationalities in the UK vary slightly by data source (overall population vs. new arrivals), but recent figures consistently highlight India, Poland, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Romania, with India often leading, followed by significant numbers from EU countries like Poland and Romania, and emerging flows from Nigeria, China, and Ukraine, often driven by work, family, or asylum seeking.
Why I wouldn't move back to the UK after 7 years in Poland
How many Lithuanians live in the UK?
As of 2025, an estimated 182,423 Lithuanians live in the UK, according to UK Office for National Statistics (ONS), marking an increase of 95,730 since 2004.
Since 1922, the United Kingdom has been made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales (which collectively make up Great Britain) and Northern Ireland (variously described as a country, province, jurisdiction or region).
Ranking of the most beautiful cities in Poland. Number 1: Krakow. Number 2: Wroclaw. Number 3: Gdansk. Number 4: Warsaw. Number 5: Torun. Number 6: Poznan. Number 7: Lublin. Number 8: Sandomierz. Number 9: Kazimierz Dolny. Number 10: Zamosc. Number 11: Szczecin. Number 12: Olsztyn. Number 13: Sopot. Number 14: Gdynia. ...
Why have Polish people come to Britain? Britain's Polish community began with political exiles - people displaced during World War 2 and unable to return home. Other Poles came during the Communist era, escaping from political and economic problems at home.
Approximately 98% of the people of Poland are white and identify as Polish. The lack of ethnic diversity is mainly due to World War II, where much of Poland's population either fled or was killed. After World War II, people of non-Polish descent were deported to the country of their ethnic origin.
A record number of Poles are now leaving the UK and returning to Poland. This is a clear reversal of a trend that once defined Polish migration for years. Britain is becoming less attractive as everyday life grows more expensive and uncertain.
Although less than 10% of the total UK-born population lived in London, the city was home to one-third of the total foreign-born population in the country. Northern Ireland, the North East, and Wales were the least popular destinations for migrants.
Currently, Peterborough is the most Lithuanian city in the UK among those with 100 000+ inhabitants, with up to 5% of its population Lithuania-born and even larger number ethnic Lithuanians.
There is no definitive number of Italians in the UK. According to the 2021 UK Census, there were 276,669 Italian-born residents in England and Wales. However, the same source registers 368,738 Italian passport holders resident in England and Wales, and this statistic excludes Italians that also hold a British passport.
Asylum seekers in the UK generally receive about £7.03 per day (£49.18 per week) in cash support for essential living costs like food, toiletries, and clothing, but this amount is reduced to about £1.42 per day (£9.95 per week) if the GOV.UKHome Office provides accommodation with meals GOV.UK. This money is provided on a pre-paid card and is intended to cover basic needs, as asylum seekers are typically not allowed to work.
The table and chart below use Home Office statistics. These figures include dependants. In 2021 the UK was 4th in Europe in terms of the number of first-time asylum applications. Germany had the highest figure.
Indian origin households lead as the UK's wealthiest ethnic group, as per a report by LSE, with median wealth jumping from £93,000 from 2012/14 to 2021/23—outpacing others through hard work, homeownership and smart investments.
Cities across the UK regions with high White British populations included Swansea (91.5%), Kingston Upon Hull (89.7%), Plymouth (92.2%), Darlington (93.7%), Belfast (96.4% – NI classification "white"), Norwich (84.7%), Liverpool (84.8%) and Chelmsford (90.0%).
