Refugees from Ukraine in Poland-Differentiation of spatial distribution and impact on demographic structures

In late February 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine set-off a tide of refugees heading west. The paper discusses the scale of the refugee flow into Poland, its distribution patterns and its influence on existing demographic structures (both captured at a local LAU 1 scale). By studying refugee flows at three time-points, the study, on the one hand, offers a dynamic analysis and, on the other, identifies the spatial patterns behind the movements of the successive waves of refugees. Unexpected wave of recent immigration is likely to strengthen the demographic and settlement processes observable in Poland. The above pertains to both the overall concentration in major metropolitan areas, as well as to suburbanisation processes. The areas with the highest depopulation (eastern Poland) have recorded a relatively low influx of refugees. This implies that it cannot be expected that the immigration may be of a compensatory nature and that it will be helpful in making up for structural population losses in such areas.