Poland’s transformation from a struggling post-communist economy into one of Europe’s fastest-growing markets is receiving renewed attention in Norway, where a major newspaper’s economics podcast has presented the country as an emerging European economic powerhouse and asked what other nations can learn from its success.
The 12 October episode of Forklart, published by Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, examines how Poland has developed into a major European economy and why some Polish emigrants are choosing to return home.
Titled Dette er Europas nye økonomiske stormakt — “This is Europe’s new economic powerhouse” — the 16-minute programme features economic commentator Sindre Heyerdahl and European correspondent Pål Vegard Hagesæther.
- Find more news from Poland on our Homepage .
The podcast’s official description characterises Poland’s transformation as an economic miracle, contrasting its communist-era difficulties with its present-day growth.
The subject has particular resonance in Norway, where Polish workers have been a major part of the labour market for more than two decades.
What Norway can learn from Poland
Heyerdahl had already explored Poland’s economic development in an E24 commentary published on 20 March 2026, following a visit to Warsaw.
In that piece, he argued that Poland offered valuable lessons for other European economies struggling with weak growth, expensive energy and insufficient innovation.
He highlighted the country’s entrepreneurial culture, investment in technology, integration with European markets and expanding domestic consumption.
Poland’s accession to the European Union in 2004 was an important turning point, opening access to a much larger market and supporting investment and business development.
Heyerdahl also pointed to the experience of Poles who had worked abroad and subsequently returned with professional skills, business contacts and savings.
In his assessment, those returning workers could strengthen Polish businesses, particularly in sectors such as technology and construction.
His broader argument was that Europe’s established economies should pay closer attention to how Poland has developed rather than continue viewing it primarily through its post-communist history.
Economic figures support the growth story
Poland’s recent economic performance provides a substantial basis for the Norwegian interest.
According to the European Commission’s Spring 2026 forecast, Poland’s economy expanded by 3.6% in real terms during 2025.
The Commission projected further growth of 3.5% in 2026, significantly above its forecast of 1.1% for the European Union as a whole.
Private consumption, investment and EU-funded projects have been important drivers of that growth.
Poland has also developed a substantial industrial and services economy, including internationally competitive businesses in manufacturing, logistics and information technology.
Its rising economic weight reflects both sustained growth and the scale of a domestic market much larger than Norway’s.
However, the comparison requires perspective. A country’s total economic output is not the same as its prosperity per person, and Norway remains substantially wealthier on that measure.
The European Commission has also identified continuing challenges for Poland, including fiscal deficits, rising public debt and a shrinking domestic working-age population.
Are Polish emigrants returning from Norway?
Migration is among the most striking themes in the Norwegian discussion.
After Poland joined the EU, large numbers of Polish citizens sought better-paid employment abroad, including in Norway’s construction, manufacturing and services industries.
Over time, rising Polish wages and new opportunities at home have changed the calculation for some workers.
Official figures show that Norway nevertheless retains a substantial Polish community.
According to Statistics Norway, approximately 111,740 Polish-born immigrants were living in the country at the beginning of 2026, making Poles its largest immigrant group.
That was approximately 360 more than a year earlier.
Some Polish news reports have described the figure as the number of Poles who moved to Norway in 2025. It is actually the net change in the recorded resident immigrant population, not the number of new arrivals.
Separately, Statistics Poland’s August 2026 estimates suggested that approximately 1.51 million Polish citizens were temporarily living abroad at the end of 2025, down by around 21,000 from the previous year.
That decline is consistent with a changing migration picture, although it does not establish how many emigrants returned specifically because of better economic opportunities.
From a source of workers to an economic competitor
The change in Norway’s perception of Poland is part of a wider European development.
For many years, countries such as Norway, Germany and Britain regarded Poland primarily as a source of workers seeking higher wages.
The Norwegian commentary presents a different picture: an economy generating its own employment opportunities, attracting investment and developing businesses capable of competing internationally.
The argument does not mean Poland has eliminated its economic problems or that Norwegian living standards have been overtaken.
It does suggest that Poland’s long-term development is changing how parts of Western Europe understand the country’s economic position.
That shift is particularly significant in Norway, where Polish migration has shaped industries and communities since EU enlargement in 2004.
For Heyerdahl, the lesson extends beyond Poland’s national success.
In his March commentary, he concluded that Europe needed examples of economies capable of sustained expansion — and that Poland was showing a possible way forward.
The renewed attention in Aftenposten reflects how Poland’s economic transformation is increasingly being discussed not simply as a domestic achievement, but as a potential model for other European countries.
