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Indians in Poland consist of migrants from India to Poland and their locally born descendants. The estimations of the number of Indians in Poland vary from 15,000[3] to 38,000 by governmental sources.[4][5][6]
Indians started migrating to Poland in the late 1980s and early 1990s when the political situation in Poland changed, and new opportunities started to emerge.[7] Most of them are businessmen [citation needed] who migrated to Poland to take advantage of the economic boom after Warsaw opted for a free-market economy in 1989 and joined the European Union in 2004. In 2007, Poland signed an agreement with India to admit more Indian migrant workers as part of an effort to ameliorate labour shortages caused by the outward migration of hundreds of thousands of Polish workers to wealthier countries in the European Union.[8] Newer groups of Indians in Poland are students and academics.[9] Recent research shows that the Indian community has been well integrated into Polish society.[10]
Number of work permits for Indian citizens and number of Indian students enrolled in Polish universities
| Year | Total number of work permits for foreigners issued [11] | Of which for Indians (%) | Number of work permits for Indian citizens* | Academic year | Number of Indian students enrolled in Polish universities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 36 800 | 3,2 | 1 189[12] | 2009-10 | 227[13] |
| 2011 | 40 808 | 2,6 | 1 055 | 2010-11 | 148 |
| 2012 | 39 144 | 2,78% | 1 088 | 2011-12 | 189 |
| 2013 | 39 078 | 3,33% | 1 301 | 2012-13 | 204 |
| 2014 | 43 663 | 2,84% | 1 240 | 2013-14 | 321[14] |
| 2015 | 65 786 | 2,17% | 1 428 | 2014-15 | 545[15] |
| 2016 | 127 394 | 1,39% | 1 771 | 2015-16 | 896[16] |
| 2017 | 235 626 | 1,61% | 3 794 | 2016-17 | 2 138[17] |
| 2018 | 328 768 | 2,54% | 8 362 | 2017-18 | 2 987[18] |
| 2019 | * | *% | * | 2018-19 | 3600 (preliminary data) |
- (Calculated on basis of col. 1 and col. 2)
The Indian community in Poland is a business-minded community. They have their own 'Little India' in Warsaw and Kraków as a large number of the community are based there, while there are others based in Łódź and Pabianice.[citation needed]
The Indian community in Poland is primarily composed of Hindus and Sikhs. Hinduism began to spread in the country through the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) missionaries starting in 1976. The first Hindu temple in Poland, the New Shantipur Temple, was established in 1980 in Czarnów, located in the Lower Silesia Territory.[19] A second Hindu temple, known as Hindu Bhavan, was constructed in Warsaw.[20] The Indian community hopes that the temple sensitizes the community's youth towards Indian tradition and customs, as well as to use the new place of worship as a tool to integrate with Polish society.
There are about 120 Sikh families in Warsaw headed by J J Singh, the most prominent Indian, who is also the president of Indo Polish Chamber of Commerce and Industries.[21] The city's Sikh Gurdwara the only Sikh shrine in the whole of Eastern Europe, and it is the place where both Sikhs and Sindhi's come together to celebrate Baisakhi. The Kerala Association of Poland conducts Onam, the festival of Keralites year on year, headed by Pradeep Nayar and Chandramohan Nallur. The Association of Bengalis in Poland headed by Pradipto Maulik together with Durga Puja Committee conduct the 3–4 day long festival of Durga Puja. Durgotsav is the largest Indian community festival in Poland. Gujaratis, who came from the state of Gujarat and Tamils, who came from the state of Tamil Nadu in India, also have their associations and celebrate Holi, Dandya and Pongal respectively.
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