Ukrainian refugees swell Poland's population by 3 percent in 10 days

Poland has absorbed around 1 million of the 1.5 million refugees who have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, The Guardian reported Sunday.

"Poland's population has increased by about 3 percent in the last 10 days due to Ukrainian refugees," Alex Nowrasteh, the director of economic and social policy at the libertarian Cato Institute, wrote on Twitter.

"Good for Poland," Nowrasteh continued. "[K]eep those doors open."

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According to data from the World Bank, Poland had a population of around 38 million in 2020.

The Guardian reported Anastasia Lapatina, who observed the refugee crisis in a Polish border town, said she saw "the best of humanity" as Polish volunteers provided Ukrainian refugees with free "food, water, clothes, phones with prepaid plans, accommodation, [and] legal advice."

According to The New York Times, men between the ages of 18 and 60 are forbidden to leave Ukraine, and consequently "the crowds pouring into Poland, Hungary and other neighboring nations are eerily devoid of men."

European Union Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said last Sunday that European Union member nations "should be prepared for millions" of refugees.