How many Ukrainians left for Europe and which countries accepted them: statistics
10 February 21:19
The number of Ukrainian refugees in the EU has increased by another 25,000 in a month, with the number of men among the forced emigrants due to the war increasing. This is evidenced by Eurostat data, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Thus, statistical experts have estimated that as of December 31, 2024, almost 4.3 million non-EU citizens who left Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression had temporary protection status in the EU.
The EU countries that have received the largest number of refugees from Ukraine are:
- Germany (1,161,450 people; 27.3% of the total number in the EU),
- Poland (991,630; 23.3%),
- Czech Republic (388,625; 9.1%).
Compared to the end of November 2024, the total number of persons under temporary protection in the EU at the end of December increased by 25,590 (0.6%). The largest absolute increase in the number of beneficiaries was observed in:
- Germany (8,830; 0.8%),
- Poland (3,705; 0.4%),
- Czech Republic (3,435; 0.9%).
The number of persons under temporary protection decreased only in Denmark (-1,995; -5.1%), Italy (-1,310; -0.8%) and France (-595; -1.0%).
Compared to the population of each EU country, the highest rate of temporary protection beneficiaries per thousand people was observed in the Czech Republic (35.7), Poland (27.1) and Estonia (25.8), while the corresponding rate at the EU level was 9.5 per thousand people.
As of December 31, 2024, Ukrainian citizens accounted for more than 98.3% of temporary protection beneficiaries in the EU. Adult women accounted for almost half (44.8%) of the beneficiaries. Children accounted for almost a third (31.9%), while adult men accounted for less than a quarter (23.2%) of the total.
The situation of Ukrainian refugees in Europe
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, millions of Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homeland, and a significant number of them have sought refuge in the European Union. By January 2025, more than 4.6 million Ukrainian citizens had been granted temporary protection status in the EU, indicating the scale of the migration flow.
Distribution of Ukrainian refugees by EU countries
The distribution of Ukrainian refugees across EU countries is not uniform. The largest number of refugees is registered in Germany, where at the end of 2024 there were more than 1.14 million Ukrainian citizens with temporary protection status, which is 27.2% of the total number of such statuses in the EU.
Poland, which traditionally hosts a large number of Ukrainians, registered 983,880 refugees by 2024, a decrease compared to 2022, when the number exceeded 1.3 million.
The Czech Republic ranked third in terms of the number of accepted Ukrainians, having registered 379 thousand people.
Dynamics of migration flows
Since the beginning of 2025, there has been a change in the dynamics of migration flows. Some Ukrainians are returning home, especially to countries where living conditions and the level of social support are changing. For example, Poland introduced new rules that limit social benefits for Ukrainian refugees, which may have influenced some of them to return home.
Impact on EU economies
The presence of a large number of Ukrainian refugees has had a significant impact on the economies of the host countries. Many of them have integrated into the labor market, especially in areas where there is a shortage of labor. However, the possible return of a significant number of refugees to their homeland could lead to labor shortages in some sectors of the economy, requiring adaptation and revision of migration policy.
Prospects and challenges
In 2025, EU countries will continue to adapt their migration and social policies in response to changes in the number of refugees. Some states plan to reduce the amount of social assistance provided to Ukrainian refugees, which may affect their decision to stay in the country.
At the same time, the EU has extended the Temporary Protection Directive for Ukrainians until March 2026, which allows almost 4 million Ukrainians to stay legally in Europe.
Thus, the situation with Ukrainian refugees in the EU in 2025 is characterized by dynamic changes related to the adaptation of migration flows, changes in social support and the impact on the economies of host countries.
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