Almost 4.2 million Ukrainians have temporary protection status in EU countries: Eurostat
After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, millions of Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes to escape the war. This biggest migration crisis in Europe since the Second World War prompted the European Union to activate the temporary protection mechanism, which provides Ukrainian refugees with the right to residence, access to work, health services and education in EU countries. Against the backdrop of brutal fighting, destruction and loss of life, Ukrainians found refuge in many European countries that opened their borders and provided basic assistance. Such mass migration changed the social landscape in European countries, and also affected the economy and society of Ukraine itself, which continues to fight for its independence.
For data According to Eurostat, in 2024, 4 million 198 thousand 480 Ukrainians had the status of temporary protection in the countries of the European Union. Compared to the end of September of the same year, the number of people under protection increased by only 1,110 people, which indicates relative stability in the process of registering new refugees. The largest absolute increase in the number of people with this status was recorded in Germany, where their number increased by 11,370 people (by 1 percent), in Poland – by 4,45 people (by 0.4 percent), and in Spain – by 3,000 600 people (by 1.6 percent).
Germany remains the country that received the largest number of Ukrainian refugees in the European Union. As of the end of October 2024, 1 million 140 thousand 710 people with temporary protection status were in this country, which is 27.2 percent of the total number of registered beneficiaries in the EU. Poland, which has become one of the main destinations for Ukrainian refugees since the beginning of the war, received 983 thousand 880 people, which is 23.4 percent. The Czech Republic is also among the top three, where 379,370 people have temporary protection, which corresponds to 9 percent of the total number.
These countries are followed by Spain, where 221 thousand 900 people are registered, Romania with 175 thousand 310 people, and Italy, where there are 165 thousand 680 people with this status. However, a significant reduction in the number of beneficiaries in some countries was also recorded in October. The most noticeable decrease occurred in Lithuania, where the registration of 33 thousand 455 people was canceled, which is a decrease of 41.3 percent. The reason for this was the large-scale cancellation of status for people who did not activate or extend their protection. The number of refugees also decreased in Italy (-1 thousand 105 people, or -0.7 percent) and France (-280 people, or -0.5 percent).
If we analyze the number of beneficiaries of temporary protection in relation to the population of each country of the European Union, the highest indicator is observed in the Czech Republic, where there are 34.8 beneficiaries for every thousand people of the population. Poland has a figure of 26.9 people per thousand, and Estonia – 25.3. The average figure across the European Union is 9.3 people per thousand inhabitants, which highlights the significant level of burden that individual countries take on.
The socio-demographic composition of beneficiaries of temporary protection is also indicative. Almost half of the persons who received the status are adult women (45 percent). Another 32 percent are children, and 23 percent are adult men. This distribution is due to the fact that the majority of men remain in Ukraine to participate in hostilities or perform other duties. In 2023, the share of women was 46.4%, children 33.4% and adult men 20.2%.
In addition to the main host countries, such as Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, a significant number of Ukrainians with temporary protection are also registered in other European countries. For example, more than 100 thousand Ukrainians are in Slovakia (128 thousand 350 people), the Netherlands (120 thousand 210 people) and Ireland (108 thousand 670 people). An even larger number of Ukrainians is distributed between countries, where this indicator ranges from 50 to 100 thousand people. Thus, there are 85 thousand 680 people in Belgium, 83 thousand 510 people in Austria, 77 thousand 310 people in Norway, 68 thousand 60 people in Finland, 66 thousand 980 people in Switzerland, 66 thousand 30 people in Bulgaria. , in Portugal – 64 thousand 220 people, and in France – 59 thousand 820 persons
A smaller number of refugees is recorded in other European countries. In Lithuania, their number is 47 thousand 610 people, in Latvia – 47 thousand 280 people, in Sweden – 45 thousand 420 people, in Hungary – 38 thousand 480 people, in Denmark – 37 thousand 900 people, in Estonia – 34 thousand 750 people, in Greece – 32 thousand 100 people, in Croatia – 25 thousand 620 people, in Cyprus – 21 thousand 940 people, in Iceland – 3 thousand 980 people, in Luxembourg – 3 thousand 850 people, in Malta – 2 thousand 190 people, and in Liechtenstein – only 670 people.
Eurostat clarified that all the given data are based on EU Council Decision 2022/382 of March 4, 2022, which introduced a temporary protection mechanism for persons who were forced to leave Ukraine due to the military invasion of Russia. This decision was adopted to organize support for displaced persons on the territory of the European Union. On June 25, 2024, the European Council decided to extend this mechanism for another year – until March 4, 2026.
At the same time, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the number of Ukrainian refugees in Europe is estimated at 6 million 226 thousand people, and in the world – at 6 million 786 thousand people. This is 34,000 more than was recorded on October 15 of the same year.
We will remind you that Ukraine maintains a high level of population displacement. According to the latest UN data, as of August 2024, the number of internally displaced persons was 3,669,000. This is 121 thousand more than was recorded in April. According to the regional authorities, since August 2024, more than 128,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in the Donetsk region, including 24,000 people who fled active hostilities. At the same time, about 330,000 people still remain in this region, including 63,000 in active combat zones. In the Sumy region, according to local authorities, 36,000 people were evacuated from August to October, including 6,000 children.
Deputy Economy Minister of Ukraine Serhiy Sobolev previously noted that the return of every 100,000 Ukrainians to their homes adds 0.5 percent to the growth of the country’s gross domestic product. In the macroeconomic forecast for 2024, the Ministry of Economy predicted the return of about 1.5 million people. At the same time, the National Bank of Ukraine revised its forecasts in its October inflation report, predicting an outflow of the population abroad in 2024 at the level of 0.5 million people, which will increase the total number of Ukrainians who remain abroad to 6.8 million people.
A gradual return of citizens to Ukraine is expected in 2026. However, in a new report, the National Bank lowered the net inflow forecast from 400,000 people to 200,000. These data demonstrate the scale of challenges facing Ukraine in the process of restoring its demographic and economic potential after the end of the war.
