As of the end of January 2025, more than 4.3 million Ukrainian refugees were under temporary protection in the European Union. Eurostat released this data, emphasising that this number reflects only those Ukrainian citizens who were officially granted the status after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Main directions of migration
Three countries have received the most Ukrainians, accounting for almost 60% of all refugees in the EU. Germany remains the leader with 1.17 million Ukrainian citizens (27.3%). Poland has sheltered 993,000 people (23.2%), due to both geographical proximity and the presence of a large Ukrainian diaspora. The Czech Republic provided temporary protection to 395,000 Ukrainians (9.2%).
However, if we consider the ratio of refugees to the total population, the Czech Republic is the leader with 36.2 Ukrainians per 1000 local residents. High values were also recorded in Poland (27.1) and Estonia (26.0).
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Dynamics of changes
In January 2025, the number of Ukrainians under temporary protection in the EU increased by 25,530 (+0.6%). The largest increase was recorded in Germany (+8,800), the Czech Republic (+6,360) and Spain (+3,050).
At the same time, some countries saw a decrease in the number of refugees. Denmark showed the largest decline (-6.1%), which may be due to changes in refugee policy. Decreases were also recorded in France, Austria and Lithuania.
Such migration fluctuations may indicate both a partial return of Ukrainians home and internal migration within the EU in search of better living and employment conditions.
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