In March 2022, among the EU Member States for which data are available, Poland granted the highest number of temporary protection statuses to Ukrainians fleeing Ukraine (675 085) as a consequence of Russia’s invasion. Poland was followed by Czechia (244 650) and Slovakia (58 750).
While the overwhelming majority of persons receiving temporary protection were Ukrainians, there were also citizens of other countries who received such status in the EU Member States, e.g. 575 Russians and 325 Belarusians in Poland.
Based on the data already available for April 2022, the number of Ukrainians receiving temporary protection increased in nine EU Member States, with the largest increases recorded in Bulgaria and Lithuania (+30 965 and +21 800 people, respectively, compared with March 2022). In contrast, the numbers dropped in seven EU Member States, with the largest decrease observed in Poland (-249 465 people compared with March 2022), followed by Slovakia (-45 310) and Portugal (-15 635).
Data presented in this article refer to the grants of temporary protection based on the Council Implementing Decision 2022/382 of 4 March 2022, establishing the existence of a mass influx of displaced persons from Ukraine due to Russia’s invasion, and having the effect of introducing temporary protection.
Source datasets: migr_asytpfm and tps00001
Compared with the population of each Member State, the highest ratio of Ukrainian citizens granted temporary protection in March 2022 was recorded in Czechia (22.9 granted temporary protection per thousand inhabitants), followed by Poland (17.8), Slovakia (10.8) and Estonia (10.5).
More than a half of Ukrainians seeking protection in Poland were children
Ukrainian children (persons under 18 years old) represented the largest group granted temporary protection in Poland (361 565 people, or 54% of Ukrainians granted protection in Poland in March), followed by Czechia (96 740, or 40%) and Slovakia (24 130, or 41%).
Notably, in all countries for which March 2022 data are available, children below the age of 14 represented the vast majority (three-quarters or more) of all children granted temporary protection.
Predominantly Ukrainian females seeking protection in the EU Member States
In the EU Member States for which data are available, two-thirds or more of Ukrainians granted temporary protection were females, including girls. The largest number of females who received temporary protection were reported by Poland (446 660, or 66% of the Ukrainians granted protection in Poland in March), Czechia (163 190, or 67%) and Slovakia (41 370, or 70%).
Among males granted temporary protection in the EU Member States, the majority were boys below 18 years old.
For more information:
- Database on asylum statistics
- Dedicated section on migration and asylum statistics
- Statistics Explained article on monthly asylum statistics
- Statistics Explained article on annual asylum statistics
- European Commission – Temporary protection
Methodological notes:
- Germany, Cyprus, Hungary and the Netherlands: data not available for March 2022. Czechia, Germany, Estonia, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Hungary, the Netherlands and Austria: data not available for April 2022. This is because the data collection is carried out on a voluntary basis, so the completeness of the data may vary.
- Temporary protection is a procedure provided only in the event of a mass influx or imminent mass influx of displaced persons from third countries who are unable to return to their country of origin. These people are granted immediate and temporary protection, in particular if there is also a risk that the asylum system will be unable to process the influx without adverse effects for its efficient operation, in the interests of the persons concerned and other persons requesting protection.
- Data presented in this article refer to the grants of temporary protection and not to the registrations for temporary protection, which may precede the process of granting the status. Therefore, the data may not present all persons fleeing Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and who have registered but not yet formally received temporary protection.
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