An adult and a child are holding hands and the colors of the Ukrainian flag

On 31 May 2023, over 4 million non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine as a consequence of the Russian invasion on 24 February 2022 had temporary protection statuses in EU countries. 

The main countries hosting beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine were Germany (1 111 590 people; 28% of the total), Poland (991 375; 25%) and Czechia (340 090; 8%). 

Compared with the end of April 2023, the number of beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine increased in the EU by 57 300 (+1.4%). The largest increases were observed in Germany (+21 355; +2.0%), Czechia (+8 240; +2.5%) and Romania (+3 825; +3.0%). 

On the other hand, four countries saw a decrease in the number of people under temporary protection: Poland (-3 660; -0.4%), Portugal (-470; -0.8%), France (-170; -0.3%) and Estonia (-30; -0.1%). 

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 military invasion, and having the effect of introducing temporary protection.

Interactive map: Non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine and were under temporary protection at the end of March 2022

Source datasets: migr_asytpsm and demo_gind

 

Compared with the population of each EU member, the highest numbers of total temporary protection beneficiaries per thousand people in May 2023 were observed in Czechia (32.3), Estonia (26.4), Poland (26.3), Lithuania (24.9), Bulgaria (23.1) and Latvia (22.5), whereas the corresponding figure at the EU level was equal to 9.0 per thousand people.

By May 2023, Ukrainian citizens represented 98% of the beneficiaries of temporary protection. Adult women made up almost half (46.6%; majority aged 35-64) of temporary protection beneficiaries in the EU. Children accounted for slightly more than one third (34.6%), while adult men comprised less than a fifth (18.8%) of the total.

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Methodological notes

  • Some data are unavailable. This is because the monthly data collection is carried out on a voluntary basis, so the completeness of the data may vary:
    • Germany: data on beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine not available for March-July 2022. 
    • Hungary: data on beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine not available for March and April 2022. 
    • Austria: data on beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine not available for March-June 2022. 
    • Greece, Italy and Slovakia: data on beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine not available for March 2022. 
    • France: In most cases, minors can stay in France without a permit. Therefore, minors fleeing the war in Ukraine and seeking protection in France are generally not included in statistics on temporary protection. 
    • Ireland and Hungary: data on temporary protection broken down by age group are not available. 
  • 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, particularly 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 granting 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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