4.7 million refugees from Ukraine across Europe

The 4.4 million Ukrainian refugees who have fled to the rest of Europe are covered by the Temporary Protection Directive passed by the European Union on 4 March 2022. All EU member states and EFTA countries (such as Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) have adopted this directive. The United Kingdom has made different arrangements. A further 219 thousand refugees from Ukraine are currently living there. The total number of refugees represents 11 percent of Ukraine’s total population.

Czechia, Poland and Slovakia have the most Ukrainian refugees in relative terms

Czechia has taken in the most Ukrainians relative to its population: more than 36 Ukrainian refugees for every thousand inhabitants. Neighbouring Poland and Slovakia also have relatively high numbers of Ukrainians: 27 and 24 refugees per thousand inhabitants, respectively.

Some countries further away from Ukraine, such as Ireland, Norway, Finland and Iceland, have also taken in relatively high numbers: 21, 14, 12 and 10 Ukrainian refugees per thousand inhabitants, respectively. The European average is around 9 refugees per thousand inhabitants. The Netherlands has received 7 refugees per thousand inhabitants, fewer than the average. Italy and France have received the fewest refugees in relative terms, at 3 and 1 per thousand inhabitants, respectively.

¹⁾Portugal: most recent figures from December 2024
²⁾Italy: provisional figures

Ukrainians tend to favour countries with an existing Ukrainian community

Before the Russian invasion, Ukrainians needed a residence permit to live in an EU or EFTA country. At the end of December 2021, 1.6 million Ukrainian nationals with a valid residence permit were already living in EU/EFTA countries – almost 4 Ukrainian nationals per thousand inhabitants. A large number of Ukrainians were living in neighbouring Poland and in Czechia before the invasion took place. There were 18 Ukrainian nationals per thousand inhabitants in both countries – 651 thousand in Poland and 194 thousand in Czechia. Following the invasion, many Ukrainians fled to these countries.

There are also countries where relatively few Ukrainian nationals were resident before the invasion, but to which a lot of Ukrainians migrated after the invasion. These include Bulgaria, Germany, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Fewer Ukrainians than average were resident in those countries before the invasion, but more than average since the invasion. Ireland is a case in point: less than 1 Ukrainian per thousand inhabitants was resident in Ireland before the invasion, but this has increased to 21 per thousand inhabitants, or over 110 thousand Ukrainian nationals in total.

The reverse situation can also be seen. Hungary had a relatively high number of Ukrainian nationals before the invasion. But Hungary has seen relatively few refugees arriving since the war began: 4 Ukrainians per thousand inhabitants. In France, meanwhile, there were relatively few Ukrainians before the invasion, and there have also been relatively few new arrivals.

In the Netherlands there were relatively few Ukrainian nationals with a valid residence permit before the invasion – less than 1 per thousand inhabitants. Now there are 7 Ukrainian nationals per thousand inhabitants here.

Many refugees under the age of 18 in Poland

Of the 4.4 million refugees with Ukrainian citizenship, 1.4 million were under the age of 18 when they left Ukraine – 32 percent of the total. Poland has a relatively high share of refugees aged under 18 – 46 percent of the total number. One-third of all the Ukrainian refugees aged under 18 in Europe are living in Poland. Hungary also has a relatively high share of refugees under 18 – 36 percent of the total number of refugees in the country. In Netherlands there are around 31 thousand Ukrainian refugees aged under 18, or 26 percent of the total. Iceland has the fewest in relative terms, at 17 percent.

¹⁾Portugal: most recent figures from December 2024
²⁾Italy: provisional figures
³⁾France: no data