EU reception of Ukrainian citizens hits two-year high

Brussels – Young men fleeing the war in Ukraine. In September 2025, EU countries issued 79,205 new decisions granting temporary protection to non-EU nationals who fled Ukraine following the Russian war of aggression. This represents a 49.0 percent increase since August 2025 and the highest monthly number of new decisions recorded since August 2023. The increase follows the Ukrainian government’s adoption in late August 2025 of the decree granting men between the ages of 18 and 22 the right to leave Ukraine unhindered. 

At the end of September 2025, a total of 4.3 million non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine had temporary protection status in the EU. Compared to the end of August 2025, the total number of people from Ukraine under temporary protection increased by 49,555 (+1.2%).

The EU countries hosting the most significant number of temporary protection beneficiaries from Ukraine were Germany (1,218,100 persons; 28.3 percent of the EU total), Poland (1,008,885; 23.5 percent), and the Czech Republic (389,310; 9.0 percent). 

Among the EU countries with available data, the number of persons under temporary protection increased in 24 countries, with the three most significant increases in absolute terms observed in Poland (+12,960; +1.3 pct), Germany (+7,585; +0.6 pct), and the Czech Republic (+3,455; +0.9 pct). The only decrease was recorded in France (-240; -0.4 pct).