Brussels – At the end of September, 4.37 million citizens who have fled Ukraine – due to Russia’s war of aggression – were granted temporary protection in the EU. This was reported by Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical office. Temporary protection is an exceptional procedure that offers immediate protection to displaced persons who are unable to return to their home countries due to war, violence, or human rights violations. The Agency points out that, compared with the end of August 2026, there were 61,055 fewer people registered, representing a 1.4 per cent decrease.
The Member States hosting the largest number of beneficiaries include Germany (1,300,070 people; 29.7 per cent of the EU total), Poland (858,545; 19.6 per cent), and the Czech Republic (391,720; 9.0 per cent). Compared with the end of August, the number rose in 25 of the 27 EU Member States. The three largest absolute increases were observed in Germany (+5,515; +0.4 per cent), in Romania (+3,900; +1.8 per cent), and in Italy (+2,505; +4.4 per cent). Here, the total number of Ukrainian nationals rose from 56,535 at the end of August to 59,040 at the end of September. The most significant declines were seen in Poland (-80,850; -8.6 per cent) and in the Czech Republic (-6,640; -1.7 per cent).
The highest rates in terms of the number of beneficiaries per thousand people were recorded in the Czech Republic (35.9), in Slovakia (28), and in Cyprus (27.4), while Italy stood at 1 and the EU average at 9.7. At the end of September 2026, Ukrainian nationals accounted for over 98.5 per cent of beneficiaries of temporary protection in the EU. Of these, 44.1 per cent were women, 27.9 per cent were men, and 29 per cent were minors.
