4.38 million from Ukraine under temporary protection in May 2026 in EU
On 31 May 2026, a total of 4.38 million non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine had temporary protection status in the EU. Compared with the end of April 2026, the number of people from Ukraine under temporary protection increased by 7 795 (+0.2%).
The EU countries hosting the highest number of beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine were Germany (1 283 270 people; 29.3% of the EU total), Poland (967 505; 22.1%) and Spain (267 400; 6.1%).
The number of people under temporary protection increased in 22 out of the 26 countries with available data, with the 3 largest absolute increases observed in Italy (+6 250; +15.3%), Germany (+3 610; +0.3%) and Spain (+2 295; +0.9%). Among the 4 EU countries that registered decreases, the largest were recorded in Bulgaria (-12 345; -14.8%), Poland (-3 750; -0.4%) and France (-665; -1.3%).
Source datasets: migr_asytpsm and migr_asytpspop
The highest ratios of temporary protection beneficiaries per thousand people were observed in Slovakia at 26.8, Poland (26.5) and Cyprus (25.9), compared with 9.7 at EU level.
On 31 May 2026, Ukrainian citizens represented over 98.5% of the beneficiaries of temporary protection in the EU. Adult women made up 43.4% of the total, adult men 26.8%, and minors almost one-third (29.8%) of all beneficiaries.
The data presented in this article refer to the attribution of temporary protection status based on the Council Implementing Decision 2022/382 of 4 March 2022, which recognises the existence of a mass influx of displaced persons from Ukraine due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, and introduces temporary protection.
On 13 June 2025, the European Council adopted the decision to extend the temporary protection for these people from 4 March 2026 to 4 March 2027.
For more information
- Statistics Explained on temporary protection for persons fleeing Ukraine
- Thematic section on the impact of the war in Ukraine
- Thematic section on migration and asylum
- Database on asylum statistics
- Migration and asylum in Europe – 2025 edition
Methodological notes
- The breakdown of beneficiaries by age and sex is calculated based on available data and excludes cases with unknown values.
- Temporary protection applies in situations of a mass influx or imminent mass influx of displaced people from non-EU countries who cannot return to their country of origin. They are granted immediate and temporary protection, particularly when there is a risk that the asylum system cannot handle the inflow efficiently, in the interests of both these people and others requesting protection.
- The way countries deregister people under temporary protection varies, and if not done continuously, can lead to large month-to-month decreases in the number of registered beneficiaries.
- Where relevant, data might not add up to 100% due to rounding.
Country notes
- France: data generally exclude minors.
- Iceland: data for May 2026 are not available.
- Czechia: data for May 2026 are not available.
- EU aggregate for May has been estimated by using Czech data for April 2026.
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