As of February 2024, some 4.2 million Ukrainian refugees had found refuge in the EU, having been granted temporary protection status, according to Eurostat data released to the public.

Specifically, at the end of February 2024, the EU countries hosting the largest number of beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine were Germany (1,286,580 people, i.e. 30.4% of the EU total), Poland (957,200, i.e. 22,6%) and the Czech Republic (385,075, i.e. 9.1%).

Compared to the end of January 2024, the largest absolute increases in the number of beneficiaries were seen in Germany (+16,430, +1.3%), Poland (+5,640, +0.6%) and the Czech Republic (+3,885, +1.0%).

The number of beneficiaries decreased in 5 EU countries, namely Austria (-1,420 people, -1.7%), France (-685, -1.1%), Estonia (-550, -1.5% ), the Netherlands (-120, – 0.1%) and Malta (-20, -1.0%).

Compared to the population of each EU country, the highest numbers of total beneficiaries of temporary protection per thousand people at the end of February 2024 were recorded in the Czech Republic (35.6), Lithuania (26.5), and Poland (26.0), while at EU level 9.4 per thousand people were recorded.

At the end of February 2024, Ukrainian citizens accounted for more than 98% of beneficiaries of temporary protection. Adult women made up almost half (46%) of beneficiaries of temporary protection in the EU. Children accounted for almost a third (32.9%), while adult men made up just over a fifth (21.2%) of the total number.

According to Euronews, Eurostat figures refer to the provision of temporary protection status, based on the European decision of March 4, 2022, which establishes the existence of a mass influx of displaced persons from Ukraine due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

It is recalled that on September 28, 2023, the European Council agreed to extend temporary protection for people fleeing the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine from March 4, 2024, to March 4, 2025.

Also read: Netherlands | Conference on war claims of Ukraine by Russia

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