Record number of Ukrainians granted temporary protection in EU in September 2025

In September 2025, the European Union issued the highest monthly number of temporary protection decisions for Ukrainians since 2023. Eurostat noted that the surge followed Ukraine's decision to reopen its borders to men aged 18 to 22.

In September 2025, EU member states issued 79,205 new temporary protection decisions for people who had fled Ukraine because of the war.

This figure represents a 49% increase compared with August 2025, and it is the highest monthly total since August 2023.

According to Eurostat, the spike coincided with Ukraine's August 2025 decision to allow men aged 18-22 to travel abroad. However, the agency did not specify whether this age group accounted for most of the increase.

By the end of September, the total number of Ukrainians under temporary protection in the EU had grown by 49,555 people, or 1.2%.

The largest increases were recorded in Poland: +12,960 (+1.3%), Germany: +7,585 (+0.6%) and Czechia: +3,455 (+0.9%). Only France reported a decline (-240; -0.4%).

Relative to their national populations, the highest proportions of Ukrainians under temporary protection were in Czechia (35.7 per 1,000 residents), Poland (27.6) and Estonia (25.5), compared with an EU average of 9.6 per 1,000.

More than 98% of those under temporary protection are Ukrainian citizens. Among them, 44% are women, 31% are minors and 25.1% are adult men. The largest Ukrainian communities under temporary protection currently reside in: Germany – over 1.2 million (28.3% of all beneficiaries in the EU), Poland – over 1 million (23.5%) and Czechia – over 389,000 (9.0%)

Markus Söder, Prime Minister of Bavaria, has renewed calls to restrict the entry of young Ukrainian men, urging the EU to pressure Kyiv on this issue.

Meanwhile, a recent study found that over half of Ukrainians with temporary protection in Germany are dissatisfied with their living conditions there.