Where Ukrainian Refugees Relocated in 2022-2025

According to UNHCR, by late May 2022, roughly 2.93 million Ukrainian refugees had registered for temporary protection or similar national programs across Europe. The main destinations of forced Ukrainian migration were neighboring countries and the largest economies of the European Union. In particular, Poland hosted 1.143 million refugees. Large numbers of temporary protection registrations were also recorded in the Czech Republic (361,420) and Germany (329,340). In addition, many Ukrainians in the early phase of the full-scale war chose Italy, Spain, Slovakia, Austria, the Netherlands, and the Baltic states. By October 2022, the United Nations had registered 7.6 million Ukrainian refugees across Europe, including 2.85 million people deported to Russia. More than 3.6 million Ukrainians had registered for EU temporary protection.

In 2023, the Ukrainian migration wave continued. According to UNHCR, one year after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 5.2 million refugees were registered in Europe, of whom 4.8 million were living in the European Union and the United Kingdom. Approximately another 1 million Ukrainians obtained protection during 2023. Refugees also moved between countries: in 2023, numbers increased in Norway, the Netherlands, and Spain, while declining in Poland and Italy. Changes in both the scale and geography of Ukrainian displacement in 2024-2025 were far more modest. The total number of Ukrainians under temporary protection in EU countries remained within the range of 4.2-4.3 million (The Sofia Globe; Eurostat; Eurostat). Still, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic remain the three largest host countries by refugee numbers.

A range of factors shaped destination choices for forced migration. One of the most important was geographic proximity. In the first months after the full-scale invasion, Ukrainians needed to leave the country quickly — explaining the heavy concentration of refugees in neighboring states, especially Poland, which accepted the largest number of displaced people immediately after the invasion. The level of social support and the possibility of longer-term legal residence also mattered. In this respect, Germany stands out: for four consecutive years, it has extended temporary protection for Ukrainians while providing generous assistance, alongside integration opportunities (free state language courses and health insurance, access to employment and education, and simplified family reunification). Labor market conditions (particularly overall wage levels) also played a role, encouraging movement toward Europe’s more economically developed countries. Linguistic and cultural proximity, as well as the size of existing Ukrainian communities or diasporas, were likewise important. These factors help explain the large inflows to Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Baltic states.

Thus, throughout 2022-2025, Ukrainian refugees continued to move across Europe in search of better conditions, but the three leading host countries by refugee numbers remained unchanged.