Eurostat: number of Ukrainians in the EU fell by nearly 69,000 in March

In March of this year, 4.33 million Ukrainians were under temporary protection in European Union countries — 68,980 people, or 1.6%, fewer than in February 2026.

The data was published by Eurostat.

The largest decrease was recorded in Italy, where the number of Ukrainians fell by 30,365 people, or 47.4%, over the month. Eurostat cited the expiration of a large number of residence permits that required annual renewal as the main reason.

A significant decrease also occurred in two other countries — the Czech Republic (by 19,810 people) and Finland (by 8,080 people).

At the same time, the number of Ukrainians increased in 14 EU member states. Eurostat attributed such changes to two factors: internal migration of Ukrainians between EU countries, as well as the continued departure of citizens from Ukraine itself.

The top three countries hosting the largest numbers of Ukrainian refugees remained unchanged. Germany ranks first: in March, 1,274,955 Ukrainians were under temporary protection there, accounting for nearly 29.4% of the total number of Ukrainian nationals in the EU. Poland is in second place with 961,405 Ukrainians, or 22.2% of the total. The Czech Republic holds third place, with 379,820 Ukrainians — 8.8% of the total.

According to UN estimates, between three and three and a half million citizens who fled due to the full-scale invasion could return to Ukraine after the war ends.

As ZN.UA reported, the residence permits under the temporary protection program for Ukrainians in EU countries will expire in one year. Around six million Ukrainians will face a choice — to stay or to return home.