Many Ukrainian refugees are leaving Poland for Germany, where healthcare and social benefits are better – media

Many Ukrainians are leaving Poland for Germany, with numbers potentially reaching hundreds of thousands.

This was reported by the inPoland portal, which analyzed the latest Eurostat data.

According to statistics, by the end of 2024, more than 1.14 million Ukrainian refugees were residing in Germany, accounting for 27.2% of all refugees in the European Union. Meanwhile, the number of Ukrainian refugees in Poland decreased from 1.3 million in 2022 to 983,880. However, not all those who left Poland necessarily relocated to Germany.

One of the main reasons for Ukrainians moving to Germany is the higher wages. Additionally, Germany is attractive to refugees due to more generous social benefits and better healthcare services. In contrast, Poland is undergoing educational reforms, implementing stricter access to social programs, and facing negative economic factors, all of which are fueling the migration wave.

However, Germany does not grant asylum to individuals who have already received it in another EU country.

It is worth noting that German media have previously reported that Ukrainians were the second-largest group, after Syrians, to be denied entry into Germany. From July to December 2024, one in five illegal migrants was Ukrainian.

As previously reported, the leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) faction in Bavaria called for the immediate expulsion of Ukrainian refugees from Germany.