What is the current situation with Ukrainians under temporary protection in the EU? How do they see their future?

In the fourth year of a full-scale war in Ukraine, more than 4.2 million Ukrainians under temporary protection continue to live in the EU – most of them in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. Although the rate of departure from Ukraine has decreased somewhat, some refugees have already adapted to life abroad and are less and less planning to return home soon.

Ukrainians abroad:

  • Are people mostly of working age with a high level of education;
  • About 45% are women, 32% are children, 24% are men;
  • Are actively integrating: they work, study, and create active communities.

Integration and the economy

Statistics of sociological surveys indicate obvious progress of Ukrainian refugees on the labor market.

In 2024, the employment rate of Ukrainians in the United Kingdom was 68%, in the Netherlands – 59%. It was lowest in Germany – 31.4%, due to the fact that a significant proportion of forced migrants from Ukraine took advantage of the opportunity to study and thus better prepare for entering the German labor market in the future.

According to the National Bank of Poland, in 2024, the employment rate of Ukrainian refugees exceeded this indicator for the local population: 68% of able-bodied Ukrainians who arrived in the country after the war began were employed, while only 67% of Poles of the same age groups were employed.

According to Eurostat, the number of registered unemployed among refugees from Ukraine has been steadily decreasing. This figure was highest in the summer of 2023 – 324 thousand people, however, as of July 2025, it had decreased by almost a third – to 262 thousand people.

Prospects for return and life abroad

The share of Ukrainians who plan to return in the near future is decreasing – it is almost 2.5 times smaller than at the beginning of the war. Some have refused to return at all, and many have not yet decided.

  • The main motives for return: homesickness (35%) and the desire to reunite with family (49%).
  • Children and young people are increasingly staying abroad to study, and Ukrainian families are planning to live in two homes.
  • Long-term family separation, housing destruction, and better economic conditions abroad are determining the decision to stay.

Even if security in Ukraine improves, a significant part of Ukrainians will remain to build their lives abroad.

This is a new reality that Ukraine and European countries will have to work together to provide support, opportunities for development and preservation of the identity of the Ukrainian community abroad.