Estonia rises to fifth in EU per capita Ukrainian refugees
By end of May, 4.38 million non-EU citizens from Ukraine held temporary protection in the EU. Estonia moved to fifth place with 22.16 per thousand residents, according to Eurostat.
According to the latest Eurostat data, as of the end of May 2026, 4.38 million non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine due to the war had been granted temporary protection status in the European Union. This represents an increase of 7,795 people, or 0.2%, compared to the end of April.
Germany hosts the largest number of Ukrainian refugees with 1.28 million (29.3% of the EU total), followed by Poland with 967,500 (22.1%) and Spain with 267,400 (6.1%). The largest monthly increases were recorded in Italy (+6,250, +15.3%), Germany (+3,610, +0.3%), and Spain (+2,295, +0.9%). Only four countries saw a decrease, with the most significant drops in Bulgaria (-12,345, -14.8%), Poland (-3,750, -0.4%), and France (-665, -1.3%).
In terms of refugees per thousand inhabitants, Slovakia leads with 26.8, followed by Poland (26.5) and Cyprus (25.9). The EU average stands at 9.7. Estonia, with a ratio of 22.16 per thousand, has moved from seventh to fifth place. The number of Ukrainian refugees in Estonia increased from 29,945 to 30,365. The Czech Republic, which was the leader in April, did not provide data for May.
Ukrainian nationals account for over 98.5% of all temporary protection recipients. Among them, adult women make up 43.4%, men 26.8%, and minors nearly one-third (29.8%). The temporary protection mechanism was introduced by the EU Council in March 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In June 2025, the European Council extended the status until March 4, 2027.
