Nicosia: At the end of March 2025, Cyprus was identified as one of the European Union’s member states with a notably high ratio of individuals granted temporary protection status following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This is based on data released by Eurostat.
According to Cyprus News Agency, on March 31, 2025, more than 4.26 million non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine due to the Russian war of aggression had obtained temporary protection status within the EU. Cyprus, in particular, recorded a significant ratio by hosting 23,090 temporary protection beneficiaries, ranking sixth among EU countries with 23.9 persons per thousand inhabitants.
The countries with the highest ratios of temporary protection beneficiaries per thousand inhabitants were Czechia, Poland, and Latvia, with figures of 33.5, 27.2, and 26.4 respectively. The EU’s average stood at 9.5 per thousand people. In terms of absolute numbers, Germany, Poland, and Czechia hosted the largest numbers of Ukrainian refugees, with Germany alone accounting for 27.8% of the EU total.
The data also revealed a decrease in the total number of people under temporary protection in the EU by the end of March, dropping by 45,455 individuals, or 1.1%, from the previous month. Significant reductions were noted in Czechia, Sweden, and Lithuania, largely due to the expiration of temporary protection statuses.
Conversely, the number of individuals under temporary protection increased in 18 EU countries, with Germany, Poland, and Spain witnessing the largest increases. Cyprus maintained a relatively stable number of temporary protection beneficiaries during this period.
By March 31, 2025, Ukrainian citizens comprised over 98.4% of the beneficiaries of temporary protection in the EU. The demographic breakdown showed that adult women made up 44.7% of the beneficiaries, minors accounted for 31.7%, and adult men represented 23.6% of the total.
The temporary protection status, as referenced by Eurostat’s data, is based on the Council Implementing Decision 2022/382 from March 4, 2022. This protection was extended by the European Council on June 25, 2024, to continue until March 4, 2026.