In Germany, the influx of refugees from Ukraine has slowed down
The influx of Ukrainian refugees to Germany continues to slow down significantly. In the first half of 2026, the number of Ukrainians staying in the country as refugees increased, after subtracting departures, by only 20.9 thousand people. At the same time, nearly 32 thousand Ukrainians left Germany during this period.
This is evidenced by the German government's response to a query from the Left Party faction in the Bundestag, data from which was published by Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung.
In the first six months of the year, authorities registered 31,662 departures of Ukrainian refugees from Germany. Taking into account new arrivals, the net increase in their number during this period was only 20,857 people.
For comparison, over the entire year of 2025, the number of Ukrainian refugees in Germany, net of those who left, increased by 88 thousand people, and in 2024 — by 108 thousand.
Data for individual months also indicate a further weakening of the migration flow. In June 2026, only 3,919 citizens of Ukraine filed applications for protection in Germany.
About 1.35 million Ukrainian refugees remain in Germany
Despite the slowdown in arrivals, Germany remains one of the main destinations for Ukrainians who left the country after the start of the full-scale war. According to the German government, around 1.35 million refugees from Ukraine currently live in the country.
At the same time, figures from various German and European registers may differ due to different methodologies. In particular, Eurostat counted 1.286 million Ukrainian citizens with temporary protection status in Germany at the end of June. Earlier, "Kurs Ukrainy" reported that this is the largest figure among all EU countries.
The trend of declining Ukrainian migration to Germany has been observed for several years. In 2025, net migration influx from Ukraine also noticeably decreased compared to the previous year.
Total number of refugees in Germany has begun to decline
In parallel, in the first half of the year, the total number of refugees living in Germany also decreased. It fell by about 20 thousand — to 3.507 million people.
The German government attributes this to several factors: people leaving the country, deportations, acquisition of citizenship, and a reduction in the number of new refugees. One notable factor was the weaker influx of people from Ukraine.
The new figures emerged against the backdrop of discussions in Germany about changing the system of social support for Ukrainians. The government plans to move some newly arrived refugees from Ukraine from the basic social assistance system to payments under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. Implementation of the reform, however, is being delayed due to disputes between federal authorities and states over funding.
Source: Tagesschau
