More than 72,000 of the 4.2 million Ukrainian refugees live in Belgium
More than 72,000 Ukrainian refugees are currently living under temporary protection in Belgium. According to the latest data published by the European statistics office Eurostat on Friday, this figure is as high per capita as in neighbouring countries such as the Netherlands and Liechtenstein but only half the number in Germany.
The latest figures from Eurostat show a continuing increase in the number of Ukrainian refugees in EU Member States, with the exception of Denmark, where the number has fallen by 4.5 per cent, or 1,700 people, since September. In Germany, there are 14.4 Ukrainians under temporary protection per 1,000 inhabitants, while in Belgium the figure is around 6.2 per 1,000 inhabitants.
Eastern European countries, in particular, are hosting significant numbers of Ukrainian refugees. The Czech Republic hosts 33.7 Ukrainians per thousand inhabitants, well above the European average of 9.5. Estonia hosts 26.3, Poland and Bulgaria have around 26.1 Ukrainian refugees per thousand inhabitants.
Temporary protection
At the end of October, 4.2 million Ukrainians were temporarily protected in the European Union. This status provides immediate and collective protection without the need for individual assessments.
The status is intended to relieve pressure on national asylum systems and provide displaced persons with the same rights throughout the EU, including residence, access to the labour market and housing, medical and social assistance, and children's education. Almost half of those granted temporary protection are women (46.4 per cent), while a third are children (33.4 per cent).
Illustration picture shows a visit to the UNHCR-UNICEF antenna, near the border with Ukraine after the Russian invasion, in Medyka, southern Poland on Tuesday 12 April 2022. © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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