2023 Atlas of Migration confirms strong EU support to Ukrainians fleeing the war

On 18 December, on the occasion of International Migrants’ Day, the european Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) released a new edition of the Atlas of Migration, an online tool providing the latest harmonised and validated data on migration for the 27 EU Member States and for 171 countries and territories around the world.

The 2023 edition features a special thematic section on EU solidarity trends towards people displaced from Ukraine. It shows that the determination and resilience of Europeans to support Ukraine and its displaced people remains strong at EU level. 

In 2023, 79% of respondents approved welcoming people fleeing the war, a slightly lower share compared to the previous year (88%). This coincides with results of the August 2023 Eurobarometer survey showing that 79% of people remain in favour of welcoming people fleeing the war to the EU.

Denmark is the only Member State where the share of respondents approving the measure had slightly increased (90.8%). Portugal has the highest level of support (93.7% compared to 96.2% in 2022).

An overwhelming majority of respondents (80%) are in support of allowing Ukrainian refugees to enter their country. There are differences across Member States, where support ranges from 92% in Finland to 66% in Slovakia, while Bulgaria (49%) is the only country where there is no majority support for the measure.

“Policies must be based on facts and evidence, and migration is no exception. This is why our Atlas of Migration is so valuable. It helps policymakers grasp the challenges and opportunities linked to migration,” said Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, responsible for the Joint Research Centre. “This year’s edition focuses on people fleeing the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, and it’s heartening to see that the solidarity of Europeans remains high.”

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Press release