The number of Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic continues to rise. While at the start of the war it was primarily women and children seeking protection, the proportion of men of working age is now increasing significantly.
The number of refugees from Ukraine in the Czech Republic continues to grow – at least compared with the same periods in previous years. According to the Ministry of the Interior, more than 397,000 people currently live in the country under temporary protection.
It is notable that the proportion of men of working age is rising. Shortly after the Russian invasion began, mostly women and children came to the Czech Republic, but men are now catching up – also because the Ukrainian government allowed men aged 18 to 22 to leave the country in the summer.
The number of people under temporary protection fluctuates over the course of the year – usually dropping slightly in summer and rising again in winter. Compared with the same periods in previous years, however, it remains consistently higher. At the end of September 2025, around 396,500 Ukrainians with protection status were living in the Czech Republic, compared with 384,600 a year earlier and 375,400 two years prior.
Refugees Contribute to the Economy
According to the Ministry of Labour, tax and contribution revenues from Ukrainian refugees now exceed the state’s expenditure on their support. In the third quarter of 2025, 8.2 billion crowns flowed into the state budget in taxes and contributions, while 3.9 billion crowns were spent on refugee support and healthcare. Since the start of the war, the Czech Republic has allocated around 74 billion crowns for aid and has since recouped around 80 billion crowns through taxes and contributions.
Scepticism Towards Refugees Growing in the Czech Republic
The prolonged burden of the war in Ukraine is increasingly affecting public sentiment in the Czech Republic. According to a survey this summer by the STEM (Ústav empirických výzkumů) analysis institute, a narrow majority still supports the acceptance of Ukrainian refugees. At the same time, however, there is growing sentiment that the country has taken in too many people and that support is becoming a societal burden. Measured against the population, the Czech Republic has the highest number of Ukrainian refugees in the EU.
