Germany sees sharp increase in male refugees from Ukraine

The number of male refugees from Ukraine aged between 18 and 63 has been steadily increasing in Germany despite restrictions on men of military age leaving Ukraine, according to a report by Die Welt citing data from the Central Register of Foreigners.

As of March 9, 2026, Germany was hosting 1,340,362 people who arrived from Ukraine following the outbreak of the war. Among them were 349,520 men and 500,393 women in the 18–63 age group. One year earlier, there had been 297,660 men in that category, meaning their number has risen by approximately 52,000. Over the same period, the number of women increased by nearly 24,000.

A similar pattern was highlighted in an analysis by the Federal Employment Agency covering the 15–64 age group. According to the agency, men currently account for about 41% of Ukrainian refugees in Germany, compared with 26% in May 2022.

The issue remains politically sensitive because Ukraine introduced restrictions on men of military age leaving the country after declaring general mobilisation. Initially, the ban applied to men aged 18 to 60, but the rules were partially eased in August, allowing young men up to the age of 22 to leave the country.

Data from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees show that Germany’s federal states registered 8,783 Ukrainian asylum seekers in February alone, including 4,392 men, among them minors.

The growing number of male refugees has sparked political debate in Germany. Clara Bünger, a lawmaker from the Left, said she understands people who try to avoid war. However, Alexander Throm of the CDU/CSU argued that Ukrainian men of military age “should not be in the German social welfare system” and called for a fairer distribution of Ukrainian refugees across European countries.

By Tamilla Hasanova