According to the German federal government, in the first half of 2026, the number of refugees living in the country decreased by approximately 20,000 to around 3.5 million people. The reasons are deportations, departures, and naturalization.
A particularly noticeable decline was seen among new asylum seekers from Ukraine. In June 2026, only 3,919 Ukrainian citizens applied for protection in Germany, continuing a steady downward trend.
Meanwhile, 31,662 departures of Ukrainians were recorded in the first half of the year. As a result, the number of Ukrainian refugees in Germany increased by only about 20,857 people. For comparison, the growth for the entire year of 2025 was around 88,000.
Currently, around 1.35 million refugees from Ukraine live in Germany. Of all refugees in the country, approximately 438,000 (12.5 %) have an undefined or irregular status; the rest have a right to reside or other protection.
The article was prepared based on reports from German media (including tagesschau.de / NOZ) from early September 2026.