Copenhagen refugee housing is under growing pressure after the Danish capital asked 28 nearby municipalities to help accommodate Ukrainian refugees and, so far, received only refusals. According to Danish media reports, 17 municipalities have answered the request and all have said no, citing their own lack of housing capacity.
The request reflects a wider strain on Denmark’s municipal reception system, four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine triggered the largest refugee movement in Europe since the Second World War. In Copenhagen, thousands of Ukrainians are still living in temporary accommodation, including hotel rooms and more basic shelter-like facilities.
Copenhagen refugee housing is running out of space
Copenhagen Municipality (Københavns Kommune) contacted surrounding municipalities after warning that its ability to house displaced Ukrainians was under severe pressure. In a December 2025 committee briefing, the city administration said its accommodation capacity could be exhausted as early as spring 2026 if the current trend continued.
The city has already tried several measures to expand capacity. These include new hotel tenders, renting more flats and buildings through private partners, reviewing municipal properties that could be repurposed, contacting neighbouring municipalities and discussing changes with the Danish state. Copenhagen has also considered approaching other Danish municipalities to combine housing with the transfer of integration responsibilities.
The pressure is also financial. Copenhagen expected refugee-related costs of 232 million Danish kroner in 2025, equal to about €31 million. The city has argued that the current national distribution system should be adjusted so that displaced Ukrainians are assigned more often to municipalities with available housing capacity.
Seventeen municipalities have declined the request
According to TV 2 Kosmopol and Berlingske, Copenhagen asked 28 surrounding municipalities to help house Ukrainian refugees temporarily. Of the 17 that had responded, all declined. Their explanation was that they were also struggling with capacity.
The refusal leaves Copenhagen with few immediate options. Around 3,300 Ukrainians are currently living in temporary municipal accommodation in the capital, and more than 600 are staying in hotels. Danish reports describe part of the accommodation system as “shelter-like” (herbergslignende indkvartering), a term used for more basic emergency arrangements than ordinary housing.
For Copenhagen, the immediate consequence is continued pressure on shelters and hotels until Denmark changes the distribution model or provides additional buildings.
