Nearly 5 million Ukrainians remain abroad due to war, and many may never return
As of January 2024, 4.9 million Ukrainians who fled their country due to Russia’s full-scale invasion are living abroad. Between 1.4 and 2.3 million people may remain outside Ukraine permanently.
Source: a report by the Centre for Economic Strategy (CES)
Quote: "As of the end of January 2024, 4.9 million Ukrainians are living abroad because of the war. The overwhelming majority of refugees are women (the largest share is women aged 35-44 – 13%) and children."
As of January 2024, the countries with the highest proportion of Ukrainian refugees in Europe are Germany (30%) and Poland (22%). Outside of Europe, the US (280,000 people), the UK (253,200) and Canada (210,200) have taken in the most Ukrainians since the start of the full-scale invasion.
The report notes that many countries are gradually reducing their financial support for refugees and imposing more stringent conditions than they were at the start of the war.
The CES estimates that between 1.4 million and 2.3 million Ukrainians could remain outside Ukraine in various scenarios.
The CES also made some recommendations that may encourage Ukrainians to return:
- cooperation with EU countries regarding the return of Ukrainians after the war
- rapid post-war reconstruction of affected areas
- help for people from affected and occupied areas during the period of reconstruction
- development of public-private partnerships
- increasing resources for communicating with compatriots abroad via diplomatic missions
- simplifying children's reintegration into Ukrainian schools and university admissions for Ukrainian children who completed their education at foreign schools
- providing Ukrainian refugees with the opportunity of free movement and the chance to choose where they live, similar to the rights enjoyed by EU citizens.
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