Over 8 million Ukrainians are currently abroad – research data

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of June 21, 2023, 8 million 177 thousand Ukrainians are abroad. This is actually 20% of the population that was recorded before February 24, 2022. According to UNHCR estimates, as of June 26, 2023, there are 5 million 977 thousand Ukrainian IDPs in Europe. There are almost 362 thousand more outside Europe. At the same time, the Ministry of Social Policy estimates that the number of internally displaced persons is about 4.7 million.

These data were voiced by Andrii Savchuk, Data Analyst at Civil Network OPORA, during a presentation of the study results on the Ukrainian migrant number and migration overview due to the war at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform. 

“According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of June 21, 2023, there are 8 million 177 thousand Ukrainians abroad. I would like to note right away that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not claim that these figures indicate all Ukrainians who have gone abroad solely because of the all-out Russian invasion. But the numbers are still enormous. In fact, 20% of the population that existed before February 24, 2022, is now abroad,” he explained.

According to the analyst, there is a negative trend, and according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the number of Ukrainians abroad is increasing.

At the same time, he noted that the migration balance, according to the State Border Guard Service, as of May 1, 2023, was minus 2.7 million people.

“And if you look at the numbers, you can see that from December 2022 to March 2023, more than 1.8 million people left,” he added.

In addition, Andrii Savchuk noted that already in 2023, the number of people in Ukraine decreased by 700 thousand.

“Negative trends in the number of people in Ukraine are confirmed by the data available to the National Commission for the State Regulation of Telecommunications Services. According to the mobile operator’s data, there are 48 million SIM cards in Ukraine, and according to a special methodology, a calculation indicates that there are 143 cards per 100 people. Using a simple proportion, we can calculate that according to this data, about 34 million people live in Ukraine. And this also demonstrates a reduction. Using the same methodology, we can estimate that in 2023 the number of people in Ukraine has declared by 700 thousand,” he explained.

In addition, Andrii Savchuk added UNHCR data on the dynamics of crossings prove that Ukrainians are leaving the country to escape Russian aggression. And the balance over the past 9-10 months has increased by more than two million departures and non-returns.

“We actually had several peak waves when Ukrainians left immediately after the full-scale invasion, then when the shelling and blackouts began, and now, unfortunately, they continue to leave. This may be due to various things, there are various polls, but the trend is unfortunately negative,” he added.

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