The number of Ukrainians living abroad as refugees is increasing, and just 63 percent plan to return to their home country, placing the country’s economic and demographic future in jeopardy.
Research by the Centre for Economic Strategy (CES) puts the number of Ukrainian refugees who may never go home around 3.3 million, approaching a tenth of the pre-war population. The total number of Ukrainians living abroad as of the end of June 2023 is estimated at 5.6-6.7 million, up from 5.3-6.2 million people as of the end of 2022.
The CES attributes the increase in part to to Russian strategic missile strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure last winter and the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in June, which flooded swathes of southern Ukraine.
The longer the war drags on, the more refugees are being integrated into their host countries, and the less likely they are to return to a war-torn and corruption-riddled homeland. President Zelensky’s government has expressed concerns over “losing our workforce” to nations like Germany.