Refugee return intentions to Ukraine drop nearly by half in one year — economist Mykhailyshyna

Daria Mykhailyshyna, senior economist at the Center for Economic Strategy, notes that currently, over 26% of Ukrainian refugees are considering returning to Ukraine. However, just a year ago, this number was over 50%

She shared the information on Espreso TV.

"We conducted a large study at the Center for Economic Research. We interviewed thousands of Ukrainian refugees who are now outside Ukraine. This is the third wave of the refugee survey, so we can now compare the results. According to the latest data, in January 2024, 26% of Ukrainian refugees said they definitely plan to return to Ukraine, and another 26% said they probably plan to return. If we compare these data with those from a year ago, in November 2022, then 50% said they definitely planned to return to Ukraine," Mykhailyshyna said.

The economist emphasized that some Ukrainians may have already returned to Ukraine.

"That is, we see that the number of those who definitely plan to return to Ukraine has decreased by almost half. However, it is worth noting that some Ukrainians have already returned to Ukraine. That is why we see such a decrease. This may also be an important factor," she added.

Read also: Ukraine’s demographic apocalypse: millions of refugees, war losses and how to address population challenges

• On March 23, Der Spiegel reported, citing the Federal Ministry of the Interior, that about 1.65 million Ukrainians are currently registered in Germany. German politicians warn of overload and call for a more even distribution of refugees in Europe.
• Recently, the German federal government predicted that the number of Ukrainian refugees would increase by 10 million if Russia wins the war with Ukraine.