Percentage of Ukrainians Ready to Return Home After War Revealed
According to Hvylya, Oleksiy Antypovych, head of the Rating Sociological Group, shared these insights in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
Latest sociological data suggests that hopes for a mass return of Ukrainian citizens from abroad are rapidly fading. While up to two-thirds of displaced persons expressed a readiness to return during the early months of the full-scale invasion, the situation has shifted dramatically.
Antypovych notes that currently, only about one-third of refugees express an intent to return to Ukraine once the war ends. However, even this figure may be misleading.
Why Ukrainians are Staying in Europe
According to the sociologist, no more than 10% of respondents feel firm in their decision to return. The rest are either taking a "wait-and-see" approach or remain undecided. Antypovych emphasizes that many citizens have already passed the second stage of adaptation in EU countries—particularly Germany—and have begun to put down roots.
The primary reasons keeping people abroad are purely pragmatic:
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Lack of Housing: Those who fled destroyed cities, such as Mariupol or Bakhmut, physically have nowhere to return to.
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Economic Uncertainty: Fear of unemployment and lack of stability.
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Children's Future: Parents strive to ensure safety and a stable education for the younger generation.
The Outlook for Ukraine
The expert warns that the actual percentage of those who return will be "very insignificant." This presents the state with serious post-war challenges. Ukraine faces a severe demographic crisis characterized by a sharp drop in the birth rate, rapid aging of the population, and a critical shortage of the workforce needed for national reconstruction.
