Ukraine lacks data on how many young people actually went abroad, – expert
4 September 18:22
In an interview with "Komersant Ukrainian", the head of the Office of Migration Policy, Vasyl Voskoboinyk, spoke about the current situation with migration of Ukrainians, especially young people and children, and about new approaches that should be applied to the issue of “returning” citizens. He emphasized that the country needs not only a new demographic policy, but also an honest analysis of reality, without inflated expectations.
Millions have left – how many of them are children is still unknown
According to Voskoboinyk, only at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, about 2 million children left Ukraine. In 2023, another half a million citizens will leave, and in 2025, the National Bank predicts that another 200,000 people will leave.
“We know that at the beginning of the hostilities, in 2022, about 2 million children left. And last year – another half a million people. But unfortunately, we do not have this information about the proportion of children, youth, and women,” Voskoboinyk notes.
He adds that today analysts are forced to estimate the scale of the exodus almost “by touch” due to the lack of up-to-date data.
Current government rhetoric is focused on the idea of returning Ukrainians who have left. Former Minister Chernyshov even voiced ambitious expectations – to return 70-80% of those who left. However, according to Voskoboynyk, this approach needs to be rethought.
“Can we change the focus from ‘return’ to at least ‘attract’? It would be more realistic. To involve them in the life of the country, even while they are outside of it,” the expert suggests.
According to Voskoboynyk, one of the effective strategies is to make decisions that will allow Ukrainians to remain part of the country even if they do not physically return. And it’s not just a symbolic connection.
“Laws on dual citizenship, the ability to pay taxes or support relatives are ways to prevent people from being completely detached from Ukraine, even if they live abroad,” he explains.
Voskoboynyk also mentioned personnel changes in government agencies, including the Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories (formerly the Ministry of Unity), which now operates under the Ministry of Social Policy.
“Many decisions are still made based on feelings rather than data. We need a clear system of information collection and analytics to make real decisions and not just work on emotions,” he said.
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According to the UN, Ukraine is among the countries with the fastest depopulation rates in the world. The war has intensified migration processes: according to international organizations, millions of Ukrainians have left the country, most of them women and children. At the same time, there are no official statistics on the number of young people who have left the country, making it difficult to predict the needs of the labor market and education system.
Even before the full-scale invasion, Ukraine was facing a massive outflow of young people. According to research by the Center for Economic Strategy, between 2 and 3 million Ukrainians worked and studied abroad in 2015-2021. The war only accelerated this process. At the same time, data from the governments of Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic show that a significant portion of new migrants are young people under 35.
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