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Fleeing Ukraine

Speed of refugee crisis has few modern precedents

More than five million people have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24. Each person that has left has a story. They have lives, hopes and family.

As of April 20, more than 5 million people have left Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24 according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

On Feb. 24, Ukrainians woke to the news that Russia had launched an all-out invasion by land, air and sea. Many in Ukraine had refused to believe Russia would follow through with the invasion and began frantically trying to figure out how to get themselves and their families out of the country.

Three days into the invasion, more than 500,000 people had left Ukraine for neighbouring countries.

By March 8, after only two weeks of fighting, more than 2 million people —mostly women and children — had fled Ukraine by bus, train or on foot. The head of the UNHCR said the initial burst of refugees was likely to be followed by a second wave of more vulnerable people, without resources or connections.

More than 3 million people had left by March 15 but not everybody who wants to leave is able. Attempts to establish humanitarian corridors for people trapped in cities under siege have failed. Ukraine has accused Russia of blocking convoys trying to take supplies to Mariupol, where the Red Cross said desperate families were being “suffocated” as food and water ran out.

5,085,360

Ukrainian refugees

More than one quarter has left or been displaced

The UNHCR estimates a further 7.1 million people have relocated within Ukraine as of April 12.

“This is another tragic milestone for the people of Ukraine and it has been achieved in just under one month," UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh said in March. “You are looking at almost one quarter of the entire population. The speed and the scale of this outflow and this displacement crisis is unprecedented in recent times.”

10,000 displaced people
10,000 people still at their primary residence
A grid of squares where each represents 10,000 Ukrainians. Twenty-nine percent of squares are indicated as either refugees or internally displaced.
Population of Ukraine

29% of the population has been displaced

Sources

Refugee totals are from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and are based on a variety of sources including border authorities in neighbouring countries. Daily figures represent an estimate based on the best available data. Data is current as of April 20, 2022.

Population statistics are from the Ukrainian Census, the U.S. Census, NZ Statistics, Instituto Nacional de Estadistica, Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques and the Department of Statistics Singapore. Refugee population statistics are from UNHCR and the Georgian government coordinator for humanitarian affairs.

Edited by

Julia Wolfe and Grant McCool