MOSCOW, April 25. /TASS/. Over 10% of Ukrainians plan to leave the country in the coming six months due to security issues and lack of jobs, Yevgenia Bliznyuk, director of Ukraine’s Gradus Research pollster, said.
"Our study on the Ukrainian people’s immigration intentions shows that 13% of those who remain in the country plan to leave Ukraine in the coming six months, temporarily or permanently," she told the UNN news agency. Ukrainians usually choose to move to Germany or Poland. Germany remains the top choice as the country has a solid social support system. Poland is popular because of linguistic and cultural affinities and the fact that there is a large Ukrainian community that helps new immigrants adapt to culture shock.
"The share of those wishing to move abroad is higher in the younger age group (18-24 years). Young people are more mobile, have better knowledge of foreign languages and don't attach themselves to the place where they live," the research company's director went on to say. "However, those who currently have no plans to leave Ukraine may change their mind if their living conditions deteriorate," she added.
Ukraine has been grappling with demographic problems since gaining independence. According to the Ptoukha Institute for Demography and Social Studies, between 25 and 28 million people lived in Kiev-controlled territories last year. The institute’s Director Ella Libanova previously said that the population would never return to Soviet levels, when about 52 million people had lived in Ukraine. Ukraine currently records three deaths per birth. In such a situation, demographers highlight the pressing need for "a major inflow of immigrants," including the return of those who earlier left the country. However, there have been no positive changes yet. According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, almost 10 mln people have left Ukraine since February 24, 2022.