Just 7% of displaced plan return home in next 6 months
Only 7% of internally displaced persons plan to return to their places of permanent residence within the next six months, and the average age of this group is 57 years, according to the national report "Survey on the Status of Protection in Ukraine" of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees, prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) together with the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
According to the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity, the survey shows that 83% of respondents reported that they move freely around the country, and only 15% encountered certain barriers.
Also, 55% of respondents did not experience separation from loved ones, and 38% of respondents are in forced separation from loved ones. The main reasons are displacement within the country (62%) and abroad (15%).
In addition, 84% of tenants or those living with relatives or in temporary accommodation consider their housing rights to be sufficiently guaranteed, and only about 2% of respondents feel a real risk of eviction.
"More than a quarter of IDPs (28%) provide for themselves through earnings. Dependence on state social assistance, including pensions, is high - 63% of respondents, while 10% of respondents rely on social services from the state," the report says.
Among other things, 69% of respondents note the negative impact of the situation on mental health, and every twelfth (8%) already feels that they "cannot cope" with everyday stress, and 55% of respondents do not feel safe because of the war.
"The Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity welcomes the recommendations formulated based on the report, in particular the call to accelerate the development of a new State Strategy on Internal Displacement and improve mechanisms for long-term solutions in the housing, social and economic spheres. The data obtained will be taken into account when preparing the updated action plan of the Ministry of Social Policy for 2026, aimed at expanding integration programs and increasing the effectiveness of social protection for IDPs," the department added.
