Weekly Update #156
February 24, 2025

General Figures

Refugees from Ukraine recorded across Europe 

6,346,300

Last updated February 19 2025

Covers those granted refugee status, temporary asylum status, temporary protection, or statuses through similar national protection schemes, as well as those recorded in the country under other forms of stay 

Refugees from Ukraine recorded beyond Europe

560,200

Last updated February 17 2025

Covers those granted refugee status, temporary asylum status, temporary protection, or statuses through similar national protection schemes, as well as those recorded in the country under other forms of stay 

Refugees from Ukraine recorded globally

6,906,500

Last updated February 19 2025

Estimated number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Ukraine (as of Aug 2024)

3,669,000

Source: UNHCR collation of statistics made available by the authorities

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Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced

Millions of Ukrainians have fled their homes, either to other parts of Ukraine or other countries, in the years since Russia began seizing land and following the invasion.

Just over 6.3 million Ukrainian refugees are living in Europe, including about 1.2 million in Germany, nearly 1 million in Poland and 390,000 in the Czech Republic, according to data through the end of 2024 from the UN’s refugee agency.

There were 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees living in the Russian Federation, per the UN’s latest estimate as of June 2024.

Ukraine Emergency: Three Years On 2025 Update by UNHCR

As the full-scale war in Ukraine enters its fourth year in February 2025, an escalation in hostilities and destruction and occupation of settlements in frontline areas of the war, coupled with massive aerial attacks targeting civilian infrastructure across the country, continue to drive further displacement, family separations and destruction of homes. Consequently, an estimated 12.7 million people need humanitarian assistance in 2025 in Ukraine. 

Within Ukraine, around 3.7 million people are currently displaced from their homes while another 6.9 million Ukrainians have sought safety abroad, including 6.3 million across Europe, with UNHCR’s assessments highlighting ongoing and emerging challenges, particularly as vulnerabilities increase over time. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is on the ground delivering critical protection services and humanitarian assistance, both within Ukraine and in countries hosting refugees displaced by the international armed conflict. 

The war has had a terrible human toll and triggered a serious protection crisis. By December 2024, verified civilian casualties reached nearly 41,000, including nearly 12,500 deaths. More than 2,500 children were killed or injured . Older people and those with limited mobility are particularly vulnerable due to the war as they face isolation and limited access to services. The war has also increased the risk of sexual violence, affecting women, men and children. Mental health challenges are widespread, with 63 per cent of households reporting distress linked to constant uncertainty and trauma. Children are particularly vulnerable, with 1.5 million at risk of post-traumatic stress syndrome and other issues. Needs are particularly acute in front-line areas and regions bordering the Russian Federation. 

Damage to infrastructure has been catastrophic, with attacks targeting power grids, water supplies and transport systems, disrupting basic services and exacerbating vulnerabilities. Targeted attacks on energy infrastructure have significantly reduced power capacity, jeopardizing water, gas and heating during the cold winters, where temperatures regularly drop below zero. Nearly 3,600 educational institutions, including approximately 2,000 schools, have suffered damage since the escalation of the war, with 371 educational facilities destroyed.

Ukraine’s economy remained heavily impacted by the war in 2024. Agricultural and industrial hubs in the east have been devastated, rendering much of the country’s infrastructure inoperable. Urban economies have been strained, with many businesses closed or scaled back, and an estimated 3.5 million jobs lost due to the war. The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in June 2023 further exacerbated agricultural losses and food insecurity. 

It is estimated that the direct cost of destruction from the war could be up to US$152 billion, with the housing sector most severely impacted, accounting for nearly $56 billion, or 37 per cent of the total damage. Disruptions to economic activities and production contributed to an estimated economic loss exceeding $499 billion, including widespread unemployment.4 Alongside other UN agencies, INGOs and partners, UNHCR plays a key role in leading the coordination of the Ukraine Situation Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP), in support of governments hosting refugees from Ukraine. In 2024 there were 313 partners combining efforts under the RRP, and a total of 266 partners, 80 percent of them local organizations make up the joint response through the RRP in 2025. 

In 2024, the RRP aimed at ensuring refugees’ access to protection and assistance on a non-discriminatory basis. The application of the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) in the European Union (EU) and the Republic of Moldova’s Temporary Protection regime have provided positive frameworks to ensure protection and access to rights and services in host countries for refugees from Ukraine. Importantly, the TPD has been extended until March 2026. Challenges persist however, with the application of the TPD varying by country, which can leave certain groups more vulnerable when trying to access their rights and local services, including employment, education and social protection systems. Within Ukraine, humanitarian organizations continue to support and complement the government’s and its regional and local authorities’ efforts to respond to the impact of the war on civilians under the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, as coordinated through the interagency cluster system for internal displacement emergencies. Within this structure, UNHCR leads the Protection, Shelter/Non-Food Items and Camp Coordination and Camp Management Clusters in Ukraine. In its operational capacity, UNHCR implements large-scale life-saving programmes in partnership with a strong network of national and local partners.

Response at a Glance Inside Ukraine 

UNHCR has been working in Ukraine since 1994. Following the full-scale invasion in February 2022, UNHCR quickly scaled up its presence and operation as part of the inter-agency emergency effort, complementing the Government-led response with protection services, shelter support, emergency cash assistance and distributions of essential items to people affected by the war. 

The priority is to reach the civilians whose lives and homes have been most severely impacted by the war, while also laying the groundwork for sustainable and durable solutions, working closely in coordination with state and local authorities, community-based actors and partners. 

Ukraine has lost 11% of its land since 2022

At the start of the war, Ukraine held back troops from its capital, Kyiv, and later secured victories in parts of the northeast Kharkiv and southern Kherson regions. But it also sustained major losses in eastern areas around Donetsk and Bakhmut.

Since the 2022 invasion, Ukraine has lost control of about 11% of its land, according to CNN analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based conflict monitor. When factoring in land already lost to Russia and Russian-backed separatists since the conflict began in 2014, the total land Ukraine has lost to Russia since 2014 is about 18%, per CNN calculations.

In 2014, Russian forces illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine, shortly after the events of the Maidan Revolution sparked political turmoil in Kyiv. Later that year, Russian-sponsored separatists took control of parts of the Donbas region, gains that have remained in Russian hands to the present day.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin expected to seize all of Ukraine in a matter of days, according to the Institute for the Study of War. What happened instead was three years of intense fighting, thanks to Ukraine counteroffensives armed by tranches of aid coming from its Western allies.

Thousands of civilians have died

More than 40,000 civilians have been killed or injured in Ukraine during the conflict, with many of the deaths caused by explosive weapons, according to the UN Human Rights Office.

At least half of those killed (6,203) were adult men and 669 were children.

The threat to Ukraine’s biggest source of aid

The United States has been the biggest single contributor of funding for Ukraine since the war began in 2022, giving about $95 billion in military, humanitarian and financial help — aid that may be in peril under the Trump administration.

Here’s an overview of where the money for Ukraine’s war efforts has come from: