Ukraine ombudsman says 8.4 million citizens live outside the country
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Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, said on August 4 that over 8.4 million Ukrainian citizens currently reside outside the country. The announcement came during an annual meeting of heads of Ukraine's foreign diplomatic missions. The figure underscores the vast displacement driven by Russia's war, with more than 5 million Ukrainians holding temporary protection in the EU.
The Displacement Breakdown
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has recorded 5.7 million people fleeing Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. By July 2026, 4.38 million Ukrainians were under temporary protection in the EU, according to Eurostat. Germany hosts the largest group at 1.283 million, followed by Poland with 967,500 and Spain with 267,400. Eurostat noted that before the invasion, at the end of 2021, 1.57 million Ukrainian citizens already held residence permits in the EU.
Ukraine's Domestic Population
Ukraine's State Statistics Service has not released regular population data since the invasion began. Its head, Arsen Makarchuk, said in March 2026 that accurate counts will only be possible 1.5–2 years after the war ends. Before the invasion, the country had more than 41 million inhabitants, excluding annexed Crimea and occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk. In July 2026, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine estimated that 27–28 million people now live on Kyiv-controlled territory, citing Oleksandr Hladun of the Institute of Demography.
What's Next
The Ukrainian government has not announced a timeline for a post-war census, leaving the true scale of displacement uncertain. Observers note that the eventual return of millions of citizens will depend on security conditions and economic recovery, both of which remain unpredictable.
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Ukraine ombudsman says 8.4 million citizens live outside the country
