Overall, during 2023, 32 million instances of crossing the Ukrainian border have been documented. 

The difference between those who had left Ukraine and those who returned is less than 1%: 142 thousand people. In other words, 99% of people who left the country in 2023 came back, reports Opendatabot, referring to the data provided by the State Border Guard Service’s Administration. 

“32,6 million border crossings have been documented in Ukraine during 11 months of 2023, according to the State Border Guard Service’s Administration. That’s 1.6 million or 5% more than during the same period of 2022,” says Opendatabot. 

Altogether, during 11 months of 2023, 14 million people returned to Ukraine, and 14.1 million left the country. Note that only people with Ukrainian citizenship are included in this statistic. 

Read more: Researchers: Ukraine Liberated 395 km² of Its Territory in 2023

Number of the border crossings Ukrainians did in 2022 and 2023. Dark blue: number of people leaving Ukraine. Light blue: number of those entering Ukraine. / Photo: Opendatabot 

The gap between those who left and those who returned in 2023 is 15 times smaller than in the first year of the Russian full-scale invasion. As such, in 2022, the difference comprised 2.2 million people. 

If, at the beginning of 2023, Ukrainians have been leaving more often than returning, then, since July of 2023, the tendency has changed. The peak of people returning to the country was observed in April (114 thousand citizens returned) and August (144 thousand returned). 

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