Ukraine’s Jewish Population: Statistics & figures

Before the war began last February, there were an estimated 350,000 Jews living in Ukraine, according to a New York Times article that cited data collected by Chabad. Other surveys, like that of Hebrew University of Jerusalem professor and demographer Sergio Della Pergola, have shown that 43,000 people in Ukraine self-identify as Jewish.

Regarding the number of Holocaust survivors and Jewish elderly in Ukraine, the numbers vary according to different aid organizations. The Joint Distribution Committee has stated the organization serves over 37,000 elderly Ukrainian Jews, including 9,900 Holocaust survivors, through funding from the Claims Conference. The US State Department has reported there are 2,600 Holocaust survivors in Ukraine.

Christians for Israel stated that their numbers before the Russian-Ukraine war showed 17,000 Jewish elderly in Ukraine who survived the Holocaust, including those who were in camps and ghettos, and those who escaped east to the former Soviet Union. Most of the Jewish elderly prefer to stay in Ukraine, due to the difficult challenges of starting their lives over, according to a representative of the organization.

Nearly 300 Holocaust survivors from Ukraine have fled to Israel since the Russian invasion according to Reuters. The JDC has evacuated 12,687 Jews from Ukraine since February 24.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that in the first half of 2022, more than 12,000 people left Ukraine for Israel under the Law of Return. This is four times the number of new immigrants who arrived in Israel from Ukraine in 2021. This number does not include the many Ukrainian Jews who left the Ukraine and went directly to Europe and other countries.

The Jewish Federations of North America reported in June that 50,000 Jews have been displaced by the war in Ukraine. Most have opted to remain in Europe.