Latvia — Surveys with Refugees from Ukraine: Needs, Intentions, and Integration Challenges (April - June 2023)

This report is based on a survey of displacement patterns, needs and intentions conducted by IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) in the countries included in the Regional Response Plan for Ukraine in 2023: 6 countries neighbouring Ukraine – Belarus, Hungary, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania and Slovakia – and other 5 countries particularly impacted by the arrivals of refugees from Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022 – Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The analysis presented in this report is based on data collected between April and June 2023.

Key Findings:

• Top oblasts of origin: Donetska (25%), Khersonska (21%), Zaporizka (17%) and Luhanska (13%).

• Intentions to move: Latvia is a transit country for many refugees from Ukraine. The majority planned to move to another country (58%), where Top 3 were Poland, Russian Federation and Germany. Others wanted to move to a different location in Ukraine (29%) or move to their place of origin in Ukraine (8%).

• Employment status: unemployed and looking for a job (40%), employed (20%), retired (25%), unemployed and not looking for a job (4%), daily worker (3%).

• Top needs:* housing (36%), cash support (36%), employment (34%), medical needs (23%), information (18%).

• Top areas of assistance received:* food products (74%), financial support (40%), housing (35%), personal hygiene and sanitary supplies (16%).

* more than one answer possible