UN: Ukraine faces an “unprecedented housing crisis” — what is the reason?

Author:
Svitlana Kravchenko
Date:

In the fourth year of full-scale war, Ukraine is experiencing an “unprecedented housing crisis”. Ukrainians who remain in the country spend more than half of their income on rent.

This is stated in a report by the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).

As a result of Russian aggression in Ukraine, more than 236 000 buildings have been destroyed, and more than 2.5 million more — about 10% of the housing stock — have been damaged or become uninhabitable.

IOM concluded that the shortage of municipal housing, an insufficiently regulated market, and population migration have caused serious pressure on housing affordability.

The UN estimates that about 10.6 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes — almost a quarter of the pre-war population. Most of them have gone abroad.

Two-thirds of the 3.7 million internally displaced people remaining in Ukraine are struggling to pay for new housing. Many families have exhausted their savings, forcing them to spend 50% or more of their income on rent.

The draft State Budget of Ukraine for 2026 provides for over UAH 467 billion for the social sphere. In particular, over UAH 15 billion will be allocated to financing the “eHouse” program.

This is a state program that began in October 2022. It gives Ukrainians the opportunity to purchase housing with a minimum down payment of 20% and a loan term of up to 20 years. The rate for military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine under contract and security forces, teachers, doctors and scientists is 3%, and for combatants, veterans, IDPs and all other Ukrainians without their own housing is 7%.

The program is being implemented by the Ministry of Economy together with the Ministry of Digital Economy and PJSC "Ukrfinzhytlo". The partner banks of "eHouse" are “Oschadbank”, “PrivatBank”, “Ukrgasbank”, “Globus Bank”, “Sky Bank” and “Ukreximbank”.

At the end of September, the state for the first time compensated part of the costs of purchasing housing for a forced migrant within the framework of the affordable mortgage program "eHouse".

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