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CONTEXT AND RATIONALE
Three years after the escalation of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, the humanitarian crisis continues to impact the population in the country, leaving 12.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance according to the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP)1. As of January 2025, an estimated 3.7 million people were internally displaced across Ukraine, 4.2 million had returned to their homes2, and 6.9 million refugees from Ukraine were recorded globally3. Active hostilities continued in Northern, Eastern, and Southern Ukraine. Targeted attacks on critical civilian infrastructure disrupted the provision of essential services4 and deepened pre-existing socioeconomic challenges.
REACH Ukraine conducted the 2024 Multi-Sector Needs Assessment (MSNA) in collaboration with the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG), and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP) and Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS). The assessment aimed to analyze the humanitarian situation and sectoral needs in Ukraine and inform strategic decision-making, including funding allocations and humanitarian interventions in the 2025 HNRP.
The findings from the 2024 MSNA highlight widespread and severe challenges hindering the economic capacity and selfreliance of households across Ukraine. Livelihoods, defined as the capabilities, assets and activities required to secure a means of living5, was the sector with the highest proportion of households in need, confirming a trend persisting since the 2022 MSNA6,7. Since the full-scale invasion, a reported reduction in monthly incomes, loss of jobs, growing poverty, and financial barriers hindering access to essential services8 have deeply impacted the standards of living in Ukraine, aggravating humanitarian needs.
The present brief analyses the economic and livelihood needs in Ukraine using the results of the MSNA. It explores the prevalence and severity of livelihood challenges across the country, highlighting key factors driving needs, labour market participation, and the effects of financial constraints on access to essential goods and services. Additionally, it identifies the regions with the highest severity of needs and profiles socio-demographic groups at higher risk of facing economic difficulties.
KEY MESSAGES
• Livelihood needs are widespread in Ukraine: in 2024, more than half of the households (58%) were in need of livelihood support, with 11% facing extreme need. The prevalence of needs escalates during the winter months, with needs surging to 68% during the 2024-2025 winter season.
• Insufficient monthly incomes and utilization of coping strategies are key drivers of need. Despite reported increases in median per capita income in 2024, almost half of the households are earning below the minimum expenditure basket value, and 45% of household were compelled to adopt coping mechanisms. High financial strain prevents many households from accessing essential services, including healthcare, and purchasing key non-food items.
• Households in front line and border oblasts - Khersonska, Zaporizka, Donetska, Sumska, and Kharkivska - show a higher prevalence of livelihood needs. Those living closest to the front line or border with the Russian Federation and in rural areas face more severe needs, reporting lower incomes, greater reliance on coping strategies and irregular sources of income or assistance.
• Employment opportunities are limited due to a mismatch between professional skills and qualifications, lack of opportunities, and discrimination. Barriers to the labour market vary based on the age, gender, and location of job seekers.
• The prevalence and severity of livelihood needs are heightened among specific demographic groups. IDPs, elderly persons in pre-retirement age, female-headed households, and households with unemployed members and people with disabilities face compounded challenges in earning sufficient incomes and engaging in the labour market.