Poland is the preferred destination for refugees 2:43
(CNN) —
At least 10 million people have been forced to flee their homes in Ukraine following Russia's invasion less than a month ago, the head of the United Nations refugee agency said Sunday.
That figure represents almost a quarter of the country's population, which the World Bank estimated at 44 million in 2020.
Russian war in Ukraine: breaking news and invasion news
Of the people who have fled their homes, the majority ––6.48 million as of March 16, according to figures provided on Friday by the International Organization for Migration–– are internally displaced since the conflict began on February 24.
Others have sought refuge in neighboring countries.
Among them, Poland, Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, Russia and Belarus.
We solve the most frequent doubts about how to help Ukrainian refugees
"Among the responsibilities of those who make war, around the world, is the suffering inflicted on civilians who must flee their homes," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a tweet on Sunday.
advertising
"The war in Ukraine is so devastating that 10 million have fled. Either as internally displaced persons or as refugees abroad," he added.
People arrive at the Przemysl train station in Poland from Ukraine on Sunday.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said Thursday that more than 90% of the 3.1 million people who have left Ukraine are women and children.
Raouf Mazou, UNHCR deputy commissioner, stressed that this implies a "greater risk of gender-based violence and other forms of exploitation and abuse, including trafficking."
The war in Ukraine revealed Europe's selective empathy towards refugees
UNICEF spokesman Joe English told CNN on Sunday that 1.5 million Ukrainian children became refugees due to Russia's invasion.
And he added that another 3.3 million are currently displaced within the country.
"Each one of them is a specific child whose life has been torn apart, whose world has been turned upside down," English said.
Where have Ukrainian refugees and displaced persons fled?
What is it like to assist Ukrainian refugees?
0:48
In the first three weeks of the conflict, two million people arrived in Poland from Ukraine, according to the UN, while more than a million went to other neighboring countries.
Mazou said last week that he estimated 490,000 Ukrainians had fled to Romania.
As well as 350,000 to Moldova, 280,000 to Hungary and 228,000 to Slovakia as refugees.
Poland has become "one of the largest refugee-hosting countries in the world" in just a few weeks, Mazou added.
Strangers are leaving strollers, car seats, winter coats and toys at the Polish border for Ukrainian refugees
Previously, Grandi had called the sheer number of people fleeing their homes in Ukraine "frightening."
And, earlier this month, he described the plight of the Ukrainians as "the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II."
Countries across Europe have also received Ukrainian refugees.
They include France, where more than 10,000 people have arrived since Russia's invasion, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told French broadcaster RTL on Monday.
Ukrainian citizens can enter France without a visa, he said.
And he added that many of those who arrived were just passing through on their way to the large Ukrainian community in Spain.
Meanwhile, more than 187,000 refugees have arrived in Germany from Ukraine, the country's interior ministry said on Thursday.
However, a ministry spokesman said the actual number could be significantly higher.
This due to the absence of border controls between Poland and Germany.
CNN's Benjamin Brown, Joseph Ataman, Camille Knight and Amy Cassidy all contributed to this report.
UNHCRWar in UkraineRussia invasion of UkraineRefugees
