Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are reported to have died and been wounded in nearly four years of fighting in the war against Russia, and millions more have fled the country, while Ukraine's birth rate is declining.
According to the National Academy of Sciences, Ukraine's population has already dropped from 42 million to less than 36 million and could fall further to 25 million by 2051.
According to the CIA, as of 2024, Ukraine had the highest mortality rate and the lowest birth rate in the world, with about three deaths for every birth.
The average life expectancy of men in Ukraine fell from 65.2 years to 57.3 years, and for women – from 74.4 to 70.9 years.
Experts and politicians note that Ukraine will need millions of people to rebuild its economy destroyed by the war, as well as to protect itself in the post-war future if the aggressor country of the Russian Federation attacks again.
The demographic strategy of the Ukrainian government is aimed at reducing emigration and returning citizens, Reuters emphasized. Ukrainian authorities estimate that these measures could lead to population growth of up to 34 million by 2040, but at the same time warn that the population could fall to 29 million by then if current trends continue.
Context
At the beginning of 2022, by data According to the State Statistics Service, the population of Ukraine was 41.2 million people. There is no exact information about the current population size. According to the Institute of Demography and Quality of Life Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, in 2024 it amounted to 35.8 millionand by 2051 may decrease to 25.2 million.
