Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Ukraine’s population has fallen by 10 million: UN
Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, the population of Ukraine has decreased by 10 million people, which is about a quarter of the total. This was the result of a massive exodus of refugees, declining birth rates and numerous deaths due to war. This was reported by Florence Bauer, head of the Eastern European branch of the United Nations Population Fund, in interview Reuters.
Bauer noted that even before the invasion, Ukraine faced difficult demographic challenges, but the war only exacerbated this situation.
“The fertility rate has fallen dramatically and is now about one child per woman, one of the lowest in the world”, she noted.
To maintain a stable population of the country, a birth rate of 2.1 children per woman is necessary. However, it is currently difficult to assess the full impact of the war on the demographic situation in Ukraine, because for this it will be necessary to conduct a full population census after the end of hostilities.
One of the most visible consequences of the conflict is the depopulation of many regions: mostly elderly people remain in the villages, and couples do not dare to start families in the conditions of war. The main reason for such population reduction was refugees — more than 6.7 million Ukrainians went abroad, mainly to European countries. In addition, significant losses at the front also affected the demographic situation.
It is worth noting that in the first half of 2024, only 87,655 children were born in Ukraine, which is 9% less than in the same period of the previous year, while 250,972 deaths were recorded.
We will remind that experts predict that after the end of the war in Ukraine, we should not expect a baby boom, as economic and social factors will continue to affect the birth rate.
