UN: the population of Ukraine after the start of a full-scale war decreased by 10 million

Accurate estimates of the population of Ukraine will be possible after the end of the war. Since the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian population has fallen by 10 million, or about a quarter, according to the UN.

Many factors contributed to this: the departure of citizens abroad, a decrease in the birth rate, death caused by military actions. The largest share of the demographic decline is 6.7 million refugeessaid the head of the Eastern Europe department of the UN Population Fund, Florence Baver, during press conferences in Geneva (Switzerland).

How writes Reuters, exact figures can only be announced after the end of the war, when the population census takes place. Ms. Baver noted that a significant reduction in the number of Ukrainians on the territory of the state was largely due to depopulation of certain regions. She stated that the demographic situation in Ukraine is also affected by a “sharp” reduction in the birth rate:

“The birth rate has fallen sharply and is now around one child per woman, one of the lowest in the world.”

According to her, to maintain a stable population, Ukraine needs a fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman. The United Nations believes that the Russian invasion in February 2022 turned the “difficult” demographic situation in Ukraine into a “more serious one.”

After leaving the Soviet Union in 1991 Ukraine had more than 50 million citizensbut like most of its Eastern European and Central Asian neighbors, has experienced severe population decline. Already in 2021, approximately 40 million people lived in Ukraine.

Much bigger Russia, with a pre-war population of over 140 million peoplealso experienced a deterioration in the already “terrible” demographic situation after the start of a full-scale invasion. According to Florence Baver, in the first six months of this year, the lowest birth rate since 1999 was recorded in the Russian Federation – this statistics was called “catastrophic” in the Kremlin.

Earlier, the US Intelligence Agency stated that in 2024 Ukraine became the country with the highest mortality rate and the lowest rate of death. birth rate in the world.

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