Ukraine’s population at independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 was over 50 million. Now just 31 million live in land controlled by Kyiv. And the number of deaths is nearly three times the number of births, according to the justice minister.
Amid low birth rates, war and emigration, Ukraine’s numbers are dwindling
Experts in the media
| 27 February 2025
The war has killed tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers. At least 5 million more have fled and live outside Ukraine, and a fifth of the country — another 5 million people — are under Russian occupation.
These missing Ukrainians — the ones who have fled, the dead, the occupied — have left a gaping hole in today’s Ukraine that will greatly shape what sort of country will be left when the conflict ends. A diminished population could have a major impact on the country’s economic health, political stability, ethnic makeup and ability to fight wars in the future.
Bringing them back
Ukrainian officials hope to induce those who have left the country to return once the war ends — especially as a large portion of them are young, educated professionals and women in their childbearing years.
A survey published last week by the Center for Economic Strategy in Kyiv showed “less than half of Ukrainian refugees” indicated they would return home.
The Ukrainian government hopes to change these minds, or at least maintain strong ties to this diaspora that will be passed onto their children. In October, Ukraine’s parliament created a new ministry devoted exclusively to demographics and relations with the diaspora.
Ukrainian officials announced this year the creation of Unity Hubs in countries where large numbers of refugees reside to help Ukrainians integrate into the communities they live in — providing language lessons, for example — or move back to Ukraine if they wanted, finding them jobs and places to live.
Source: The Washington Post.
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