Ukraine’s population has fallen by eight million since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, due to mass exodus and declining fertility rates, the United Nations reported on Tuesday.
“Overall, Ukraine’s population has decreased by about ten million since 2014 and by about eight million since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022”, said Florence Bauer, head of the UN Population Fund’s (UNFPA) Eastern Europe division, in notes sent to journalists.
The document, citing government and UNFPA data, indicates Ukraine’s current population stands at 35 million, down from 43 million in 2022 and 45 million in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea.
At a Geneva press conference, Bauer explained the decline is linked to “a combination of factors”, noting that “even before the war’s escalation, Ukraine faced significant demographic challenges”.
“The country had one of Europe’s lowest birth rates. Many people had already left the country seeking better opportunities. The population was ageing and the total population was declining”, Bauer said.
She added that this situation is typical across Eastern Europe, with many countries showing similar demographic trends, but “the situation worsened significantly with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022”.
The fertility rate has plummeted to around one child per woman, “among the world’s lowest” and “well below” the population replacement level of 2.1 children per woman.
Additionally, 6.7 million people have fled Ukraine “and a significant number have died due to the conflict,” the UN representative added.
(information from protothema.gr)
