Nearly a third of Ukrainians live in poverty – The World Bank reports on Ukraine’s population decline

In 2023, nearly 2 million more Ukrainian citizens fell into poverty.

This information reported according to a press release about a survey conducted by the World Bank and the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

The survey aimed to “understand how the Russian invasion affects the well-being of ordinary Ukrainians and how the government’s response has helped citizens cope with the situation.” It revealed that the Russian invasion led to increased poverty, primarily due to job losses and reduced labor income. In 2023, the number of poor people increased by 1.8 million compared to 2020. Approximately a quarter of Ukrainians did not have enough money to buy food.

More than one-fifth of adults who were employed before the war reported losing their jobs. Income from social benefits, such as pensions and social assistance, including payments to internally displaced persons, made up just over half of household incomes (compared to one-fifth in 2021).

Most services continued to operate even in areas of active combat. In 2023, between 85% and 92% of clinics were fully operational each month, and at least 89% of children aged 6–18 were enrolled in school, although in areas of active combat, 72% of students studied remotely.

The survey was conducted by phone with 1,500–2,000 households from April to December 2023.

Meanwhile, in connection with the publication of the report, Reuters reported that about 9 million Ukrainians lived in poverty last year. The total population of the country is currently estimated at about 32 million people, according to the agency.

Poverty estimates vary significantly across different sources. In 2021, Ukrainian demographers stated that more than half of the citizens were living below the poverty line. Similarly, the Verkhovna Rada reported that half of the citizens, over 19 million people, were living in poverty.