The number of first-graders in Ukraine has nearly halved over eight years

The number of first-graders in Ukraine has decreased by nearly half over the past eight years — from 453,000 to approximately 242,000 children.

This was stated by Deputy Minister of Education Andriy Vitrenko in an interview with the Novosti.Live portal.

According to him, last year Ukraine had 252,000 first-grade pupils. This year the ministry projects that approximately 242,000 children will start first grade — nearly half the figure from 2018–2019, when there were 453,000 first-graders.

Vitrenko clarified that precise data on how many children will study in person, online, or in a mixed format will become available after September 5, 2026 — once all schools have entered pupil information into the electronic education management system.

On June 26, Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, stated that the country will have to attract migrants due to a labor shortage. According to him, the demographic burden on each working person in Ukraine is currently critical.

Ukraine has previously also reported a shortage of personnel for the country’s reconstruction.