Ukraine is on the brink of demographic collapse because of the war – Reuters

According to Ukraine’s Institute of Demography, before Russia’s invasion the country’s population was 42 million people, and it has now fallen to under 36 million, including several million living in occupied territories. Demographers estimate that by 2051 this figure will shrink to 25 million.

These statistics are cited by Reuters.

Reuters reported that in nearly four years of fighting, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and wounded, millions have left the country, and the birth rate is declining. The agency described the situation as a demographic collapse.

According to the 2024 CIA World Factbook estimates, Ukraine has both one of the highest mortality rates and one of the lowest birth rates in the world: there are about three deaths for every birth. In every region of Ukraine, deaths outnumber births, as a map shows.

The average life expectancy of men in the country has fallen from 65.2 years before the war to 57.3 years in 2024. For women, this indicator has decreased from 74.4 to 70.9 years.

According to experts and politicians, Ukraine will need millions of people to rebuild its devastated economy and to be able to defend itself in case Russia attacks again.

“The strategy focuses on curbing further emigration and bringing Ukrainians back from abroad, in particular by improving housing conditions, infrastructure and education, as well as attracting immigrants from other countries if jobs remain unfilled. The authorities estimate that these measures could increase the population to 34 million by 2040, but also warn that by that time it could fall to 29 million if current trends continue,” the article says.

Let us recall that last year the UN reported that since the start of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine’s population has shrunk by almost ten million people.

UN experts forecast that the country’s population will decline to 15.3 million by 2100.