As of the start of this year, around 29 million Ukrainians were living in Ukraine, plus or minus half a million. The birth rate remains low.
To achieve expanded population replacement, a Ukrainian woman would need to have 2.15 children. At present it is below one, said Ella Libanova, Director of the Institute for Demography and Quality of Life Studies at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, speaking at an LB Talks event held jointly with the company Darnytsia on the topic “What Is Ukraine Dying From?”.
“In our forecasts, we are counting on an increase in the birth rate. Certainly not to two, but to 1.5, as it was before Covid,” she noted.
Libanova stressed the need to reduce mortality. At present, 40% of men aged 20 to 60 die. This is influenced by high employment in jobs with harmful working conditions, a significant number of road traffic accidents, an unacceptable level of alcohol consumption, and low levels of physical activity. Libanova believes a “Healthy Nation” programme should be developed jointly with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development, and other sectors.
The Director of the Institute for Demography and Quality of Life Studies of Ukraine added that depopulation in Ukraine has persisted for decades. In 1991, for the first time, the number of deaths exceeded the number of births. Since 1993, there has not been a single year in which mortality did not exceed the birth rate.