Ukraine's population totals 35.8 million as of July 2024 — government

Espreso correspondent Kateryna Halko reported the information.

Deputy Health Minister Serhiy Dubrov said, citing forecasts by the Institute for Demography and Social Research, that by 2051 Ukraine's population could drop to 25.2 million.

He noted that as of January 1, 2022, the population of Ukraine was 42.6 million, while in July 2024 it was 35.8 million.

This sharp decline is due to a number of demographic problems, as described by First Deputy Minister of Social Policy Daria Marchak.

Among the key factors, Marchak named the extremely low birth rate of 0.9 children per woman, with a replacement rate of 2.2.

In addition, she said, high premature mortality and intense demographic aging - 22% of the population is aged 65+, a 1:1 ratio of workers to pensioners, and mass emigration caused by the war - are also contributing to the population decline, with an estimated 5 million Ukrainians now living abroad.

Taking into account the loss of territories, the total population of Ukraine is estimated at about 31 million in the government-controlled territory and about 5 million in the temporarily occupied territories.

• Earlier, demographer Ella Libanova said that, according to the most optimistic forecast, in 10 years, no more than 35 million people will live in Ukraine within the 1991 borders. In her opinion, Ukraine will still be a poor country in 10 years, and millions of men will leave for their wives if the borders are opened.
• Oleksandr Hladun, deputy director of the Institute of Demography and Quality of Life Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, noted that approximately 34-35 million Ukrainians are currently living in the government-controlled areas.