“Ukraine’s population is one of the fastest shrinking in the world and likely to decrease to 35 million by 2050,” reads the UN policy paper on population dynamics.
Low fertility and high mortality rates together with high levels of outmigration are eroding Ukraine’s human capital and thus the basis for sustainable development. Insufficient wellbeing and lack of opportunities for women to combine career and care for children remain among the factors preventing Ukrainians from having the desired number of children, UN experts believe.
As noted, the prevalence of highrisk behaviour and non-communicable diseases are among the main causes for one of Europe’s highest mortality rates, especially among men. About one third of Ukrainians die before the age of 65. More than half of these deaths are preventable. There are an estimated 3 million Ukrainian workers abroad at any given time and numbers are likely to increase.
According to the State Statistics Service, the population of Ukraine was 41,319,800 people as of October 2021.
The last census in Ukraine was conducted in 2001. Then the total population was 48.4 million people.