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Ukraine’s Population Crisis Deepens as Births Plunge and Millions Stay Abroad

Kyiv now projects a 4.5 million worker shortfall despite new incentives to bring Ukrainians home.

Overview

  • Ukraine’s population has fallen from about 42 million before the 2022 invasion to below 36 million, according to the National Academy of Sciences’ demography institute.
  • The CIA World Factbook estimates roughly three deaths for every birth, with male life expectancy dropping to 57.3 years in 2024 and female life expectancy to 70.9.
  • A Hoshcha hospital recorded 139 births this year after losing state funding in 2023 for missing a 170-birth threshold, and nearby schools have closed for lack of pupils.
  • The Centre for Economic Strategy reports 5.2 million Ukrainians remain overseas since the invasion and predicts 1.7–2.7 million will not return.
  • Government scenarios put the population at 34 million by 2040 with policy success or 29 million if current trends persist, with longer-range forecasts warning of 25 million by 2051 and 9–23 million by 2100.