MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/. About 5.3 million people from Ukraine have left the country since February 2022, and it is a serious blow to both the country’s demographics and its economy, says Alexey Poznyak, senior researcher at the Ptukha Institute of Demographics and Social Studies.

"This [the departure of 5.3 million Ukrainians] is a serious blow to both the demographics and the workforce availability, and to the state’s ability to function normally in general. It is a very serious problem," he said in an interview for RBC Ukraine.

According to the expert, problems are to be expected in the labor market. It would be difficult to find people for certain vacancies, and significant salary increases are unlikely. The emigration of a large number of young and middle-aged people, women in particular, will cause a birth rate decline, and a corresponding drop in demand for pre-school and primary education facilities. This, Poznyak noted, will cause unemployment in these professions. In addition, migration losses will increase the load on producers of material goods and paid services.

Repatriation of people could solve the problems in the economy. Meanwhile, according to various estimates, only half of the emigrated people are ready to come back to Ukraine. According to the expert, the Ukrainians will agree to return even if their income back home were to stand at 70% of what they earn abroad. Such loyalty is explained by the presence within the national legal field, and the fact that everything around is well known. Meanwhile, even social surveys will not give an indication as to how many people would decide to come back to Ukraine - it would become clear only during the first year after the end of hostilities, the expert believes.

There is also a problem of potential antagonism between those who left Ukraine and those who stayed. Thus, the expert says, it is necessary to stimulate tolerance within the society. In addition, the departure of underage boys amid the rumors of potentially upcoming reductions in the mobilization age to 18 years could cause certain difficulties in building families, he believes.

According to the Ukrainian Institute of the Future, in 2001, the Ukrainian population stood at 48.5 million people. By 2023, it had decreased to 29 million people. Meanwhile, the ageing population, low birth rate, and mass emigration have reversed the demographic pyramid, with 9.5 million working people for 23 million seniors, children, and unemployed.