MOSCOW, February 13. /TASS/. The demographic situation in Ukraine keeps getting worse as the country’s population declines by one million people every year due to a high mortality rate, a low birth rate and large-scale emigration, Alexander Gladun, deputy director for research at the Ukrainian Institute of Demography and Quality of Life Problems, told the TSN news agency.
"On average, the annual number of births in the country stood at about 185,000 in the past four years, while the number of deaths was 505,000. That said, the natural decline in population was 320,000 per year," the expert specified. "If we look at average data on the crossings of Ukraine’s western border, the annual decline is 830,000," he added.
In short, according to Gladun, "Ukraine’s population shrinks by about 1.15 million every year due to the difference between births and deaths and emigration." "In addition, we don’t know if the data on those who left the country through the western border is accurate because people started to face issues with crossing the border in 2022 as some did not have passports. It’s unclear how many left illegally," the expert noted.
According to him, mortality rates largely exceeded birth rates in Ukraine in 2025 as there were three deaths per one birth. Data from the Ukrainian Justice Ministry shows that the birth rate dropped by 4.5% last year. Gladun emphasized that "this trend is here to stay, so the decline will continue." When asked what Ukraine’s demographic situation would be like in the coming years, he pointed out that no fresh forecasts were available: "We are currently trying to count the population on the [Kiev-] controlled territory, and the work is not over yet."