The regional director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Florence Bauer, revealed to the press in Geneva that Ukraine's population has decreased by more than ten million since the war began. She pointed out that this decline is due to various factors and noted that even before the escalation of the conflict, Ukraine was already facing significant demographic challenges.
Before the conflict, Ukraine had one of the lowest birth rates in Europe. Like other Eastern European nations and various parts of the world, the population was aging while young people emigrated in search of new opportunities, Bauer explained. Since the beginning of the war, around 6.7 million people have fled Ukraine and the fertility rate has decreased to one child per woman.
The UN indicates that this population reduction is due to a "combination of factors" and highlights the demographic challenges Ukraine already faced prior to the intensification of the conflict. Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine's population has decreased by ten million people, resulting in a massive exodus and a decline in the birth rate.
The fertility rate in Ukraine is one of the lowest globally and is well below the threshold needed for population renewal, which is 2.1 children per woman. Bauer also lamented the loss of lives due to the conflict, stating that a significant number of people have died as a result of the war.
