Every year, 300,000 more people die in Ukraine than are born
Vasyl Voskoboynik, head of the “Office of Migration Policy”, made this statement in a comment to Channel 24.
The issue of depopulation in Ukraine has recently been the subject of active discussion again, against the backdrop of claims regarding a labour shortage and the possible recruitment of migrant workers. In this context, reference is made to statements by the Mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, as well as the Head of the President’s Office, Kyrylo Budanov, who raised the issue of labour shortages and the possible recruitment of migrants from Africa and other countries.
At the same time, as Vasyl Voskoboynik emphasises, even the return of all Ukrainians after victory will not resolve the underlying demographic problem. According to him, the Ukrainian nation is dying out at a rate of 300,000 people a year, even without taking any military action into account.
The expert noted that this trend began as early as the mid-2000s. He said that around 450,000–500,000 people die in Ukraine every year, whilst approximately 200,000–250,000 are born.
Separately, Voskoboynik clarified that in 2025, 170–180,000 children were born in Ukraine. Given this trend, as his assessment suggests, there are three deaths for every birth in the country.
What is known about the demographic crisis
Data from Opendatabot is also cited, according to which over 168,700 children were born in Ukraine in 2025, whilst 485,200 deaths were recorded. The highest number of births occurred in Kyiv, Lviv and Dnipropetrovsk regions. The highest number of deaths was recorded in Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Kyiv regions.
Earlier, Vasyl Voskoboynik also expressed the view that to avoid an economic crisis, Ukraine needs to increase the fertility rate to 2.2 children per woman.
Furthermore, lawyer Yulia Tatyk noted that social initiatives alone are insufficient to boost the birth rate. In her view, an effective solution to the problem requires a comprehensive approach, which must include economic growth as well as improvements to healthcare and education services.
A new study on the global demographic situation is also mentioned separately. According to its data, the world’s population has already exceeded the planet’s carrying capacity. Currently, around 8.3 billion people live on Earth, whilst the optimal level, as noted, is approximately 2.5 billion.
As reported by ThePublic, a British journalist’s claim that Ukraine’s population could fall to 20 million has attracted attention, though such figures remain unofficial. Most international estimates cite higher figures.
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