UN: Ukraine's Population Decreased by 8 Million Since Russian Invasion

The United Nations states that Ukraine's population has decreased by approximately eight million since the onset of the Russian military invasion in March 2022, due to widespread migration and a sharp decline in the birth rate. The UN Population Fund announced on Tuesday, October 23, that no population census has been conducted during this period, but multiple indicators show that Ukraine's population has significantly decreased. Florence Bauer, the director of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia division of the UN Population Fund, told international news agencies, "Assessments indicate that Ukraine's population has decreased by about 10 million compared to 2014 and about 8 million since the Russian military invasion." In 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea, Ukraine's population was approximately 45 million. The war casualties in Ukraine have reached "280,000 dead and 800,000 injured." The UN Population Fund, citing its research and official statistics from Ukraine, noted that prior to the onset of the Russian military invasion, Ukraine's population was 43 million and has now decreased to about 35 million. Florence Bauer, in a press conference in Geneva, stated that this significant population decline is the result of "a combination of various factors." She added that even before the war began, the birth rate in Ukraine was very low, and many young Ukrainians were migrating in search of a better life. Ms. Bauer noted that since the start of the Russian military invasion, about 6.7 million people have fled Ukraine and sought refuge in other countries, while the birth rate has also dropped to one child per woman. She emphasized that this figure is one of the lowest birth rate indicators in the world and is far from the hypothetical and desirable figure for maintaining population, which is 2.1 births per woman. The director of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia division of the UN Population Fund pointed out that several tens of thousands of war casualties should also be added to the factors contributing to the decline in Ukraine's population.