The full-scale war against the Russian Federation has led to a rapid deterioration of the demographic situation in Ukraine: the birth rate has fallen to below one child per woman, millions of people have left the country, and losses at the front continue to grow.
Points of attention
- The full-scale war has significantly decreased Ukraine's birth rate, leading to a demographic catastrophe.
- Millions of people have left Ukraine, creating a mass exodus of mainly women and children, exacerbating the 'brain drain' effect.
A country of widows and orphans: Ukraine is close to a demographic catastrophe
CNN reports this, citing experts and the stories of Ukrainian families.
According to demographer Ella Libanova, since the beginning of the war, Ukraine has lost approximately 10 million people — due to death, emigration, and occupation of territories.
There had been a trend towards a decline in the birth rate before, but the fighting practically brought it to a halt.
Experts call what is happening one of the most severe demographic disasters in the world.
The war is forcing many Ukrainians to postpone having children or abandon the idea altogether. Doctors are reporting an increase in fertility problems: the quality of eggs and sperm is deteriorating, pregnancy complications and premature menopause are becoming more common, which experts attribute to the stress and living conditions of wartime.
A separate problem is the transformation of Ukraine into a "country of widows and orphans."
According to American analysts, between 100,000 and 140,000 Ukrainians have been killed since the start of the full-scale invasion. The average age of servicemen is high, so many of the dead were family members. Officially, the country counts approximately 59,000 children who have been left without biological parents.
An additional blow to the country's future has been a massive population exodus: nearly 6 million Ukrainians, mostly women and children, are registered as refugees abroad, and the longer the war continues, the less likely they are to return. Experts warn that this is exacerbating the "brain drain" and will complicate post-war recovery.
Against the backdrop of these processes, experts and public activists emphasize that without solving demographic problems, it will be extremely difficult for Ukraine to recover after the end of the war and ensure its long-term development.
