The Middle Class in Ukraine is Shrinking: Who Will Remain Among the Wealthy Under the New Criteria.

Currently, there are no clear criteria in Ukraine for belonging to the middle class, as experts cannot agree on what specifically defines a person's financial well-being. According to the Novyny.LIVE website, part of the population lives below the poverty line due to a lack of funds even for basic needs, while others are considered truly wealthy, taking into account real assets.

How Many Poor and Wealthy People are in Ukraine

Analyst of the 'United Ukraine' center Oleksii Kush stated that before the full-scale war in Ukraine, the core of the middle class accounted for about 10-15% of the population, while over 20% were on the periphery, 30% were categorized as poor, and nearly 5% were categorized as wealthy.

'After the onset of the full-scale war, imitators of the middle class exited immediately, leading to an increase in the number of poor to 60%. Currently, the periphery is actively collapsing, and the number of poor may reach 75-80%,'

Kush noted.

According to people's deputy Andrii Nikolaienko, less than 1-1.5% of Ukrainians could call themselves wealthy by income level by the end of 2024. Approximately 92% of the population belongs to the poor class.

'The potential middle class - people who consider themselves as such in Ukraine, make up more than 40%. While those who are actually middle class in terms of income are now less than 7%,'

Nikolaienko emphasized.

What Are the Criteria for the Middle Class in Ukraine

In Ukraine, the middle class is also associated with people who have a stable income of at least 30,000 hryvnias per month, ownership of housing and a car, the ability to solve unforeseen problems and travel abroad or vacation at least twice a year.

• stable income of 30,000 UAH per month;
• own housing and a car no older than 5 years;
• ability to purchase a vehicle if there is none;
• availability of a 'financial cushion';
• ability to travel abroad and vacation regularly.

What Else Should Ukrainians Know

In June 2025, the real living wage for Ukrainians after tax deductions was 8,421.94 UAH. People earning less than this amount are considered to be living below the poverty line. It is also worth noting that the average salary in Kyiv is at around 30,000 hryvnias per month on average according to a major recruitment portal.

The full-scale war in Ukraine has led to a significant distribution of the population by income levels, increasing the number of poor and decreasing the number of the middle class. Experts emphasize the importance of clearly defining the criteria for classifying the middle class so that the country can adopt effective measures to support the social development of the population.