The population of Ukraine has fallen to 30 million: the cause of the catastrophe has been named.

According to inkorr.com: Ukraine is experiencing a serious demographic crisis, which has already reached the status of a catastrophe. Since gaining independence in 1991, the population has decreased from 52 million to about 30 million people. The war only exacerbates these negative trends, although the decline in birth rates began much earlier.

As reported by 'Hvylya', economist Oleg Ustenko mentioned this in a conversation with political scientist Yuriy Romanenko.

According to Ustenko, the first signs of demographic problems appeared almost immediately after the collapse of the USSR. 'The situation with our demographics has been bad since, let's say, 1992, 1993,' noted the economist.

Key figures of demographic decline:

• 1991: Ukraine's population was 52 million.
• Beginning of 2022: before the full-scale invasion, it was estimated that about 38 million people lived in the country.

Since the beginning of the war, it is estimated that between 5 to 6 million people have left Ukraine. Taking into account the population in temporarily occupied territories, the actual population in the territories controlled by Ukraine may amount to about 30 million people.

Especially worrying is the catastrophic decrease in birth rates. In 2013, 503 thousand children were born in Ukraine, while in 2023 this figure fell to 187 thousand.

Dynamics of declining birth rates:

• 2013: 503,000 newborns
• 2020: about 300,000 newborns
• 2023: 187,000 newborns
• Forecast for 2025: drop to 120,000 newborns

Thus, Ukraine is currently facing a significant population decline due to a demographic crisis that began back in the 90s and has been complicated by war. The decline in birth rates will become one of the key issues for the country in the near future.