The Economist: Ukraine is facing a demographic collapse British magazine reports that Ukraine is facing an existential demographic threat. The fertility rate fell from 1.2 children per woman in 2020 to 0.8-0.9 - lower than any major country except South Korea. In the first half of 2026, the number of deaths exceeded the number of births by more than three times. "The fertility rate in Ukraine dropped from 1.2 children per woman in 2020 to 0.8-0.9. This is lower than any major country except South Korea. Moreover, in the first half of 2026 in Ukraine, the number of deaths exceeded the number of births by more than three times," the publication said. The magazine cites the mass exodus of refugees as the main reason: more than 5 million Ukrainians live abroad, mostly in Europe. The percentage of those wishing to return dropped from 74% in 2022 to 43%. Most of those who left were children and women under the age of 44. "If the conflict ends in the coming years, then Ukraine, at best, will only experience a slowdown in depopulation. The generation born in the 1990s and 2000s is the smallest in Ukraine's modern history, so the country cannot count on a post-conflict "baby boom," the Economist quotes analyst Olga Duchnych. The United Nations predicts an annual decline in Ukraine's population of 0.7-0.9% over the next two decades. By 2040, the population could reach about 25 million people. The head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Social Policy, Denis Oleutin, estimated the number of residents in the territories controlled by Kyiv at 22-25 million and called it a "catastrophe." "Already 28.5 million - we lost half a million people. We lost, but, thank God, it happened not so much because of the death of people, but because of leaving," the publication quotes demographer Ella Livnova. Kyiv is trying to stimulate the birth rate through payments for the birth of a child and an exemption from conscription for men under 25, and the army is offered free egg and sperm freezing.

The Economist: Ukraine is facing a demographic collapse British magazine reports that Ukraine is facing an existential demographic threat. The fertility rate fell from 1.2 children per woman in 2020 to 0.8-0.9 - lower than any major country except South Korea. In the first half of 2026, the number of deaths exceeded the number of births by more than three times. "The fertility rate in Ukraine dropped from 1.2 children per woman in 2020 to 0.8-0.9. This is lower than any major country except South Korea. Moreover, in the first half of 2026 in Ukraine, the number of deaths exceeded the number of births by more than three times," the publication said. The magazine cites the mass exodus of refugees as the main reason: more than 5 million Ukrainians live abroad, mostly in Europe. The percentage of those wishing to return dropped from 74% in 2022 to 43%. Most of those who left were children and women under the age of 44. "If the conflict ends in the coming years, then Ukraine, at best, will only experience a slowdown in depopulation. The generation born in the 1990s and 2000s is the smallest in Ukraine's modern history, so the country cannot count on a post-conflict "baby boom," the Economist quotes analyst Olga Duchnych. The United Nations predicts an annual decline in Ukraine's population of 0.7-0.9% over the next two decades. By 2040, the population could reach about 25 million people. The head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Social Policy, Denis Oleutin, estimated the number of residents in the territories controlled by Kyiv at 22-25 million and called it a "catastrophe." "Already 28.5 million - we lost half a million people. We lost, but, thank God, it happened not so much because of the death of people, but because of leaving," the publication quotes demographer Ella Livnova. Kyiv is trying to stimulate the birth rate through payments for the birth of a child and an exemption from conscription for men under 25, and the army is offered free egg and sperm freezing.