Ukraine’s population stands at 32 million, says Deputy PM
Pravda Ukraine
Ukraine’s population has declined from 52 million in 1991 to 32 million in 2024, mainly due to migration and the ongoing war.
Source: Oleksii Chernyshov, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister for National Unity of Ukraine, in an interview with Die Welt
Quote: “Ukraine had a population of 52 million on the day of its independence in 1991. This number had dropped to 48 million within ten years. By 2014, before Russia’s first invasion, the population had decreased further to 45 million. The population fell to 42 million after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2015.”
Details: Chernyshov said that Ukraine’s population had dropped to around 32 million by the end of 2024. He also highlighted that the total number of Ukrainians, including those living abroad, is about 60 million, with half of them forming the diaspora. Some of these individuals left Ukraine even before the full-scale war.
He said that around 5 million people with protected status have left Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2024.
Quote: “We want to stay connected with all Ukrainians living abroad. We don’t want them to feel disconnected from the Ukrainian cause, but rather maintain a strong link with the state.”
Background:
- Spring 2025 estimates from the Institute of Demography and Social Quality of Life at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine indicate that Ukraine’s population could decline to 28.9 million by 2041 and to 25.2 million by 2051.
- In July 2025, the UN warned that Ukraine’s population could shrink to 15.3 million by 2100.
- Later in October 2025, the institute projected that the population could fall to 25.2 million by 2051. The Ukrainian government approved the Strategy for Demographic Development of the country for the period up to 2040 to address the potential consequences of this crisis.
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