'Nation of widows and orphans': Ukraine's birth rate falls to critical low
Photo: mortality is also rising in Ukraine (Getty Images)
Ukraine’s birth rate has fallen sharply, with the country facing one of the most severe demographic crises globally. The decline intensified after the start of the full-scale war. The trend reflects both wartime pressures and long-term demographic challenges, according to CNN.
Read also: Russia faces youth crisis, intelligence predicts dramatic drop by 2040
Experts now describe Ukraine’s demographic situation as nearly unprecedented.
According to leading demographers, the birth rate has fallen below the critical threshold, with the average woman giving birth to fewer than one child over her lifetime, far below typical levels in Europe and the United States.
Specialists say the crisis has been driven by several overlapping factors:
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war and battlefield losses, with many of those killed having been married and parents, increasing the number of widows and orphans;
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large-scale outward migration, with around six million citizens, including young women and children, leaving the country and many not returning;
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family separation and uncertainty about the future, prompting many Ukrainians to postpone having children.
Demographer Ella Libanova of the Institute for Demography and Social Research described the situation as catastrophic, warning that population decline complicates long-term national development.
Societal impact
Falling birth rates and the prolonged war have led to a growing number of children living without biological parents. Statistics indicate that about 59,000 children are currently being raised in foster families without their parents.
At the same time, some Ukrainian families continue to have and raise children in the country, reflecting efforts to maintain normal life despite wartime conditions.
Expert outlook
Recent demographic indicators, including natural population change and migration, point to worsening trends. Birth rates had already been declining before the war, but Russia’s full-scale invasion significantly accelerated the process.
Experts say stabilizing the situation will require comprehensive social and economic measures aimed at supporting families, encouraging refugees to return, and creating conditions for population recovery.
Earlier estimates suggested Ukraine could lose around 10 million people as a result of the full-scale war, while international data indicate the country now faces one of the lowest birth rates and highest mortality levels globally.
