Ukraine Records Low Birth Rates Population of 10 Million Amid War
Photo Credit: AFP
By: Abdulwasiu Akintunde
The United Nations has revealed that since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Ukraine’s population has dropped by over 10 million, driven by mass displacement and a sharp decline in birth rates.
Open Television Naija (OTN) News gathered that UNFPA’s regional director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Florence Bauer, explained during a press briefing in Geneva that the population drop results from multiple factors linked to the war.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) highlighted the dramatic demographic change, despite the absence of a formal census.
Before the conflict, Ukraine was already facing demographic challenges, with one of Europe’s lowest birth rates and an ongoing population decline due to emigration by young people seeking better opportunities.
However, the invasion intensified these trends, as approximately 6.7 million people fled the country as refugees.
OTN News further gathered that birth rates have now fallen to an average of just one child per woman, one of the lowest globally, far below the 2.1 replacement rate needed to sustain population levels.
In addition to the declining birth rate and migration, “tens of thousands of casualties” from the conflict have also contributed to the population decline,Bauer finalised.
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