Biggest demographic crisis: Ukraine’s birth rate has fallen to critical level, - CNN
On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the full-scale war, the demographic situation in Ukraine is rapidly deteriorating.
This is reported by CNN, as quoted by Censor.NET.
According to experts, the war, mass emigration and losses on the front lines have led to one of the deepest demographic crises in the world. The birth rate continues to fall, and more and more families are postponing decisions to expand their families.
"It’s a catastrophe. No country can exist without people. Even before the war, Ukraine’s population density was low (and) very unevenly spread," said Ella Libanova, director of the Institute of Demography of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
According to her, Ukraine has lost about 10 million people since the start of the war. This includes those who have died, forced migrants and residents of the occupied territories.
Stories of war and motherhood
The article tells the story of military serviceman Olena Bilozerska, who postponed having a child because of the war. After years of service, doctors assessed her chances of getting pregnant as minimal.
"Soldiers live one day at a time. They do not plan anything for the future," she told journalists in Kyiv.
The woman decided to undergo in vitro fertilisation on the eve of a full-scale invasion. The embryo was stored in a cryobank while she was serving on the front line. At the age of 46, she gave birth to a son.
The article also mentions the story of Iryna Ivanova, whose husband, F-16 pilot Pavlo Ivanov, was killed in combat in 2025. Their daughter was born after his death.
What doctors say
Valerii Zukin, director of a reproductive medicine clinic, notes that war has a devastating effect on reproductive health. According to him, the number of pregnancy complications and chromosomal abnormalities has increased.
Reproductive specialist Alla Baranenko also notes a decline in the quality of eggs and sperm. Doctors attribute this to stress, living conditions and the effects of combat operations.
According to journalists, the birth rate in Ukraine has fallen below one child per woman. For comparison, this figure is around 1.4 in European countries and 1.6 in the United States.
At the same time, about six million Ukrainians, mainly women and children, remain abroad. Experts warn that the longer the war lasts, the less likely they are to return. Mass migration exacerbates the problem of brain drain and population ageing.
- Earlier, the Ministry of Justice reported that in Ukraine, there are three deaths for every newborn.
