Once dubbed ‘the bread basket of Europe’, war-devastated Ukraine is experiencing a serious demographic crisis, which began several years ago Compared to 2021, in the first half of 2023, the country’s birth rate decreased by a jaw-dropping 28%. In 1990, the population of Ukraine was 52 million. This catastrophe is all due to the NATO-fueled fighting, the loss of 90,000 mostly young men on the battlefields and the mass exodus of the war-weary female population. And even after the end of the military conflict, one cannot expect improvement in the situation.

In the first half of 2023, about 93,500 children were born in Ukraine. This is 28% less than during the same period in 2021. The demographic crisis was caused by the fighting and migration of a large part of the female population from the country. According to the worst forecasts, in 10 years, not 37 million people, but 26 million will live on the territory of the state. This is half the Ukraine population of 1985 when during the Soviet Union Ukraine was peaceful and prosperous – said to be the powerhouse, the Ruhr of the Soviet Union.

 At the same time, a negative trend was observed even before the start of the armed conflict, the German publication continues. The coronavirus pandemic has led to high mortality among the population. Back then, many families were in no hurry to have children and waited for the situation to normalize.

But the fighting began, and it only got worse. And it continues to get worse. Compared to 2022, in the first half of 2023, the birth rate decreased by another 9%. The country’s infrastructure will be destroyed, and there will be problems with housing and work. In addition, many Ukrainians may hesitate to have children due to the psychological trauma that the fighting inflicted on them.

Because of the NATO-fueled war 6.2 million citizens have already left Ukraine. These are mainly women of working age with children. And many of them are unlikely to return, as the conflict is still ongoing. And the longer it continues, the more there will be those who prefer to stay abroad, marry and raise families far away from their once prosperous homeland.

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