The Demographic Crisis in Ukraine: The Death Rate Is Four Times Higher Than the Birth Rate

According to the latest data published by the Ministry of Justice, Ukraine’s demographic situation shows critical indicators: in the first half of 2026, the death rate exceeded the birth rate by nearly four times. OpenDataBot reports this at .

During the reporting period, 73,292 children were born in the country, while the number of deaths totaled 259,853. Experts note that the number of newborns has decreased by 16% compared to the first half of 2025 and has nearly halved compared to 2021, before the crisis. While a decade ago, about 32,000 children were born in the country each month, that figure now barely reaches 12,000.

Regional statistics reveal stark contrasts: Kyiv, as well as the Lviv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, remain the leaders in terms of the number of births. However, the most alarming situation is observed in the frontline zones. In the Donetsk region, there are 19 deaths for every newborn, and in the Kherson region, the ratio is 1 to 14. The most stable—though still negative—demographic trends persist in the country’s western regions—the Rivne, Volyn, and Zakarpattia regions—where there are two deaths for every birth.

In addition, experts recorded the first increase in overall mortality in five years—the rate rose by 4% compared to the same period last year. The largest increase in the number of deaths was recorded in Kyiv, where it reached 11%, while the highest absolute number was in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

As a reminder, we previously reported that after the end of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Ukraine will face a number of serious social challenges, one of which is a demographic crisis. Statistics indicate that the majority of Ukrainians who have left the country over the past three years do not wish to return.