Analysis 2025/26: Demográfiai katasztrófa Ukrajnában [Demographic disaster in Ukraine]

Seven million Ukrainians have fled since Russia launched its invasion in 2022, adding to the demographic decline ongoing since 1991. In addition, no one knows if the territories and populations under Russian occupation would be returned to Kyiv with a peace deal.

Since Russia’s invasion in 2022, around seven million Ukrainian citizens have left their homeland and fled to other countries. This wave of refugees, combined with war casualties, further accelerated the demographic decline ongoing in Ukraine since 1991. At the time of its declaration of independence, Ukraine had a population of 52 million, but today that number is down to 38 million. The actual population is even lower than this, as 20% of the country’s internationally recognized territory is under Russian occupation, and it is unclear whether these regions and their populations will return to Kiev’s control following a possible peace agreement.

The full text of the analysis is available in Hungarian here