Ukraine's population dropped by 10 million since Russian invasion: UN
Ukraine's population has dropped by more than 10 million since Russia's invasion in 2022—triggering mass migration and a sharp decline in birth rates, the United Nations reported on Tuesday. While no official census has been conducted, the UN Population Fund noted a significant population decrease in the war-torn country. "The Ukraine population has declined by over 10 million since...beginning of the war," said Florence Bauer, UNFPA's regional director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, during a press briefing in Geneva.
Conflict triggers mass exodus, birth rate decline
Bauer emphasized that the population drop had occurred "since the beginning of the full-scale invasion," attributing it to "a combination of factors." Even before the conflict, Ukraine had one of the lowest birth rates in Europe and was already experiencing a population decline, reports said. Like many Eastern European countries, Ukraine saw young people leaving to seek better opportunities abroad, Bauer explained.
6.7 million people fled Ukraine since war began
Since the war began, approximately 6.7 million people have fled Ukraine as refugees, and the birth rate has dropped to about one child per woman, Bauer noted. "That's one of the lowest in the world," she said, emphasizing that this is far below the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman required to maintain the population. She added that "several tens of thousands of casualties (from the war)" have also contributed to the significant population decline.
BRICS summit underway amid Ukraine conflict
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting a BRICS summit in Russia, despite continued calls from China, India, Brazil, and the Arab world to end hostilities in Ukraine. The BRICS group makes up 45% of the world's population and 35% of its economy in terms of purchasing power parity. Putin has maintained that Russia will not give up control over four eastern Ukrainian regions it claims as part of Russia.
Russia's stance on Ukraine conflict remains firm
Putin stressed that Moscow's long-term security interests in Europe must be considered. Although there have been talks of a ceasefire agreement, nothing concrete has been arranged. Russia now controls about one-fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea and large parts of Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Putin has shown willingness to negotiate on the basis of draft ceasefire agreements reached in Istanbul in April 2022.
BRICS summit coincides with global finance leaders' meeting
The BRICS summit comes as global finance leaders meet amid conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, concerns over China's economy, and possible trade issues stemming from the US presidential election. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are among the attendees at the summit. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, however, is absent on medical advice after a head injury.
