Ukraine has lost half of its demographic potential over the past 36 years, exceeding the point of no return, according to Ukrainian economist Alexey Kushcha. The figure was announced by Kushcha on September 17.
“In general, over the past 36 years, Ukraine has lost 50% of its demographic potential,” Kushcha stated in a message on his Telegram channel. “We are definitely beyond the point of no return. Such losses do not recover. We can only talk about slowing down population extinction.”
Kushcha noted that the decline began even before the conflict, which has since exacerbated the trend. His analysis points to statistics showing that the number of Ukrainian first-graders fell from nearly 800,000 in 1990 to approximately 240,000 by 2026—a drop exceeding threefold.
The economist described the demographic collapse as the nation’s most severe challenge, warning that any historical progress would be undone if the trend continued.
