Amid the war, Ukraine is facing a demographic crisis

Monday’s deadly attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, which caused severe damage to the country’s largest children’s hospital and a healthcare centre for women, starkly emphasised the devastating impact of the ongoing war. Such assaults cause immediate tragedy but also ripple through the demographic fabric of the nation, exacerbating already critical population challenges. The ongoing shelling across Ukraine has significantly impacted health services, including maternal and neonatal units. Hospitals have struggled to deliver adequate care due to strained resources, damaged facilities and weakened energy supplies. The stress and trauma from constant bombardments, especially on the front lines, have also affected pregnant women. Doctors in the country have reported increased rates of pregnancy complications, premature deliveries and low-weight births.

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On World Population Day, UNFPA stresses need to demystify demographic change in Eastern Europe

ISTANBUL, 11 July 2024 – On today’s World Population Day, the UNFPA Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia stressed the need for responses to the demographic shifts countries in the region are facing to be based on sound evidence and human rights. “The way demographic change is discussed in the region is still too often marked by misconceptions and anxieties,” said Florence Bauer, UNFPA Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

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FAQs on demographic change

Populations worldwide are undergoing major shifts. Demographic change is one of five megatrends identified by the United Nations Secretary-General, which shape progress towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. However, there are still myths and misconceptions about the causes and implications of these changes. Here are some frequently asked questions – and responses – about demographic change in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region.

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Support centres help weave together fabric of new communities during time of war

Iryna Harifulina, 62, is one of the 5.1 million Ukrainians who have been internally displaced by the war. She used to live in Kramatorsk, a city located in the eastern Donetsk region near the frontlines that has repeatedly been hit by air strikes. The fighting forced her to move hundreds of kilometres away to the city of Dnipro, where she found safety but felt like a stranger. "I arrived with only two bags, leaving behind all my friends and the life I knew,” she said. “It was incredibly difficult to leave my city at this age, it was a terrible feeling.” Women make up 58 per cent of Ukraine’s internally displaced population. And like Ms. Harifulina, many struggle to settle into their new environment where they must take on new roles and responsibilities. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) created a project known as VONA Career Hubs to help women develop job skills and financial literacy. It initially focused on survivors of domestic and gender-based violence, but since the start of the war, it has been expanded to include women who are internally displaced and those from vulnerable populations or older age groups.

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The UNFPA Demographic Resilience Programme

This brochure provides an overview of UNFPA’s Demographic Resilience Programme, which aims to strengthen the capacity of countries in Europe and Central Asia to respond to the profound demographic shifts the region is experiencing. 

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