Expert: The demographic situation is a national catastrophe for Ukraine

The number of pensioners in Ukraine is decreasing due to high mortality. Photo: 112 Channel

Financial and economic expert and analyst Oleksii Kusch wrote on his Telegram channel that the demographic situation in Ukraine is a "national catastrophe."

He notes that "even more frightening is society's attitude toward this problem."

"Some argue in the style of 'fewer people – more oxygen.' Others recall the example of sparsely populated Australia. A third group says, 'it's the same all over the world.' This essentially indicates a deep internal suicidal tendency in part of our society," Kusch stated.

He points out that many countries, including European ones, also face demographic challenges. However, they have resources to address them. Some benefit from an initially large population, others solve the issue through immigration. Economically developed nations, thanks to advanced healthcare, integrate retirees into the workforce.

Kusch argues that Ukraine lacks all of these factors. One of the main reasons is a significant decline in life expectancy: men live an average of 57 years, while women live 70.

"This means that only a small portion of the female population will live past 65, and their health condition will not allow them to work. Meanwhile, most men will not even reach 65. And all of this is catastrophically aggravated by the continuous outflow of migrants from the country," the analyst noted.

He underscored that due to mortality and migration, Ukraine will lose between 800,000 and 1 million people annually in the coming years.

"In other words, if these processes are not stopped, they threaten the very existence of the nation – even if the war ends," Kusch warned.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that, according to UN data, Ukraine’s population has decreased by 10 million since Russia’s invasion.

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