UN: By 2050, Ukraine will become the world leader in youth shortage

Youth. Photo: freepik

By the middle of the century, Ukraine will face a catastrophic demographic crisis and rank first in the world for the lowest percentage of youth in its population structure. This follows from the data in the UN’s new report, World Population Highlights 2026: Youth.

The data analysis shows a shocking trend: whereas in 2000 Ukraine was in the sixth decade of countries by share of youth population at 14.8%, by 2050 that figure is expected to fall to 6.6%. In absolute numbers, the number of young people aged 15 to 24 will decline by more than threefold – from 7.349 million at the beginning of the century to 2.315 million by 2050.

For comparison, experts cite forecasts for neighboring countries and Europe’s leading states, where the situation appears considerably more stable. By 2050, the share of youth in Poland is projected at 11%, in Hungary at 10.2%, and in Slovakia at 12%. In Germany and France, those figures will be roughly twice as high as Ukraine’s – 15.4% and 12.7%, respectively. Analysts note that while Western Europe remains in a relative “comfort zone,” Ukraine is effectively losing its human capital.

Such a sharp decline in the young population calls into question the very future of the nation and the meaning of fighting for territory without preserving its people. In the view of experts, the lack of an effective youth policy and large-scale migration processes are driving the country toward a “demographic abyss” – one that Ukraine will be the first in the world to face.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that Zelenska had spoken of a critical decline in the birth rate in Ukraine.

Read also