An article in the November 6 issue of London’s Economist reports on the decline of the Ukrainian population and the declining birth rates. Ukraine’s 2022 population of 37 million people has declined, according to the Economist, to 27 or 28 million. Of the roughly 10 million gone, the Economist counts 3–5 million who are now in Russia, including in the regions that joined it in 2022, more than 5 million in other countries, and an estimated 150,000 combat dead. At its independence in 1991, Ukraine had a population of 52 million, Crimea and Donbas included.

The share of refugees who say they intend to return has fallen from 74% in 2022 to 43%, according to the Center for Economic Strategy in Kiev. Most refugees are children and women under 44, which compounds the problem. Given the war situation, women are putting off having children, perhaps permanently.