According to the UN, the Ukrainian population plummeted by 10 million, or around 25%, since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, writes Reuters.

As Florence Bauer, Eastern Europe head at the UN Population Fund, said at a press conference in Geneva, this was caused by the departure of citizens overseas, a drop in the birth rate, and hostilities-related deaths. The largest proportion of the demographic drop is accounted for by 6.7 million Ukrainian refugees.

At the same time, exact estimates cannot be made until the war is over and a comprehensive census is conducted.

Bauer highlighted that a major decrease in the number of Ukrainians in the state was primarily attributable to depopulation in specific districts. Furthermore, a significant drop in the birth rate is having an impact on Ukraine’s demographic condition.

“The birth rate plummeted and is currently at around one child per woman, which is one of the lowest in the world”, - said Florence Bauer, an economist.