The triple-burden of depopulation in Ukraine: examining perceptions of population decline

Perelli-Harris, Brienna and Hilevych, Yuliya (2023) The triple-burden of depopulation in Ukraine: examining perceptions of population decline. Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, 21. (doi:10.1553/p-azcj-d4f4).

Record type: Article

Abstract

In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, leading to severe population loss as millions exited the country and casualties mounted. However, population decline in Ukraine had been occurring for decades due to the triple burden of depopulation: low fertility, high mortality and substantial emigration. Ukraine had also already experienced years of armed conflict and large-scale displacement after the Russian-backed separatist movement, which started in 2014. This study investigates perspectives on depopulation using online focus groups conducted in July 2021, seven months before the current invasion. We compared discussions in eastern Ukraine, including in rural villages, the IDP-receiving city of Mariupol, the large city of Kharkiv and occupied Donetsk. Participants observed that cities were growing at the expense of rural areas. The situation in Donetsk was bleak due to mass emigration, but some participants pointed to a recent increase in births. Overall, the participants acknowledged the triple burden of depopulation in Ukraine, and the consequences of population decline, such as a shrinking labour force and rapid ageing

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Accepted/In Press date: 10 January 2023

e-pub ahead of print date: 9 March 2023

Published date: 9 March 2023

Additional Information: Funding Information: Funding from Global Challenges Research Strategic Development Fund, UK Economic and Social Research Council is gratefully acknowledged. We would like to thank Professor Theodore Gerber, University of Wisconsin, for suggesting the original idea of conducting the focus groups in eastern Ukraine and helping to develop the focus group questionnaire. Thank you to Oleksandr Scherbatiuk, Andriy Kashyn, Denis Pikus, Kateryna Skrypka and Iryna Vorobiova at the Kyiv International Institute for Sociology, who did an excellent job organising and moderating the focus groups. Finally, thank you to Nataliia Levchuk, Ptoukha Institute at the National Academy of Sciences, for the use of data and figures and insights into the situation in Ukraine Funding Information: Funding from Global Challenges Research Strategic Development Fund, UK Economic and Social Research Council is gratefully acknowledged. We would like to thank Professor Theodore Gerber, University of Wisconsin, for suggesting the original idea of conducting the focus groups in eastern Ukraine and helping to develop the focus group questionnaire. Thank you to Oleksandr Scherbatiuk, Andriy Kashyn, Denis Pikus, Kateryna Skrypka and Iryna Vorobiova at the Kyiv International Institute for Sociology, who did an excellent job organising and moderating the focus groups. Finally, thank you to Nataliia Levchuk, Ptoukha Institute at the National Academy of Sciences, for the use of data and figures and insights into the situation in Ukraine. Publisher Copyright: © 2023, Vienna Yearbook of Population Research.All Rights Reserved.

Keywords: Ukraine, depopulation, emigration, low fertility, population decline