Will Ukrainian refugees return from abroad after the war? What is the real population size in the country? What should the demographic strategy be? These and other questions were answered by the Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the Institute of Demography and Social Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine Oleksandr Hladun in an interview with the online publication "RBC-Ukraine".
Regarding how many Ukrainian refugees will return from abroad after the war, the scientist emphasized: "According to various surveys, exactly 25% of refugees want to stay abroad. About the same number, possibly 30-40%, said they would definitely return. We need to fight for those who are between these percentages. For those who have not decided whether they will return. Maintain contact with them, help somehow. So that they see that they are also cared for, that they are needed by their country. This should be done through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through public organizations, personal communication."
Oleksandr Mykolayovych noted that the population of Ukraine as of January 1 this year is estimated to be slightly more than 35 million people. This is within the 1991 borders. However, excluding the occupied territories, the population is 28-30 million people. It is necessary to take into account the fact that we cannot have objective data on the occupied territories, and therefore the numbers in this range may vary. But undoubtedly, the trend is that the population has decreased significantly.
According to the scientist, the demographic strategy of our state should primarily address the issue of birth rate. He noted: "To prevent the population from declining, 100 women need to give birth to 210-220 children. In our conditions, 220 is better. Then the population will be more or less stable and will not decrease. At the beginning of the large war, this indicator was at the level of 116. That is, even then it was very low. Now, it seems, it is even lower, but we do not know this reliably."