Ukraine - Population

The population of Ukraine in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 48,523,000, which placed it as number 24 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 14% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 17% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 87 males for every 100 females in the country in 2003. According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2000–2005 is -0.78%, with the projected population for the year 2015 at 44,368,000. The population density in 2002 was 80 per sq km (207 per sq mi). The Dnieper Lowlands and the Donets Basin are the most densely populated regions.

It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 68% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001. The capital city, Kiev, had a population of 2,663,000 in that year. Other big cities were Kharkov, 1,701,000; Dnepropetrovsk, 1,244,000; Donetsk, 1,158,000; Odesa, 1,123,000; Zaporozhye, 949,000; and Lvov, 876,000. According to the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000–2005 was 0.1%.