Ukraine faces difficulties in the field of demography, as the number of healthy men under the age of 30 has reached the lowest level in the entire history of the country, which may negatively affect the effectiveness of mobilization measures.
The decrease in the number of young male population of Ukraine is of particular importance in connection with the ongoing war with Russia. According to The New York Times, this trend has its roots in the early 1990s, when Ukraine became independent.
During this period, the birth rate fell significantly, from 1.9 children per woman in 1991 to just 1.1 children in the following decade. According to Oleksandr Gladun, deputy director of the Institute of Demography and Social Research, the uncertainty and economic difficulties of the 1990s had a significant impact on the reproductive decisions of the population.
In addition, the military invasion of Russia in 2022 led to a further decrease in the number of men of conscription age, and lowering the mobilization age to 25 may exacerbate this problem. The outflow of about 800,000 women between the ages of 18 and 34 to the countries of the European Union also worsens the situation, as the lack of women of childbearing age affects demographic processes.
Changes in the legislation on mobilization, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on April 11, oblige citizens aged 25 to 60 to respond to the draft. This is part of the government's attempts to adapt the mobilization policy to modern demographic realities.
