Ukraine faces demographic challenges, as the number of healthy men under 30 has reached its lowest level in the country's history, which may negatively affect the effectiveness of mobilization efforts.
The decline in Ukraine's young male population is particularly significant given the ongoing war with Russia. According to The New York Times, the trend has its roots in the early 1990s, when Ukraine became independent.
During this period, the fertility 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 significantly affected the reproductive decisions of the population.
In addition, the Russian military invasion in 2022 led to a further decrease in the number of men of military age, and the lowering of the mobilization age to 25 may exacerbate this problem. The outflow of about 800,000 women aged 18 to 34 to the European Union countries also worsens the situation, as the lack of women of childbearing age affects demographic processes.
Changes to the mobilization legislation 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 mobilization policy to modern demographic realities.
