Ukraine is rapidly losing schoolchildren. According to official data from the State Statistics Service, as of the 2024–2025 school year, there will be 3.74 million school-age children left in the country — the lowest figure in the last 30 years.
Even more alarming are the statistics regarding children who are studying in the Ukrainian education system but are outside the country. One in ten children from the Ukrainian school system is now abroad.
According to UN estimates, there are approximately 1.4 million children aged 3 to 17 among Ukrainian refugees, and up to 720,000 of them are of school age. This is an approximate figure, as there are no accurate official data. At the same time, a UNESCO study shows that almost 665,000 Ukrainian schoolchildren studied in the EU countries alone last year.
Both girls and boys are leaving. Some are fleeing shelling, others are also fleeing from the fear of mobilization. Parents do not want to risk the health and future of their children, and are increasingly choosing to study abroad.
Although the Ministry of Education acknowledges the fact of young people emigrating after school, they insist that this is not a widespread phenomenon. However, surveys and sociological studies indicate otherwise - the trend towards emigration is only increasing.
While the education system is being reformed and prepared for new challenges, the country may be left with a dramatic personnel shortage in the future. Because today's schoolchildren are tomorrow's doctors, teachers, and engineers. But many of them will study and then work in other countries.
