Ukraine

semi-presidential republic

name: Kyiv (Kiev is the transliteration from Russian) geographic coordinates: 50 26 N, 30 31 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October etymology: the origin of the name is unclear; traditionally, the name comes from a Prince Kiy, who is said to have founded the city in the 9th century

chief of state: President Volodymyr ZELENSKYY (since 20 May 2019) head of government: Prime Minister Yulia SVYRYDENKO (since 17 July 2025) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers nominated by the prime minister, approved by the Verkhovna Rada election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister selected by the Verkhovna Rada most recent election date: 31 March and 21 April 2019 election results: 2019: Volodymyr ZELENSKYY elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Volodymyr ZELENSKYY (Servant of the People) 30.2%, Petro POROSHENKO (BPP-Solidarity) 15.6%, Yuliya TYMOSHENKO (Fatherland) 13.4%, Yuriy BOYKO (Opposition Platform-For Life) 11.7%, 35 other candidates 29.1%; percent of vote in the second round - Volodymyr ZELENSKYY 73.2%, Petro POROSHENKO 24.5%, other 2.3%; Denys SHMYHAL (independent) elected prime minister; Verkhovna Rada vote - 291-59 2014: Petro POROSHENKO elected president in first round; percent of vote - Petro POROSHENKO (independent) 54.5%, Yuliya TYMOSHENKO (Fatherland) 12.9%, Oleh LYASHKO (Radical Party) 8.4%, other 24.2%; Volodymyr HROYSMAN (BPP) elected prime minister; Verkhovna Rada vote - 257-50 expected date of next election: scheduled for March/April 2024, but n ot held because Ukraine has been under martial law since February 2022 note: a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC was created in 1992 and tasked with developing national security policy on domestic and international matters and advising the president; a presidential administration helps draft presidential edicts and provides policy support to the president

legislature name: Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 450 (all directly elected) electoral system: mixed system scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 5 years most recent election date: 7/21/2019 parties elected and seats per party: Servant of the People (254); Opposition Platform - For Life (43); Fatherland (26); European Solidarity (25); Independents (46); Other (30) percentage of women in chamber: 21.2% expected date of next election: May 2025 note 1: the next legislative election is expected to take place after the Russian-Ukrainian War ends note 2: voting not held in Crimea and parts of two Russian-occupied eastern oblasts leaving 26 seats vacant; although this brings the total to 424 elected members (of 450 potential), article 83 of the constitution mandates that a parliamentary majority consists of 226 seats

highest court(s): Supreme Court of Ukraine or SCU (consists of 100 judges, organized into civil, criminal, commercial and administrative chambers, and a grand chamber); Constitutional Court (consists of 18 justices); High Anti-Corruption Court (consists of 39 judges, including 12 in the Appeals Chamber) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges recommended by the High Qualification Commission of Judges (a 16-member state body responsible for judicial candidate testing and assessment and judicial administration), submitted to the High Council of Justice, a 21-member independent body of judicial officials; judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 65; High Anti-Corruption Court judges are selected by the same process, with one addition a majority of a combined High Qualification Commission of Judges and a 6-member Public Council of International Experts must vote in favor of potential judges in order to recommend their nomination to the High Council of Justice; Constitutional Court justices appointed - 6 each by the president, the Congress of Judges, and the Verkhovna Rada; judges serve 9-year nonrenewable terms subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; district courts

history: several previous; latest adopted and ratified 28 June 1996 amendment process: proposed by the president of Ukraine or by at least one third of the Supreme Council members; adoption requires simple majority vote by the Council and at least two-thirds majority vote in its next regular session; adoption of proposals relating to general constitutional principles, elections, and amendment procedures requires two-thirds majority vote by the Council and approval in a referendum; constitutional articles on personal rights and freedoms, national independence, and territorial integrity cannot be amended

Australia Group, BSEC, CBSS (observer), CD, CE, CEI, CICA (observer), CIS (participating member, has not signed the 1993 CIS charter), EAEC (observer), EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC note : Ukraine is an EU candidate country and must complete accession criteria before being granted full membership

4% of GDP (2021 est.) 4.4% of GDP (2020 est.) 3.4% of GDP (2019 est.) 3.1% of GDP (2018 est.) 3.1% of GDP (2017 est.) note: since Russia's invasion of the country in early 2022, annual defense spending has increased to more than 30% of GDP according to some estimates

Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU; Zbroyni Syly Ukrayiny or ZSU): Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air Forces, Air Assault Forces, Marine Corps, Special Operations Forces, Unmanned Systems Forces, Territorial Defense Forces (Reserves) Ministry of Internal Affairs: National Guard of Ukraine, State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (includes Maritime Border Guard or Sea Guard), National Police of Ukraine (2025) note 1: combat units of the National Guard, National Police, and Border Guards come under the control of the Armed Forces in wartime. note 2: the Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) were formally established in July 2021; the TDF evolved from former Territorial Defense Battalions and other volunteer militia and paramilitary units that were organized in 2014-2015 to fight Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas; in January 2022, the TDF was activated as a separate military branch note 3: collectively, the AFU and the forces under the Ministry of Interior are known as the Defense Forces of Ukraine (DFU)

18 years of age for voluntary service for men and women; 25 years of age for conscription for men; 18-24 months service obligation (2025) note 1: conscription was abolished in 2012, but reintroduced in 2014; following the Russian invasion in 2022, all non-exempt men ages 18-60 were required to register with their local recruitment offices and undergo medical screening for possible service; the Territorial Defense Forces accept volunteers, 18-60 years of age note 2: in February 2025, the military implemented a new option for volunteers age 18-24 to sign one-year contracts in return for higher wages, a signing bonus, exemption from mobilization for 12 months, and other social benefits note 3: women have been able to volunteer for military service since 1993; as of 2024, nearly 70,000 women were serving in the armed forces in both uniformed and civilian positions note 4: since 2015, the Ukrainian military has allowed foreigners and stateless persons, 18-45 (in special cases up to 60), to join on 3-5-year contracts, based on qualifications; following the 2022 Russian invasion, the military began accepting medically fit foreign volunteers on a larger scale into an International Legion

the primary focus of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) is defense against Russian aggression; in February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in what is the largest conflict in Europe since the end of World War II in 1945; as of 2025, the front line of the fighting stretched about 1,000 kilometers (some 600 miles) north and south in eastern and southern Ukraine; Russia s forces have also launched missile and armed drone strikes throughout Ukraine, hitting critical infrastructure, including power, water, and heating facilities, as well as other civilian targets; Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014, occupying Ukraine s province of Crimea and backing separatist forces in the Donbas region with arms, equipment, and training, as well as military personnel, although Moscow denied their presence prior to 2022; the UAF has received outside military assistance since the Russian invasion, including equipment and training, chiefly from Europe and the US Ukraine has a relationship with NATO dating back to the early 1990s, when Ukraine joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (1991) and the Partnership for Peace program (1994); the relationship intensified in the wake of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine conflict and Russian seizure of Crimea to include NATO support for Ukrainian military capabilities development and capacity-building; NATO and individual NATO countries further increased support to the Ukrainian military following Russia s 2022 invasion (2025)

note: prior to the Russian invasion in 2022, Ukraine had committed about 500 troops to the Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine joint military brigade (LITPOLUKRBRIG), which was established in 2014; the brigade is headquartered in Poland and is comprised of an international staff, three battalions, and specialized units; units affiliated with the multinational brigade remain within the structures of the armed forces of their respective countries until the brigade is activated for participation in an international operation

$577.583 billion (2024 est.) $561.23 billion (2023 est.) $531.796 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$16,300 (2024 est.) $15,900 (2023 est.) $13,800 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

2.9% (2024 est.) 5.5% (2023 est.) -28.8% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

6.5% (2024 est.) 12.8% (2023 est.) 20.2% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

58.7% of GDP (2020 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP

$56.114 billion (2024 est.) $51.28 billion (2023 est.) $57.517 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$92.025 billion (2024 est.) $89.159 billion (2023 est.) $83.254 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

9.9% (2021 est.) 9.5% (2020 est.) 8.2% (2019 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $86.185 billion (2023 est.) expenditures: $121.657 billion (2023 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

industrial machinery, ferrous and nonferrous metals, automotive and aircraft components, electronics, chemicals, textiles, mining, construction

maize, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, milk, barley, soybeans, rapeseed, tomatoes (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 35,661,826 (2024 est.) male: 17,510,149 female: 18,151,677

2.42% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 12.3% (male 2,278,116/female 2,122,500) 15-64 years: 67.8% (male 12,784,928/female 11,376,460) 65 years and over: 19.9% (2024 est.) (male 2,447,105/female 4,652,717)

6.24 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

17.61 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

35.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 70.5 years (2024 est.) male: 65.4 years female: 75.8 years

urban population: 70.1% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: -0.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belarusian 0.6%, Moldovan 0.5%, Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Romanian 0.3%, Polish 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, other 1.8% (2001 est.)

Ukrainian (official) 67.5%, Russian (regional language) 29.6%, other (includes Crimean Tatar, Moldovan/Romanian, and Hungarian) 2.9% (2001 est.) major-language sample(s): Свiтова Книга Фактiв найкраще джерело базової інформації. (Ukrainian) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Orthodox (includes the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC), and the Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP)), Ukrainian Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish (2013 est.) note: Ukraine's population is overwhelmingly Christian; the vast majority - up to two thirds - identify themselves as Orthodox, but many do not specify a particular branch; the OCU and the UOC-MP each represent less than a quarter of the country's population, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church accounts for 8-10%, and the UAOC accounts for 1-2%; Muslim and Jewish adherents each compose less than 1% of the total population

total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2021)

iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land

refugees: 2,876 (2024 est.) IDPs: 3,665,165 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 10,910 (2024 est.)

152 (2025)

total: 21,733 km (2014) standard gauge: 49 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge (49 km electrified) broad gauge: 21,684 km (2014) 1.524-m gauge (9,250 km electrified)

total: 410 (2023) by type: container ship 1, general cargo 83, oil tanker 14, other 312

total subscriptions: 50.3 million (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 135 (2021 est.)

percent of population: 82% (2023 est.)