ARCHIVE // UA // 2017
Ukraine
2017 Edition — sovereign
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Communications
Broadcast media
[time series]
state-controlled nationwide TV broadcast channel (UT1) and a number of privately owned TV networks provide basic TV coverage; multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are available; Russian television broadcasts have a small audience nationwide, but larger audiences in the eastern and southern regions; the radio broadcast market, a mix of independent and state-owned networks, is comprised of some 300 stations (2007)
Internet country code
[time series]
.ua
Internet users
[time series]
total: 23,202,067 | percent of population: 52.5% (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 32
Telecommunication systems
(Telephone system)
[time series]
general assessment: Ukraine's telecommunication development plan emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines, international connections, and the mobile-cellular system | domestic: the country's former sole telephone provider, Ukrtelekom, was successfully privatized 2011 and independent foreign-invested private companies now provide substantial telecommunications services; the mobile-cellular telephone system's expansion has slowed, largely due to saturation of the market that is now about 130 mobile phones per 100 persons | international: country code - 380; 2 new domestic trunk lines are a part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and 3 Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic Trans-European Lines (TEL) project that connects 18 countries; additional international service is provided by the Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and by an unknown number of earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems (2016)
Telephones - fixed lines
[time series]
total subscriptions: 8,451,229 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 19 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 20
Telephones - mobile cellular
[time series]
total: 56,717,856 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 128 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 25
Economy
Agricultural products
(Agriculture - products)
[time series]
grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; beef, milk
Budget
[time series]
revenues: $30.64 billion | expenditures: $32.71 billion | note: this is the planned, consolidated budget (2016 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)
[time series]
-2.2% of GDP (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 94
Central bank discount rate
[time series]
22% (23 December 2015) | 7.5% (31 January 2012) | country comparison to the world: 5
Commercial bank prime lending rate
[time series]
19.24% (31 December 2016 est.) | 21.82% (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 18
Current account balance
[time series]
$-3.779 billion (2016 est.) | $-189 million (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 166
Debt - external
[time series]
$121.1 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $122.8 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 46
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
(Distribution of family income - Gini index)
[time series]
24.6 (2013) | 28.2 (2009) | country comparison to the world: 146
Economic overview
(Economy - overview)
[time series]
After Russia, the Ukrainian Republic was the most important economic component of the former Soviet Union, producing about four times the output of the next-ranking republic. Its fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. Likewise, its diversified heavy industry supplied unique equipment, such as, large diameter pipes and vertical drilling apparatus, and raw materials to industrial and mining sites in other regions of the former USSR. | Shortly after independence in August 1991, the Ukrainian Government liberalized most prices and erected a legal framework for privatization, but widespread resistance to reform within the government and the legislature soon stalled reform efforts and led to some backtracking. Output by 1999 had fallen to less than 40% of the 1991 level. Outside institutions - particularly the IMF encouraged Ukraine to quicken the pace and scope of reforms to foster economic growth. Ukrainian Government officials eliminated most tax and customs privileges in a March 2005 budget law, bringing more economic activity out of Ukraine's large shadow economy. From 2000 until mid-2008, Ukraine's economy was buoyant despite political turmoil between the prime minister and president. The economy contracted nearly 15% in 2009, among the worst economic performances in the world. In April 2010, Ukraine negotiated a price discount on Russian gas imports in exchange for extending Russia's lease on its naval base in Crimea. | Ukraine’s oligarch-dominated economy grew slowly from 2010 to 2013. After former President YANUKOVYCH fled the country during the Revolution of Dignity, the international community began efforts to stabilize the Ukrainian economy, including a March 2014 IMF assistance package of $17.5 billion, of which Ukraine has received four disbursements, most recently in April 2017, bringing the total disbursed as of that date to approximately $8.4 billion. Ukraine has made significant progress on reforms designed to make the country prosperous, democratic, and transparent. But more improvements are needed, including fighting corruption, developing capital markets, and improving the legislative framework. | Russia’s occupation of Crimea in March 2014 and ongoing aggression in eastern Ukraine have hurt economic growth. With the loss of a major portion of Ukraine’s heavy industry in Donbas and ongoing violence, Ukraine’s economy contracted by 6.6% in 2014 and by 14.3% in 2015, but grew by 2.3% in 2016 as key reforms took hold. After the EU and Ukraine enacted the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area and Russia imposed a series of trade restrictions, the EU replaced Russia as Ukraine’s largest trading partner. Analysts predict approximately 2% growth in 2017, but a new prohibition on commercial trade with separatist-controlled territories will have an uncertain effect on Ukraine’s key industrial sectors.
Exchange rates
[time series]
hryvnia (UAH) per US dollar - | 25.5513 (2016 est.) | 25.5513 (2015 est.) | 21.8447 (2014 est.) | 11.8867 (2013 est.) | 7.99 (2012 est.)
Exports
[time series]
$33.56 billion (2016 est.) | $35.42 billion (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 56
Exports - commodities
[time series]
ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, foodstuffs
Exports - partners
[time series]
Russia 9.9%, Egypt 6.2%, Poland 6.1%, Turkey 5.7%, Italy 5.3%, India 5.2%, China 5.1% (2016)
Fiscal year
[time series]
calendar year
GDP (official exchange rate)
[time series]
$93.26 billion (2016 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
(GDP (purchasing power parity))
[time series]
$352.9 billion (2016 est.) | $340.6 billion (2015 est.) | $373.4 billion (2014 est.) | note: data are in 2016 dollars | country comparison to the world: 50
GDP - composition, by end use
[time series]
household consumption: 65.3% | government consumption: 19.4% | investment in fixed capital: 15.2% | investment in inventories: 6.3% | exports of goods and services: 49.3% | imports of goods and services: -55.5% (2016 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
[time series]
agriculture: 13.8% | industry: 27.3% | services: 59.5% | (2016 est.)
Real GDP per capita
(GDP - per capita (PPP))
[time series]
$8,300 (2016 est.) | $8,100 (2015 est.) | $8,900 (2014 est.) | note: data are in 2016 dollars | country comparison to the world: 147
Real GDP growth rate
(GDP - real growth rate)
[time series]
2.3% (2016 est.) | -9.8% (2015 est.) | -6.6% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 126
Gross national saving
[time series]
17.5% of GDP (2016 est.) | 15.7% of GDP (2015 est.) | 9.5% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 113
Household income or consumption by percentage share
[time series]
lowest 10%: 3.8% | highest 10%: 22.5% (2011 est.)
Imports
[time series]
$40.57 billion (2016 est.) | $38.88 billion (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 54
Imports - commodities
[time series]
energy, machinery and equipment, chemicals
Imports - partners
[time series]
Russia 13.1%, China 12%, Germany 11%, Belarus 7.1%, Poland 6.9%, US 4.3% (2016)
Industrial production growth rate
[time series]
3.3% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 71
Industries
[time series]
coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food processing
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
[time series]
13.9% (2016 est.) | 48.7% (2015 est.) | note: Excluding the temporarily occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol and part of the anti-terrorist operation zone | country comparison to the world: 213
Labor force
[time series]
18.04 million (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 34
Labor force - by occupation
[time series]
agriculture: 5.8% | industry: 26.5% | services: 67.8% | (2014)
Market value of publicly traded shares
[time series]
$20.71 billion (31 December 2012 est.) | $25.56 billion (31 December 2011 est.) | $39.46 billion (31 December 2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 66
Population below poverty line
[time series]
24.1% (2010 est.)
Public debt
[time series]
81% of GDP (2016 est.) | 79.1% of GDP (2015 est.) | note: the total public debt of $64.5 billion consists of: domestic public debt ($23.8 billion); external public debt ($26.1 billion); and sovereign guarantees ($14.6 billion) | country comparison to the world: 36
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
[time series]
$15.54 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $13.3 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 66
Stock of broad money
[time series]
$40.54 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $41.41 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 70
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad
[time series]
$7.983 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $7.183 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 63
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home
[time series]
$64.95 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $60.95 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 53
Stock of domestic credit
[time series]
$61.65 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $62.77 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 61
Stock of narrow money
[time series]
$19.49 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $19.68 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 68
Taxes and other revenues
[time series]
32.9% of GDP (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 65
Unemployment rate
[time series]
9.3% (2016 est.) | 9.1% (2015 est.) | note: officially registered workers; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers | country comparison to the world: 121
Energy
Carbon dioxide emissions
(Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy)
[time series]
291 million Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 23
Crude oil - exports
[time series]
1,336 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 69
Crude oil - imports
[time series]
7,840 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 77
Crude oil - production
[time series]
32,070 bbl/day (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 62
Crude oil - proved reserves
[time series]
395 million bbl (1 January 2017 es) | country comparison to the world: 53
Electricity - consumption
[time series]
133.4 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 27
Electricity - exports
[time series]
3.591 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 39
Electricity - from fossil fuels
[time series]
62.1% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 122
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants
[time series]
10.3% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 119
Electricity - from nuclear fuels
[time series]
23% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 6
Electricity - from other renewable sources
[time series]
2.7% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 113
Electricity - imports
[time series]
2.241 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 53
Electricity - installed generating capacity
[time series]
56.92 million kW (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 21
Electricity - production
[time series]
152.2 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 26
Electricity access
[time series]
electrification - total population: 100% (2016)
Natural gas - consumption
[time series]
41.1 billion cu m (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 28
Natural gas - exports
[time series]
0 cu m (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 201
Natural gas - imports
[time series]
14.18 billion cu m (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 22
Natural gas - production
[time series]
19 billion cu m (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 33
Natural gas - proved reserves
[time series]
1.104 trillion cu m (1 January 2017 es) | country comparison to the world: 26
Refined petroleum products - consumption
[time series]
248,000 bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 50
Refined petroleum products - exports
[time series]
15,210 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 76
Refined petroleum products - imports
[time series]
177,700 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 36
Refined petroleum products - production
[time series]
78,030 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 71
Geography
Area
[time series]
total: 603,550 sq km | land: 579,330 sq km | water: 24,220 sq km | note: approximately 43,133 sq km, or about 7.1% of Ukraine's area, is Russian occupied | country comparison to the world: 47
Area - comparative
[time series]
almost four times the size of Georgia; slightly smaller than Texas
Climate
[time series]
temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; warm summers across the greater part of the country, hot in the south
Coastline
[time series]
2,782 km
Elevation
[time series]
mean elevation: 175 m | elevation extremes: lowest point: Black Sea 0 m | highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m
Environment - current issues
[time series]
inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water pollution; deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant
International environmental agreements
(Environment - international agreements)
[time series]
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands | signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds
Geographic coordinates
[time series]
49 00 N, 32 00 E
Geography - note
[time series]
strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe after Russia
Irrigated land
[time series]
21,670 sq km (2012)
Land boundaries
[time series]
total: 5,618 km | border countries (7): Belarus 1,111 km, Hungary 128 km, Moldova 1,202 km, Poland 535 km, Romania 601 km, Russia 1,944 km, Slovakia 97 km
Land use
[time series]
agricultural land: 71.2% | arable land 56.1%; permanent crops 1.5%; permanent pasture 13.6% | forest: 16.8% | other: 12% (2011 est.)
Location
[time series]
Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland, Romania, and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east
Map references
[time series]
Asia, Europe
Maritime claims
[time series]
territorial sea: 12 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm | continental shelf: 200 m or to the depth of exploitation
Natural hazards
[time series]
occasional floods; occasional droughts
Natural resources
[time series]
iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land
Population distribution
(Population - distribution)
[time series]
densest settlement in the eastern (Donbas) and western regions; notable concentrations in and around major urban areas of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donets'k, Dnipropetrovs'k, and Odesa
Terrain
[time series]
mostly fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus, with mountains found only in the west (the Carpathians) or in the extreme south of the Crimean Peninsula
Government
Administrative divisions
[time series]
24 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic* (avtonomna respublika), and 2 municipalities** (mista, singular - misto) with oblast status; Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Crimea or Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Dnipropetrovs'k (Dnipro), Donets'k, Ivano-Frankivs'k, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmel'nyts'kyy, Kirovohrad (Kropyvnyts'kyy), Kyiv**, Kyiv, Luhans'k, L'viv, Mykolayiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sevastopol'**, Sumy, Ternopil', Vinnytsya, Volyn' (Luts'k), Zakarpattya (Uzhhorod), Zaporizhzhya, Zhytomyr | note 1: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses); plans include the eventual renaming of Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad oblasts, but because these names are mentioned in the Constitution of Ukraine, the change will require a constitutional amendment | note 2: the US Government does not recognize Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the municipality of Sevastopol, nor their redesignation as the Republic of Crimea and the Federal City of Sevastopol
Capital
[time series]
name: Kyiv (Kiev) | note: pronounced KAY-yiv | 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
Citizenship
[time series]
citizenship by birth: no | citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Ukraine | dual citizenship recognized: no | residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
Constitution
[time series]
history: several previous; latest adopted and ratified 28 June 1996 | amendments: 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; amended 2004, 2010, 2015 (2016)
Country name
[time series]
conventional long form: none | conventional short form: Ukraine | local long form: none | local short form: Ukrayina | former: Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic | etymology: name derives from the Old East Slavic word "ukraina" meaning "borderland or march (militarized border region)" and began to be used extensively in the 19th century; originally Ukrainians referred to themselves as Rusyny (Rusyns, Ruthenians, or Ruthenes), an endonym derived from the medieval Rus state (Kyivan Rus)
Diplomatic representation from the US
[time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador Marie YOVANOVITCH (since 29 August 2016) | embassy: 4 Igor Sikorsky Street, 04112 Kyiv | mailing address: 5850 Kyiv Place, Washington, DC 20521-5850 | telephone: [380] (44) 521-5000 | FAX: [380] (44) 521-5155
Diplomatic representation in the US
[time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador Valeriy CHALYY (since 3 August 2015) | chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 | telephone: [1] (202) 349-2920 | FAX: [1] (202) 333-0817 | consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York, San Francisco
Executive branch
[time series]
chief of state: President Petro POROSHENKO (since 7 June 2014) | head of government: Prime Minister Volodymyr HROYSMAN (since 14 April 2016); First Deputy Prime Minister Stepan KUBIV (since 14 April 2016) | cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers nominated by the prime minister, approved by the Verkhovna Rada | elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 25 May 2014 (next to be held in 2019); prime minister nominated by the president, confirmed by the Verkhovna Rada | election results: Petro POROSHENKO elected president; 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 | note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council; the NSDC staff is 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
Flag
(Flag description)
[time series]
two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow represent grain fields under a blue sky
Government type
[time series]
semi-presidential republic
Independence
[time series]
24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union); notable earlier dates: ca. 982 (VOLODYMYR I consolidates Kyivan Rus), 1648 (establishment of the Cossack Hetmanate)
International law organization participation
[time series]
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
International organization participation
[time series]
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, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Judicial branch
[time series]
highest court(s): Supreme Court of Ukraine or SCU (consists of 95 judges organized into civil, criminal, commercial, and administrative chambers, and a military panel); Constitutional Court (consists of 18 justices) | judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges proposed by the Supreme Council of Justice or SCJ (a 20-member independent body of judicial officials and other appointees) and appointed by presidential decree; judges initially appointed for 5 years and, if approved by the SCJ, serve until mandatory retirement at age 65; Constitutional Court justices appointed - 6 each by the president, by the SCU, and by the Verkhovna Rada; justices appointed for 9-year nonrenewable terms | subordinate courts: specialized high courts; Courts of Cassation; Courts of Appeal; regional, district, city, and town courts
Legal system
[time series]
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Legislative branch
[time series]
description: unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; 225 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 225 directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms) | elections: last held on 26 October 2014 (next to be held fall of 2019) | election results: percent of vote by party/coalition - NF 22.1%, BPP 21.8%, Samopomich 11.0%, OB 9.4%, Radical 7.4%, Batkivshchyna 5.7%, Svoboda 4.7%, CPU 3.9%, other 14%; seats by party/coalition - BPP 132, NF 82, Samopomich 33, OB 29, Radical 22, Batkivshchyna 19, Svoboda 6, other 4, independent 96, vacant 27; note - voting not held in Crimea and parts of two Russian-occupied eastern oblasts leaving 27 seats vacant | note: as of December 2016, seats by party/coalition - BPP 142, NF 81, OB 43, Samopomich 26, Vidrozhennya 24, Radical 21, Batkivshchyna 20, VN 18, independent 48, vacant 27
National anthem(s)
(National anthem)
[time series]
name: "Shche ne vmerla Ukraina" (Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished) | lyrics/music: Paul CHUBYNSKYI/Mikhail VERBYTSKYI | note: music adopted 1991, lyrics adopted 2003; song first performed in 1864 at the Ukraine Theatre in Lviv; the lyrics, originally written in 1862, were revised in 2003
National holiday
[time series]
Independence Day, 24 August (1991); note - 22 January 1918, the day Ukraine first declared its independence from Soviet Russia, and the date the short-lived Western and Greater (Eastern) Ukrainian republics united (1919), is now celebrated as Unity Day
National symbol(s)
[time series]
tryzub (trident); national colors: blue, yellow
Political parties
(Political parties and leaders)
[time series]
Batkivshchyna ("Fatherland") [Yuliya TYMOSHENKO] | Bloc of Petro Poroshenko – Solidarnist or BPP [Vitaliy KLYCHKO] (formed from the merger of Solidarnist and UDAR) | Rukh Novykh Syl ("Movement of New Forces") [Mikheil SAAKASHVILI] | Narodnyy Front ("People's Front") or NF [Arseniy YATSENIUK] | Opposition Bloc or OB [Yuriy BOYKO] | Radical Party [Oleh LYASHKO] | Samopomich ("Self Reliance") [Andriy SADOVYY] | Svoboda ("Freedom") [Oleh TYAHNYBOK] | Ukrainian Association of Patriots or UKROP [Taras BATENKO] | Vidrozhennya ("Revival") [Vitaliy KHOMUTYNNIK] (parliamentary group) | Volya Narodu (“People's Will”) or VN [Yaroslav MOSKALENKO] (parliamentary group)
Political parties
(Political pressure groups and leaders)
[time series]
Centre UA [Oleh RYBACHUK] | OPORA Civic Network [Olha AIVAZOVSKA]
Suffrage
[time series]
18 years of age; universal
Introduction
Background
[time series]
Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state, Kyivan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine achieved a short-lived period of independence (1917-20), but was reconquered and endured a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two forced famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for 7 to 8 million more deaths. Although Ukraine achieved independence in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, democracy and prosperity remained elusive as the legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. | A peaceful mass protest referred to as the "Orange Revolution" in the closing months of 2004 forced the authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. Subsequent internal squabbles in the YUSHCHENKO camp allowed his rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH to stage a comeback in parliamentary (Rada) elections, become prime minister in August 2006, and be elected president in February 2010. In October 2012, Ukraine held Rada elections, widely criticized by Western observers as flawed due to use of government resources to favor ruling party candidates, interference with media access, and harassment of opposition candidates. President YANUKOVYCH's backtracking on a trade and cooperation agreement with the EU in November 2013 - in favor of closer economic ties with Russia - and subsequent use of force against students, civil society activists, and other civilians in favor of the agreement led to a three-month protest occupation of Kyiv's central square. The government's use of violence to break up the protest camp in February 2014 led to all out pitched battles, scores of deaths, international condemnation, and the president's abrupt departure for Russia. New elections in the spring allowed pro-West president Petro POROSHENKO to assume office on 7 June 2014. | Shortly after YANUKOVYCH's departure in late February 2014, Russian President PUTIN ordered the invasion of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula claiming the action was to protect ethnic Russians living there. Two weeks later, a "referendum" was held regarding the integration of Crimea into the Russian Federation. The "referendum" was condemned as illegitimate by the Ukrainian Government, the EU, the US, and the UN General Assembly (UNGA). In response to Russia's purported annexation of Crimea, 100 members of the UN passed UNGA resolution 68/262, rejecting the "referendum" as baseless and invalid and confiming the sovereignty, political independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Russia also continues to supply separatists in two of Ukraine's eastern provinces with manpower, funding, and materiel resulting in an armed conflict with the Ukrainian Government. Representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the unrecognized separatist republics signed the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum in September 2014 to end the conflict. However, this agreement failed to stop the fighting. In a renewed attempt to alleviate ongoing clashes, leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany negotiated a follow-on package of measures in February 2015 to implement the Minsk Agreements. Representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe also meet regularly to facilitate implementation of the peace deal. More than 33,000 civilians have been killed or wounded in the fighting resulting from Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine.
Military and Security
Military and security forces
(Military branches)
[time series]
Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air Forces (2013)
Military expenditures
[time series]
3.67% of GDP (2016) | 3.97% of GDP (2015) | 3.02% of GDP (2014) | 2.39% of GDP (2013) | 2.35% of GDP (2012) | country comparison to the world: 26
Military service age and obligation
[time series]
20-27 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation is 18 months (2015)
People and Society
Age structure
[time series]
0-14 years: 15.76% (male 3,571,358/female 3,366,380) | 15-24 years: 9.86% (male 2,226,142/female 2,114,853) | 25-54 years: 44.29% (male 9,579,149/female 9,921,387) | 55-64 years: 13.8% (male 2,605,849/female 3,469,246) | 65 years and over: 16.3% (male 2,409,049/female 4,770,461) (2017 est.)
Birth rate
[time series]
10.3 births/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 189
Contraceptive prevalence rate
[time series]
65.4% (2012)
Death rate
[time series]
14.4 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 5
Dependency ratios
[time series]
total dependency ratio: 44.8 | youth dependency ratio: 21.8 | elderly dependency ratio: 23 | potential support ratio: 4.3 | note: data include Crimea (2015 est.)
Drinking water source
[time series]
urban: 95.5% of population | rural: 97.8% of population | total: 96.2% of population | urban: 4.5% of population | rural: 2.2% of population | total: 3.8% of population (2015 est.)
Education expenditure
(Education expenditures)
[time series]
6% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 35
Ethnic groups
[time series]
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.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
[time series]
0.9% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 46
HIV/AIDS - deaths
[time series]
8,500 (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 22
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
[time series]
240,000 (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 23
Health expenditure
(Health expenditures)
[time series]
7.1% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 78
Hospital bed density
[time series]
9 beds/1,000 population (2012)
Infant mortality rate
[time series]
total: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 8.7 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 158
Languages
[time series]
Ukrainian (official) 67.5%, Russian (regional language) 29.6%, other (includes small Crimean Tatar-, Moldavian-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities) 2.9% (2001 est.) | note: 2012 legislation enables a language spoken by at least 10% of an oblast's population to be given the status of "regional language," allowing for its use in courts, schools, and other government institutions; Ukrainian remains the country's only official nationwide language
Life expectancy at birth
[time series]
total population: 72.1 years | male: 67.4 years | female: 77.1 years (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 150
Literacy
[time series]
definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 99.8% | male: 99.8% | female: 99.7% (2015 est.)
Major urban areas - population
[time series]
KYIV (capital) 2.942 million; Kharkiv 1.441 million; Odesa 1.01 million; Dnipropetrovsk 957,000; Donetsk 934,000; Zaporizhzhya 753,000 (2015)
Maternal mortality ratio
(Maternal mortality rate)
[time series]
24 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 125
Median age
[time series]
total: 40.6 years | male: 37.4 years | female: 43.7 years (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 45
Mother's mean age at first birth
[time series]
24.9 years (2014 est.)
Nationality
[time series]
noun: Ukrainian(s) | adjective: Ukrainian
Net migration rate
[time series]
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 98
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
[time series]
24.1% (2016) | country comparison to the world: 61
Physician density
(Physicians density)
[time series]
3 physicians/1,000 population (2014)
Population
[time series]
44,033,874 (July 2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 32
Population distribution
[time series]
densest settlement in the eastern (Donbas) and western regions; noteable concentrations in and around major urban areas of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donets'k, Dnipropetrovs'k, and Odesa
Population growth rate
[time series]
-0.41% (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 221
Religions
[time series]
Orthodox (includes Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox (UAOC), Ukrainian Orthodox - Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP)), Ukrainian Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish | 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 UOC-KP 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 (2013 est.)
Sanitation facility access
[time series]
urban: 97.4% of population | rural: 92.6% of population | total: 95.9% of population | urban: 2.6% of population | rural: 7.4% of population | total: 4.1% of population (2015 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
[time series]
total: 15 years | male: 15 years | female: 16 years (2014)
Sex ratio
[time series]
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.75 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female | total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
Total fertility rate
[time series]
1.54 children born/woman (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 191
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
(Unemployment, youth ages 15-24)
[time series]
total: 22.4% | male: 22.7% | female: 21.9% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 67
Urbanization
[time series]
urban population: 70.1% of total population (2017) | rate of urbanization: -0.35% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
[time series]
1997 boundary delimitation treaty with Belarus remains unratified due to unresolved financial claims, stalling demarcation and reducing border security; delimitation of land boundary with Russia is complete and demarcation began in 2012; the dispute over the boundary between Russia and Ukraine through the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov is suspended due to the occupation of Crimea by Russia; Ukraine and Moldova signed an agreement officially delimiting their border in 1999, but the border has not been demarcated due to Moldova's difficulties with the break-away region of Transnistria; Moldova and Ukraine operate joint customs posts to monitor transit of people and commodities through Moldova's Transnistria Region, which remains under the auspices of an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe-mandated peacekeeping mission comprised of Moldovan, Transnistrian, Russian, and Ukrainian troops; the ICJ ruled largely in favor of Romania in its dispute submitted in 2004 over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy/Serpilor (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary delimitation; Romania opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea
Illicit drugs
[time series]
limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; some synthetic drug production for export to the West; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Africa, Latin America, and Turkey to Europe and Russia; Ukraine has improved anti-money-laundering controls, resulting in its removal from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and Territories List in February 2004; Ukraine's anti-money-laundering regime continues to be monitored by FATF
Refugees and internally displaced persons
[time series]
IDPs: 1,589,014 (Russian-sponsored separatist violence in Crimea and eastern Ukraine) (2017) | stateless persons: 35,363 (2016); note - citizens of the former USSR who were permanently resident in Ukraine were granted citizenship upon Ukraine's independence in 1991, but some missed this window of opportunity; people arriving after 1991, Crimean Tatars, ethnic Koreans, people with expired Soviet passports, and people with no documents have difficulty acquiring Ukrainian citizenship; following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, thousands of Crimean Tatars and their descendants deported from Ukraine under the STALIN regime returned to their homeland, some being stateless and others holding the citizenship of Uzbekistan or other former Soviet republics; a 1998 bilateral agreement between Ukraine and Uzbekistan simplified the process of renouncing Uzbek citizenship and obtaining Ukrainian citizenship
Trafficking in persons
[time series]
current situation: Ukraine is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; Ukrainian victims are sex trafficked within Ukraine as well as in Russia, Poland, Iraq, Spain, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Seychelles, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Israel, Italy, South Korea, Moldova, China, the United Arab Emirates, Montenegro, UK, Kazakhstan, Tunisia, and other countries; small numbers of foreigners from Moldova, Russia, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Cameroon, and Azerbaijan were victims of labor trafficking in Ukraine; Ukrainian recruiters most often target Ukrainians from rural areas with limited job prospects using fraud, coercion, and debt bondage | tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List – Ukraine does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; the government’s focus on its security situation constrained its anti-trafficking capabilities; law enforcement efforts to pursue trafficking cases weakened in 2014, continuing a multi-year decline, and no investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government officials were made, despite reports of official complicity in the sex and labor trafficking of children living in state-run institutions; fewer victims were identified and referred to NGOs, which continued to provide and to fund the majority of victims’ services (2015)
Transportation
Airports
[time series]
187 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 31
Airports - with paved runways
[time series]
total: 108 | over 3,047 m: 13 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 42 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 | 914 to 1,523 m: 3 | under 914 m: 28 (2013)
Airports - with unpaved runways
[time series]
total: 79 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 | 914 to 1,523 m: 5 | under 914 m: 69 (2013)
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
[time series]
UR (2016)
Heliports
[time series]
9 (2013)
Merchant marine
[time series]
total: 134 | by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 98, chemical tanker 1, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 8, refrigerated cargo 11, specialized tanker 2 | registered in other countries: 172 (Belize 6, Cambodia 35, Comoros 10, Cyprus 3, Dominica 1, Georgia 10, Liberia 10, Malta 29, Marshall Islands 1, Moldova 14, Mongolia 1, Panama 8, Russia 12, Saint Kitts and Nevis 8, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 12, Sierra Leone 5, Slovakia 2, unknown 5) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 43
National air transport system
[time series]
number of registered air carriers: 17 | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 92 | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 4,613,224 | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 37,721,565 mt-km (2015)
Pipelines
[time series]
gas 36,720 km; oil 4,514 km; refined products 4,363 km (2013)
Ports
(Ports and terminals)
[time series]
major seaport(s): Feodosiya (Theodosia), Illichivsk, Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Yuzhnyy
Railways
[time series]
total: 21,733 km | broad gauge: 21,684 km 1.524-m gauge (9,250 km electrified) | standard gauge: 49 km 1.435-m gauge (49 km electrified) (2014) | country comparison to the world: 12
Roadways
[time series]
total: 169,694 km | paved: 166,095 km (includes 17 km of expressways) | unpaved: 3,599 km (2012) | country comparison to the world: 31
Waterways
[time series]
1,672 km (most on Dnieper River) (2012) | country comparison to the world: 46