Ukraine - UA - UKR - UKR - Europe
Ukraine Images
A view along Rynok (Market) Square in Lviv.
Cape Kazantyp is a prominent headland on the Kerch Peninsula, which defines the southern shore of the Sea of Azov and the east extension of the Crimean Peninsula. Due to its relatively low latitude (45° N) the Crimea has been the warm holidaying destination for generations of Ukrainians and Russians. Towns in the Kazantyp area-Lenine, Shcholkine-offer tourist attractions ranging from birdwatching to beaches and music festivals. This detailed astronaut photograph was taken from the International Space Station when it was located 400 km (250 mi) to the northeast, but due to the long (800 mm) lens used, the photo includes detailed field patterns and city blocks. Green and brown fields show intensive agricultural activity in the area, and salt ponds are visible at the west end of the shallow Lake Aktashskoye at image center. The distance from the tip of the Cape to the largest local city, Lenine is only 20 km (12 mi). Shcholkine is a new town built in 1978 to house workers of the planned Crimean nuclear power plant. The partially completed plant was inspected following the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 and found to be located on a site prone to earthquakes. Further construction was terminated, and the construction equipment and already built structures were abandoned in place. Today, Shcholkine is an increasingly popular tourist destination. Image courtesy of NASA.
![From mainland Ukraine, the Crimean Peninsula extends southward, bordered on the west by the Black Sea and on the east by the Sea of Azov. Stretching across the peninsula is a network of shallow, marshy inlets sprawling over roughly 2,600 sq km (1,000 sq mi). This network of lagoons is known as Syvash (also Sivash or Sivas). During the summer months, the warmed marsh waters give off unpleasant odors, lending the region the nicknames of "Rotten Sea" or "Putrid Sea."
This natural-color satellite image shows the shallow waters and varied chemical composition of the Syvash lagoons contribute to their unearthly colors of peach, mustard, lime green, blue, blue-green, beige, and brown. Thick layers of silt coat the bottoms of the shallow marshes, which are rich enough in mineral salts to supply a local chemical plant.
Surrounding the marshy areas are mostly agricultural fields. Urbanized areas appear along the shores of the Black Sea, and highways curve and zigzag across the peninsula. Outside of the marshes, the land in this area is generally a level plain of arid steppe. In colder months, frosts alternate with thaws, and fogs are frequent. Photo courtesy of NASA.](https://dev.me/media/factbook/up/UP_030_large.jpg "From mainland Ukraine, the Crimean Peninsula extends southward, bordered on the west by the Black Sea and on the east by the Sea of Azov. Stretching across the peninsula is a network of shallow, marshy inlets sprawling over roughly 2,600 sq km (1,000 sq mi). This network of lagoons is known as Syvash (also Sivash or Sivas). During the summer months, the warmed marsh waters give off unpleasant odors, lending the region the nicknames of "Rotten Sea" or "Putrid Sea."
This natural-color satellite image shows the shallow waters and varied chemical composition of the Syvash lagoons contribute to their unearthly colors of peach, mustard, lime green, blue, blue-green, beige, and brown. Thick layers of silt coat the bottoms of the shallow marshes, which are rich enough in mineral salts to supply a local chemical plant.
Surrounding the marshy areas are mostly agricultural fields. Urbanized areas appear along the shores of the Black Sea, and highways curve and zigzag across the peninsula. Outside of the marshes, the land in this area is generally a level plain of arid steppe. In colder months, frosts alternate with thaws, and fogs are frequent. Photo courtesy of NASA.")
From mainland Ukraine, the Crimean Peninsula extends southward, bordered on the west by the Black Sea and on the east by the Sea of Azov. Stretching across the peninsula is a network of shallow, marshy inlets sprawling over roughly 2,600 sq km (1,000 sq mi). This network of lagoons is known as Syvash (also Sivash or Sivas). During the summer months, the warmed marsh waters give off unpleasant odors, lending the region the nicknames of "Rotten Sea" or "Putrid Sea." This natural-color satellite image shows the shallow waters and varied chemical composition of the Syvash lagoons contribute to their unearthly colors of peach, mustard, lime green, blue, blue-green, beige, and brown. Thick layers of silt coat the bottoms of the shallow marshes, which are rich enough in mineral salts to supply a local chemical plant. Surrounding the marshy areas are mostly agricultural fields. Urbanized areas appear along the shores of the Black Sea, and highways curve and zigzag across the peninsula. Outside of the marshes, the land in this area is generally a level plain of arid steppe. In colder months, frosts alternate with thaws, and fogs are frequent. Photo courtesy of NASA.
Kyiv is one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe and may date back as far as the 5th century A.D. The Golden Gate in Kyiv was reconstructed in 1982 on the site of the city's medieval southern gate. The structure was one of three originally built in 1037 as part of the city's massive fortifications.
The Neo-Renaissance National Opera House of Ukraine in Kyiv, constructed between 1898 and 1901, boasts one of the largest stages in Europe. Its opera company has acquired an international reputation.
The National Opera House of Ukraine in Kyiv is named after Taras Shevchenko, Ukraine's most famous poet and artist. His bust sits in an alcove over the entranceway.
A view of Maidan Nezalezhnosty (Independence Square) in the center of Kyiv. The huge plaza has been the site of many political protests, the most famous being the Orange Revolution of 2004. During holidays the square is the scene of parades and open air concerts.
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv was completed in 1037 during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. The ruler was buried in the church in 1054 in a six-ton marble sarcophagus that still survives. Although the cathedral's exterior was remodeled into the Ukrainian Baroque style in the 17th century, its original Byzantine interior was preserved. It was the first Ukrainian monument to be inscribed onto the World Heritage List.
The Verkhovna Rada (Supreme Council) building in Kyiv is home to Ukraine's 450-member parliament.
The Baroque Saint Andrew's Church in the Podil neighborhood of Kyiv was designed by the famous architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli and constructed between 1747 and 1754. It is reputed to stand on the site where in the first century A.D. Saint Andrew planted a cross and prophesied that a great Christian city would one day rise.
The Troitska Nadbrama Tserkva (Gate Church of the Trinity) sits atop the main entrance to the historic Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves) complex. First constructed in 1106-1108, it was destroyed during the Mongol invasion of 1240, but subsequently reconstructed a number of times. It is now decorated in the Ukrainian Baroque style.
Part of the historic Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves) complex. Since its founding as a rock-hewn cave monastery in 1015, the site has been a preeminent center of Orthodox Christianity in Eastern Europe.
Golden-topped domes at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves). This monastery complex is one of the largest in Ukraine with over 20 churches and more than 1,000 meters of caves.
The Uspensky Sobor (Dormition Cathedral) at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves) complex. Originally constructed between 1073 and 1078, it was further enlarged over the subsequent centuries. Destroyed by the Soviet Army in 1941, the cathedral was rebuilt between 1998 and 2000.
A close-up of the murals and icons that decorate the Uspensky Sobor (Dormition Cathedral), the main church of the the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves) complex.
Another view of the Uspensky Sobor (Dormition Cathedral) at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves) complex. The unpainted section is meant to show what an earlier version of the church looked like before its 17th-century reconstruction in the Cossack Baroque style.
A rear view of the Uspensky Sobor (Dormition Cathedral) at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves) complex.
The Orthodox Church of the Pyrohoshchi Madonna in the Podil district of Kyiv was constructed between 1132 and 1136. Demolished by the Soviets in 1935, it was reconstructed in 1998 in its original medieval Byzantine style (i.e., sans the Neoclassical facade that had been added in 1811).
The Church of the Nativity was one of three Neoclassical churches in the Podil area of Kyiv that was destroyed by the Soviet Government in the 1930s. Originally constructed between 1809 and 1814, it was chiefly remembered as the church where the body of Taras Shevchenko, Ukraine's national bard, lay in state in 1861 while on its way to its final resting place in Kaniv. Torn down in 1935, the church was rebuilt in 2005.
Approaching the Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv, the official ceremonial residence of the president of Ukraine. The palace is one of two magnificent Baroque buildings in Ukraine designed by the renowned architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli (the other is Saint Andrew's Church, in Kyiv).
Closer view of the facade of the Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv, built between 1744 and 1752.
Ukrainian peasant house at the outdoor Museum of Folk Architecture and Life in Pyrohiv, a neighborhood in the southern outskirts of Kyiv.
Geranium blossoms peer through a cottage window at the outdoor Museum of Folk Architecture and Life in Pyrohiv, just south of Kyiv.
Embroidered towels, icons, and drying herbs and flowers decorate the interior of a peasant home at the Museum of Folk Architecture and Life in Pyrohiv, south of Kyiv.
![The Soviet-era Motherland Monument, sometimes referred to as the "Iron Lady," was supposed to symbolize the Soviet "Motherland." The 62-meter-high statue stands at the National Museum of the History of World War II in Kyiv, and still displays the Soviet coat of arms on its shield.](https://dev.me/media/factbook/up/UP_011_large.jpg "The Soviet-era Motherland Monument, sometimes referred to as the "Iron Lady," was supposed to symbolize the Soviet "Motherland." The 62-meter-high statue stands at the National Museum of the History of World War II in Kyiv, and still displays the Soviet coat of arms on its shield.")
The Soviet-era Motherland Monument, sometimes referred to as the "Iron Lady," was supposed to symbolize the Soviet "Motherland." The 62-meter-high statue stands at the National Museum of the History of World War II in Kyiv, and still displays the Soviet coat of arms on its shield.
This image - taken from the International Space Station - shows the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv stradling the Dnieper River. North of the city is the Kyiv Reservoir, one of a series of lakes created by dams along the Dnieper. Image courtesy of NASA.
Swirls of color ranging from deep olive green to bright turquoise were created by a massive phytoplankton bloom that covered the entire surface of the Black Sea on this image taken 20 June 2006. Many of Europe's largest rivers, including the Danube, the Dnister, and the Dnipro (Dnieper) dump fresh water into the sea. The sea's only source of salty water is the narrow Bosporus Strait (in the southwest), which connects it to the Mediterranean Sea through the Sea of Marmara. The diamond-shaped landmass that projects into the sea from the north is Ukraine's Crimean peninsula. Photo courtesy of NASA.
The port city of Sevastopol is located in southernmost Ukraine on the Crimean Peninsula. The city is an important naval base due to the numerous inlets and bays along the coastline. During the Cold War, the city was the base of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet, but now it services vessels of both Ukraine and Russia. The main economy of the city is based on trade and shipbuilding, but Sevastopol is also a popular tourist and resort destination. Photo courtesy of NASA.
The statue of St. Volodymyr in Kyiv overlooking the Dnieper River. The location of the monument is reputed to be in the area where the saint forcibly baptized the populace of the city in A.D. 988.
A Neo-Gothic building facade in Lviv.
The ornate Neo-Baroque decorations of the National Museum in Lviv.
A view along Rynok (Market) Square in Lviv.
Cape Kazantyp is a prominent headland on the Kerch Peninsula, which defines the southern shore of the Sea of Azov and the east extension of the Crimean Peninsula. Due to its relatively low latitude (45° N) the Crimea has been the warm holidaying destination for generations of Ukrainians and Russians. Towns in the Kazantyp area-Lenine, Shcholkine-offer tourist attractions ranging from birdwatching to beaches and music festivals. This detailed astronaut photograph was taken from the International Space Station when it was located 400 km (250 mi) to the northeast, but due to the long (800 mm) lens used, the photo includes detailed field patterns and city blocks. Green and brown fields show intensive agricultural activity in the area, and salt ponds are visible at the west end of the shallow Lake Aktashskoye at image center. The distance from the tip of the Cape to the largest local city, Lenine is only 20 km (12 mi). Shcholkine is a new town built in 1978 to house workers of the planned Crimean nuclear power plant. The partially completed plant was inspected following the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 and found to be located on a site prone to earthquakes. Further construction was terminated, and the construction equipment and already built structures were abandoned in place. Today, Shcholkine is an increasingly popular tourist destination. Image courtesy of NASA.
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Ukraine Factbook Data
Diplomatic representation from the US
embassy: 4 A. I. Igor Sikorsky Street, 04112 Kyiv
mailing address: 5850 Kyiv Place, Washington, DC 20521-5850
telephone: [380] (44) 521-5000
FAX: [380] (44) 521-5544
email address and website:
kyivacs@state.gov
https://ua.usembassy.gov/
Age structure
15-64 years: 65.95% (male 13,856,470/female 14,705,547)
65 years and over: 18.15% (2023 est.) (male 2,680,500/female 5,179,529)
For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page.
Geographic coordinates
Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.52 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Heliports
Natural hazards
Area - comparative
Military service age and obligation
note 1: following the Russian invasion in 2022, all nonexempt men ages 18 to 60 were required to register with their local recruitment offices and undergo medical screening for possible service; the Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) accepts volunteers, 18-60 years of age; since the invasion, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have volunteered for the regular armed forces, the TDF, or to work in civilian defense activities
note 2: women have been able to volunteer for military service since 1993; as of 2023, approximately 60,000 women were serving in the armed forces
note 3: 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 Russian invasion in 2022, the military began accepting medically fit foreign volunteers on a larger scale, with an emphasis on persons with combat experience; wartime volunteers typically serve for 6 months
Background
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 overwhelmingly voted for independence in 1991 around the time of the dissolution of the USSR, democracy and prosperity remained elusive as the legacy of state control, patronage politics, 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 and early 2005 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 legislative (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 and fed up with blatant corruption 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, a failed political deal, and the president's abrupt departure for Russia. New elections in the spring allowed pro-West president Petro POROSHENKO to assume office in June 2014; he was succeeded by Volodymyr ZELENSKY in May 2019.
Shortly after YANUKOVYCH's departure in late February 2014, Russian President PUTIN ordered the invasion of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula falsely 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 illegal annexation of Crimea, 100 members of the UN passed UNGA resolution 68/262, rejecting the "referendum" as baseless and invalid and confirming the sovereignty, political independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine. In mid-2014, Russia began supplying proxies in two of Ukraine's eastern provinces with manpower, funding, and materiel beginning an armed conflict with the Ukrainian Government. Representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the unrecognized Russian proxy republics signed the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum in September 2014 with the aim of ending the conflict. However, this agreement failed to stop the fighting or find a political solution. 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, but this effort failed as well. By early 2022, more than 14,000 civilians were killed or wounded as a result of the Russian intervention in eastern Ukraine.
On 24 February 2022, Russia escalated its conflict with Ukraine by launching a full-scale invasion of the country on several fronts in what has become the largest conventional military attack on a sovereign state in Europe since World War II. The invasion has received near universal international condemnation, and many countries have imposed sanctions on Russia and supplied humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. Russia made substantial gains in the early weeks of the invasion but underestimated Ukrainian resolve and combat capabilities. By the end of 2022, Ukrainian forces had regained all territories in the north and northeast and made some advances in the east and south. Nonetheless, Russia in late September 2022 unilaterally declared its annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts - Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia - even though none was fully under Russian control. The annexations remain unrecognized by the international community.
The invasion has also created Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. As of 14 March 2024, there were 6.5 million Ukrainian refugees recorded globally, and 3.69 million people were internally displaced as of December 2023. Nearly 30,460 civilian casualties had been reported, as of January 2024. The invasion of Ukraine remains one of the two largest displacement crises worldwide (the other is the conflict in Syria).
The Ukrainian people continue to fiercely resist Russia’s full-scale invasion, which has targeted civilian and critical infrastructure - including energy - to try to break the Ukrainian will. President ZELENSKYY has focused on the civic identity of Ukrainians, regardless of ethnic or linguistic background, to unite the country behind the goals of ending the war by regaining as much territory as possible and advancing Ukraine’s candidacy for membership in the European Union (EU). Support for joining the EU and NATO has grown significantly, overcoming the historical, and sometimes artificial, divide between eastern and western Ukraine.
Environment - current issues
Environment - international agreements
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds
Population below poverty line
note: % of population with income below national poverty line
Household income or consumption by percentage share
highest 10%: 21.8% (2020 est.)
note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population
Exports - commodities
Exports - partners
Administrative divisions
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 illegal 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"; neither does the US Government recognize Russia's claimed annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts
Agricultural products
Military and security forces
Ministry of Internal Affairs: National Guard of Ukraine, State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (includes Maritime Border Guard or Sea Guard) (2023)
note 1: in the event that martial law is declared, all National Guard units, with certain exceptions such as those tasked with providing for diplomatic security of embassies and consulates, would come under the command of the Ministry of Defense as auxiliary forces to the Armed Forces
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; it is organized into 25 brigades of varying size representing each of the 24 oblasts, plus the city of Kyiv
Budget
expenditures: $35.75 billion (2021 est.)
Capital
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 name is associated with that of Kyi, who along with his brothers Shchek and Khoryv, and their sister Lybid, are the legendary founders of the medieval city of Kyiv; Kyi being the eldest brother, the city was named after him
note: pronounced KAY-yiv
Imports - commodities
Climate
Coastline
Constitution
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 several times, last in 2019
Exchange rates
Exchange rates:
32.342 (2022 est.)
27.286 (2021 est.)
26.958 (2020 est.)
25.846 (2019 est.)
27.2 (2018 est.)
Executive branch
head of government: Prime Minister Denys SHMYHAL (since 4 March 2020)
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 31 March and 21 April 2019 (next to be held in March 2024); prime minister selected by the Verkhovna Rada
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
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
Fiscal year
Flag description
Illicit drugs
a transit country for non-domestically produced drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, bound for consumer markets in the European Union and Russia; overland corridors for the movement of these drugs exists, but Ukraine’s southern ports on the Black Sea, notably Odesa and Pivdennyi, are disrupted due to the war; domestically produced amphetamine, methamphetamine, methadone, alpha-PVP, and new psychoactive substances (NPS) remain threats to Ukrainian society; production and consumption of cannabis remains significant
Independence
Industries
Judicial branch
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 responsible for judicial self-governance and administration, and appointed by the president; judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 65; High Anti-Corruption Court judges are selected by the same process as Supreme Court justices, 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; this majority must include at least 3 members of the Public Council of International Experts; Constitutional Court justices appointed - 6 each by the president, by the Congress of Judges, and by the Verkhovna Rada; judges serve 9-year nonrenewable terms
subordinate courts:
Courts of Appeal; district courts
note: specialized courts were abolished as part of Ukraine's judicial reform program; in November 2019, President ZELENSKYY signed a bill on legal reforms
Land boundaries
border countries (6): Belarus 1,111 km; Hungary 128 km; Moldova 1,202 km; Poland 498 km; Romania 601 km; Russia 1,944 km, Slovakia 97 km
Land use
arable land: 56.1% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 1.5% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 13.6% (2018 est.)
forest: 16.8% (2018 est.)
other: 12% (2018 est.)
Legal system
Legislative branch
elections: last held on 21 July 2019 (next to be held on 29 October 2023)
election results:
percent of vote by party - Servant of the People 43.2%, Opposition Platform-For Life 13.1%, Batkivshchyna 8.2%, European Solidarity 8.1%, Voice 5.8%, other 21.6%; Servant of the People 254, Opposition Platform for Life 43, Batkivshchyna 26, European Solidarity 25, Voice 20, Opposition Bloc 6, Svoboda 1, Self Reliance 1, United Centre 1, Bila Tserkva Together 1, independent 46; note - 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
note: Legislative and presidential elections cannot be held under martial law.;the Verkhovna Rada declared martial law in February 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion
Literacy
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100% (2021)
Maritime claims
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 m or to the depth of exploitation
International organization participation
note: Ukraine is an EU candidate country whose satisfactory completion of accession criteria is required before being granted full EU membership
National holiday
Nationality
adjective: Ukrainian
Natural resources
Geography - note
Economic overview
Pipelines
Political parties and leaders
European Solidarity or YeS [Petro POROSHENKO]
Holos (Voice or Vote) [Kira RUDYK]
Opposition Bloc [Evgeny MURAYEV] (formerly known as Opposition Bloc — Party for Peace and Development, successor of the Industrial Party of Ukraine, and resulted from a schism in the original Opposition Bloc in 2019; banned in court June 2022; ceased to exist in July 2022)
Opposition Bloc or OB (divided into Opposition Bloc - Party for Peace and Development and Opposition Platform - For Life in 2019; ceased to exist in July 2022)
Opposition Platform - For Life [Yuriy BOYKO] (resulted from a schism in the original Opposition Bloc in 2019; activities suspended by the National Security and Defense Council in March 2022; dissolved in April 2022)
Platform for Life and Peace [Yuriy BOYKO]
Radical Party or RPOL [Oleh LYASHKO]
Samopomich (Self Reliance) [Oksana Ivanivna SYROYID]
Servant of the People [Olena Oleksiivna SHULIAK]
Svoboda (Freedom) [Oleh TYAHNYBOK]
Ports and terminals
river port(s): Kherson, Kyiv (Dnieper River), Mykolaiv (Pivdennyy Buh River)
Suffrage
Telecommunication systems
domestic: fixed-line teledensity is 6 per 100; the mobile-cellular telephone is 140 mobile phones per 100 persons (2021)
international: country code - 380; landing point for the Kerch Strait Cable connecting Ukraine to Russia; 2 new domestic trunk lines are a part of the fiber-optic TAE system and 3 Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic 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
Terrain
Government type
Country name
conventional short form: Ukraine
local long form: none
local short form: Ukraina
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)
Location
Map references
Irrigated land
Diplomatic representation in the US
chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 349-2963
FAX: [1] (202) 333-0817
email address and website:
emb_us@mfa.gov.ua
https://usa.mfa.gov.ua/en
consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York, San Francisco
Internet country code
Refugees and internally displaced persons
1,461,700 (Russian-sponsored separatist violence in Crimea and eastern Ukraine) (2021); 3.67 million (2023) (since Russian invasion that started in February 2022); note – the more recent invasion total may reflect some double counting, since it is impossible to determine how many of the recent IDPs may also include IDPs from the earlier Russian-sponsored violence in Crimea and eastern Ukraine
stateless persons: 36,459 (2022); 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
GDP (official exchange rate)
note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
Credit ratings
Moody's rating: Ca (2023)
Standard & Poors rating: CCC (2023)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
Total renewable water resources
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male: 15 years
female: 15 years (2014)
Urbanization
rate of urbanization: -0.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Broadcast media
Drinking water source
rural: 100% of population
total: 99.6% of population
unimproved: urban: 0.6% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0.4% of population (2020 est.)
National anthem
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
Major urban areas - population
International law organization participation
Physicians density
Hospital bed density
National symbol(s)
Mother's mean age at first birth
Contraceptive prevalence rate
GDP - composition, by end use
government consumption: 20.4% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 16% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: 4.7% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 47.9% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -55.6% (2017 est.)
Dependency ratios
youth dependency ratio: 22.6
elderly dependency ratio: 25.8
potential support ratio: 3.9 (2021 est.)
note: data include Crimea
Citizenship
citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Ukraine
dual citizenship recognized: no
residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
Population distribution
Electricity access
note: pre-war numbers
National air transport system
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 126
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 7,854,842 (2018)
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 75.26 million (2018) mt-km
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
Sanitation facility access
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Ethnic groups
Religions
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
Languages
major-language sample(s):
Свiтова Книга Фактiв – найкраще джерело базової інформації. (Ukrainian)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Imports - partners
Communications - note
Disputes - international
Ukraine-Belarus: in 1997, Ukraine and Belarus signed a boundary delimitation treaty; the instruments of ratification were exchanged in 2013; a joint commission should be established to enable the actual demarcation to begin
Ukraine-Hungary: hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees are crossing the border to Hungary to escape the Russian invasion in their country
Ukraine-Moldova: hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees are crossing the border to Moldova to escape the Russian invasion in their country; 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
Ukraine-Poland: hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees are crossing the border to Poland to escape the Russian invasion in their country
Ukraine-Romania: hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees are crossing the border to Romania to escape the Russian invasion in their country, the ICJ in 2009 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
Ukraine-Russia: 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-Slovakia: tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees are crossing the border to Slovakia to escape the Russian invasion of their country
Elevation
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
mean elevation: 175 m
Current health expenditure
Military - note
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 further increased its support to the Ukrainian military following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022
the UAF Ground Forces have air defense, armored, artillery, aviation, infantry, mechanized, motorized, and rocket forces; the basic structure of the Ground Forces and the Territorial Defense Forces is the brigade; there are also regionally based (east, north, south, west) Operational Commands and a handful of corps-level commands; the combat brigades are assigned amongst the commands and corps based on operational requirements; the separate Air Assault Forces and Special Operations Forces are organized into brigades and regiments and considered the UAF’s elite units; prior to the 2022 Russian invasion, the UAF Air Force had over 100 combat aircraft, as well as ground-based air defenses, typically organized into brigades under regional commands; the Navy is a coastal defense force and includes naval infantry brigades that have been used as ground forces in the war with Russia (2023)
Military and security service personnel strengths
note 1: following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, President ZELENSKY announced a general mobilization of the country; prior to the invasion, approximately 200,000 active Armed Forces troops (125,000 Army; 25,000 Airborne/Air Assault Forces; 2,000 Special Operations Forces; 10,000 Navy; 40,000 Air Force); approximately 50,000 National Guard; approximately 40,000 State Border Guard
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
Military deployments
Total water withdrawal
industrial: 4.04 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 3.06 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste recycled annually: 487,745 tons (2015 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 3.2% (2015 est.)
Average household expenditures
on alcohol and tobacco: 7.7% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
Air pollutants
carbon dioxide emissions: 202.25 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 63.37 megatons (2020 est.)
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
National heritage
selected World Heritage Site locales: Kyiv: Saint Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (c); Lviv Historic Center (c); Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans, Chernivtsi (c); Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese, Sevastopol (c); Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region (c); Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians (n); Struve Geodetic Arc (c); The Historic Centre of Odesa (c)
Food insecurity
due to conflict - Ukraine continues to be a significant supplier of food commodities for the world; however, according to a 2023 analysis, at least 17.6 million people are estimated to be in need of multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance in 2023 due to the war, including over 11 million in need of food security and livelihood interventions; the harvest of the 2023 winter cereal crops, mostly wheat, is onging and will be concluded by August; as a result of a smaller planted area, the 2023 wheat harvest in areas under government control is estimated at 18.5 million mt, about 8% below the already war‑affected 2022 output; despite decreased cereal production, food availability at the national level is reported to be adequate, but access remains a major challenge; the country has already experienced elevated levels of food price inflation in the past, due to the economic impact of the conflict in eastern areas; in addition, rising energy costs, amidst high unemployment rates and limited livelihood opportunities, are reducing households’ purchasing power and driving more people into poverty
(2023)Coal
consumption: 41.181 million metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 61,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 17.333 million metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 34.375 billion metric tons (2019 est.)
Electricity generation sources
nuclear: 55.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 1.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 1.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 3.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Natural gas
consumption: 26,413,486,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 10,740,619,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
proven reserves: 1,104,355,000,000 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Petroleum
refined petroleum consumption: 248,100 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 700 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 6,500 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 395 million barrels (2021 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
Remittances
9.04% of GDP (2021 est.)
9.71% of GDP (2020 est.)
note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Nuclear energy
Number of nuclear reactors under construction: 2
Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors: 13.11GW (2023)
Percent of total electricity production: 53.9% (2019)
Percent of total energy produced: 37% (2021)
note - This information does not take into account the effects from the current conflict in Ukraine and should be considered the prewar status
Space program overview
note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S
Space launch site(s)
Space agency/agencies
Labor force
note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
male: 16.3%
female: 16.7%
Net migration rate
Median age
male: 41.3 years
female: 50 years
Debt - external
$114.449 billion (2018 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$30.967 billion (2021 est.)
$29.138 billion (2020 est.)
note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Waterways
Refined petroleum products - imports
Public debt
48.33% of GDP (2019 est.)
56.91% of GDP (2018 est.)
note: central government debt as a % of GDP
Total fertility rate
Military expenditures
4% of GDP (2020 est.)
3.4% of GDP (2019 est.)
3.1% of GDP (2018 est.)
3.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
Unemployment rate
9.48% (2020 est.)
8.19% (2019 est.)
note: % of labor force seeking employment
Population
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)
Internet users
percent of population: 79% (2021 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
from coal and metallurgical coke: 105.929 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 30.365 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 49.392 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
Area
land: 579,330 sq km
water: 24,220 sq km
note: Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, an area of approximately 27,000 sq km (10,400 sq miles)
Taxes and other revenues
note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$535.815 billion (2021 est.)
$517.968 billion (2020 est.)
note: data in 2017 dollars
Roadways
paved: 166,095 km (includes 17 km of expressways)
unpaved: 3,599 km (2012)
Airports
Infant mortality rate
male: 10.1 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Telephones - mobile cellular
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 140 (2021 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
9.36% (2021 est.)
2.73% (2020 est.)
note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Refined petroleum products - exports
Current account balance
-$3.882 billion (2021 est.)
$5.267 billion (2020 est.)
note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
Real GDP per capita
$12,900 (2021 est.)
$12,400 (2020 est.)
note: data in 2017 dollars
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 19 (2020 est.)
Tobacco use
male: 40% (2020 est.)
female: 11.5% (2020 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
Energy consumption per capita
Death rate
Birth rate
Electricity
consumption: 124,533,790,000 kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 5.139 billion kWh (2020 est.)
imports: 2.72 billion kWh (2020 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 16.434 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Merchant marine
by type: container ship 1, general cargo 83, oil tanker 14, other 312
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
Imports
$84.175 billion (2021 est.)
$63.085 billion (2020 est.)
note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Exports
$81.504 billion (2021 est.)
$60.707 billion (2020 est.)
note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Telephones - fixed lines
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 6 (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum products - production
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer: 2.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.32 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 2.88 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.05 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
male: 64.5 years
female: 75.4 years
Real GDP growth rate
3.45% (2021 est.)
-3.75% (2020 est.)
note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
Industrial production growth rate
note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
Railways
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)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
industry: 28.6% (2017 est.)
services: 60% (2017 est.)