In this unnervingly quiet maternity ward in Hoshcha in Ukraine, no babies are being born. The impact of the conflict on birth rates in this town hundreds of miles from the frontline provides a snapshot of a looming demographic crisis with huge consequences for the country's future.

Hoshcha

Russian forces have invaded Ukraine from land, air and sea with strikes causing widespread damage. Global leaders have condemned the move and imposed sanctions.

Ukraine Invasion

Hospitals in Ukraine, such as the maternity ward in Hoshcha, are experiencing a significant drop in births, with some facilities seeing no newborns on certain days. The ongoing conflict with Russia has led to high death rates, mass emigration, and widespread uncertainty, making it difficult for families to plan for the future.

According to official estimates, Ukraine's population has fallen from 42 million before the war to 36 million, with projections indicating a further decline to 25 million by 2051. The government has introduced a demographic strategy to address the crisis, but many communities continue to struggle as young people are sent to war and families hesitate to have children.

Ukraine birth rates plunge as families put futures on hold

It's unnervingly quiet in this maternity ward, at a hospital in Ukraine's Hoshcha. In fact, the only people here are staff. On this October day, no babies are being born. A lot of guys died, young men who, bluntly speaking, were supposed to replenish Ukraine's gene pool. And this is our local population. It's a great pity. Yevhen Hekyl is a gynecologist at the hospital in Hoshcha. The town may lie nearly 400 miles from the nearest front lines in the war with Russia, but it's feeling the full impact of the conflict on birth rates. It provides a snapshot of a looming demographic crisis with huge consequences for Ukraine's future, and poses a hard question. Once the war ends, who will be left to pick up the pieces? When you drive past a convoy carrying a dead soldier, it's painful. Ukraine has the highest death rates and lowest birth rates in the world, the CIA World Factbook says. And for every birth, there are around three deaths. Ukraine's population was 42 million before the war. It's now at 36 million, including areas captured by Russia, according to the National Academy of Sciences. It estimates the figure will drop to 25 million by 2051, excluding territory lost to Moscow. 21-year-old Anastasia says the instability makes starting a family hard to imagine. The situation in the country also changes very often, and you don't know what can happen in a month or two. Therefore, it is difficult to plan as of now. Even before Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Ukraine's population was aging and on the decline. The outlook too bleak for many to consider building their future there. The country will need millions of people to repair its shattered economy, experts and politicians say, and to defend itself in a post-war future if Moscow were to attack again, as many Ukrainians fear. I realized that I was ready, and now I need to give birth, because it's a time like this. Men are going to war. Anything can happen, and you need to have a child. You need to have someone else by your side and invest resources in someone else. Anastasia Tabakova is the deputy head of the town council in Hoshcha, home to about 5,000 residents. This maternity hospital lost its funding in 2023 after it wasn't able to reach its target of 170 births in 12 months. A decade ago, around 400 babies were born each year in the same wards. In 2023, Tabakova went through her first pregnancy with her husband at the front line. The anxiety, the stress, the constant worry, that constant waiting for that message saying, I am alive, I completed the task, or just a plus in that message. It was quite difficult. I worried about whether I would be able to carry the child throughout this entire pregnancy. Ukraine has been fighting Russia's army for nearly four years. And the unpredictability of war means many couples are debating whether or not to start a family. On top of that, money is tight for many, inflation is high, and millions of Ukrainians have already fled. The village is dying out, and especially now the youth. They were simply taken away, just like this. Even my son, one, the other. I have three sons. They simply take them away to war. The village is dying out, dying out, dying out. Aware of the looming challenge, last year, the government set out a demographic strategy to 2040. It included better housing and infrastructure to entice Ukrainians back from abroad and attract immigrants from other countries. Here on the road, less than six miles from Hostia, houses lie abandoned. Anna Antonik, the head of the maternity ward in Hostia, says about a third of the women coming to the hospital have husbands serving in the military. Every third woman now has a husband serving. They are in the east. They are military personnel. Women are stressed. Many women have had their husbands killed. Well, they went missing in action. One of those women is Oksana Formanchuk. Since July, her husband has been missing in action, she says, fighting back tears. I have two children, two adult boys. I worry about them. What if they're taken away too? What would I do without them? I'm already desperate anyways. For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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Ukraine birth rates plunge as families put futures on hold

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Ukraine Invasion