Demographic collapse, internal migration and shocking figures: “Every tenth student is no longer in Ukraine”
24 September 17:10
As part of the ongoing challenges Ukraine faces in the context of preserving human capital, the issue of youth migration is particularly acute. This topic was the focus of the discussion forum for educators and employers “Youth cannot be let go” organized by "Komersant Ukrainian", where experts, representatives of higher education institutions, employers and government officials discussed the phenomenon of “silent” youth migration, its causes, consequences and ways to counteract it.
The focus was on the scale of losses, the role of educational institutions in shaping the attachment of young people to Ukraine, and the opportunities that employers can offer to retain them.
Since the outbreak of full-scale war, the competition for Ukrainian students has gone beyond the borders of the country – now it is not only a matter of Ukrainian universities, but also a struggle with dozens of foreign universities that actively attract young people from Ukraine. Ease of admission, scholarships, free tuition, comfortable conditions, and most importantly, safety have become factors that make studying abroad an increasingly attractive option for applicants and their parents.
Are Ukrainian universities able to keep young people in the country? Who is trying to counter this wave of “educational emigration” and how? And are we really losing this competition or do we still have a chance to catch up? We will try to find the answers further in our article.
Demographic collapse: minus 10 million in 30 years
Over the past three decades, Ukraine’s population has decreased by 10 million people. The most vulnerable category is young people. This was stated by Oleksandr Gladun, Deputy Director of the Institute of Demography and Quality of Life Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, during a discussion forum for educators and employers “Youth cannot be let go” organized by the Kommersant Ukrainian newspaper.
“If we compare 1993 and 2022, we have minus 10 million people. This is a 20% reduction,” he emphasized.
According to the scientist, such dynamics are part of the global demographic transition. However, the Ukrainian case has its own unique specifics: war, mass emigration, economic instability, and a rapid outflow of young people.
“We have a regressive gender and age structure, i.e., the dominance of the elderly. And this is a challenge for the economy, the pension system, and the country’s recovery,” Gladun explained.
Admission campaign 2025: students choose safety over university
Deputy Minister of Education and Science Andriy Vitrenko said that the war has significantly changed the priorities of applicants. Now they focus not only on the quality of education but also on the security of the region where the university is located.
“For the first three months of the admission campaign, Lviv was the leader. Lviv Polytechnic and Ivan Franko University are at the top. Shevchenko University is only third. This is a signal: students choose safer cities,” noted Vitrenko.
He emphasized that Ukraine does not have completely safe territories, but young people and parents intuitively choose regions with a lower level of threats.
“I am ashamed when people say that all universities in Ukraine are bad. This is not true. There are strong examples. Zhytomyr Polytechnic and Lutsk University are already at a new level,” the Deputy Minister said.
Every tenth student is no longer in Ukraine
MP Yulia Hryshyna cited striking figures: 115 thousand Ukrainian students are studying abroad, and another 1.3 million children have temporary protection status in other EU countries.
“This means that every tenth Ukrainian student is no longer with us. And this number is growing. The situation with schoolchildren is even worse,” Hryshyna said.
In her opinion, this is a direct loss of economic and demographic potential.
“We are losing not just children. We are losing young people – an able-bodied, active resource. This is a blow to the budget, to the education system, to the future,” the MP emphasized.
At the same time, she stated that there is virtually no systematic discussion at the level of public policy on how to counteract this trend.
Internal migration of students: no less harmful than emigration
Viktor Yevdokymov, Rector of Zhytomyr Polytechnic, drew attention to another trend – internal migration of students within the country. It is also changing the educational map of Ukraine.
“We have doubled the number of students – from 4 to 9 thousand from 2016 to 2022. But most higher education institutions are losing young people today,” noted Yevdokimov.
According to him, the growth in Lviv universities is more a consequence of migration from more dangerous regions than an increase in the quality of education.
“Universities are city-forming centers. If students leave, business, life, and jobs disappear. This is a problem not only for villages, but for entire cities: Brovary, Sumy, Poltava,” he said.
What teachers say about NMT
Andriana Pauk, an English teacher and founder of Bla-Bla School, criticized the structure of the National Multisubject Test (NMT), which she believes can become a barrier to entry into Ukrainian universities even for strong students.
“I take the NMT every year. And yes, I’m one of those who don’t pass the threshold in math. But I pass English with 190 and Ukrainian with 185. And this means that I will not enter the university in Ukraine. But abroad, I can get in easily,” she said.
Pauk questioned the expediency of the mandatory four subjects, as it deprives applicants with strong humanitarian inclinations of chances.
“Why don’t we see all the test options? Why don’t teachers have access to the full NMT database to prepare their students well?” she added.
Thus, the forum “Youth Can’t Be Let Go” has become not just a platform for discussion, but a mirror of systemic problems:
- Massive demographic crisis and population aging
- Critical outflow of young people abroad
- Internal migration and the decline of small and medium-sized cities
- Imperfect assessment tools that can “push out” capable applicants
Today’s challenges require urgent systemic solutions, because losing young people means losing the country’s future.
