Personnel losses: how many Ukrainian scientists have left for abroad
27 July 2025 10:12
About 20% of Ukrainian scientists left for other countries or changed their profession because of the war. At the same time, 80% of researchers remain in the country, working under martial law.
Denys Kurbatov, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, told RBC-Ukraine about this in an interview with "Komersant Ukrainian".
What is the loss of personnel in science due to the war?
The war has affected all sectors in Ukraine, and science is no exception, the deputy minister said. According to him, the changes are noticeable primarily in terms of personnel.
“Many scientists who voluntarily went to the front were killed. Many more have left the country or changed their profession,” Kurbatov said.
According to him, if we count everyone – researchers, teachers, research and teaching staff – there are about 80,000 of them on average in the country.
“Now we are talking about staff losses of about 20%. These are scientists who either left for other countries or changed their profession. But 80% of researchers remain in the country, working in these conditions. In the frontline and border regions, unfortunately, about 30% of the research infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed,” he said.
Despite this, he said, research is still being conducted, and science is adapting.
“We are working on creating new research centers, even underground laboratories, and developing centers for the collective use of scientific equipment. Science is adapting, but unfortunately, new challenges are being added every day,” Kurbatov adds.
According to the National Bank and the Ministry of Economy, Ukraine lost about 40% of its working-age population due to the war. Today, about 1.7 million Ukrainians who used to work in the country are abroad.
Due to the challenges and threats posed by the ongoing war, demographers predict that the country’s population could drop to 28.9 million by 2041, and to 25.2 million by 2051.
