Country explorer: Ukraine
EXPERIMENTAL
2024
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Overview
Ukraine is a agricultural, lower-middle-income country in Europe with a medium-sized population. Its economy has grown stably in recent decades, and is based on agriculture, manufacturing, energy and information technology.
Ukraine has been at [war with Russia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_War) since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and began supporting separatists in the Donbas region. The war escalated substantially in 2022.
Economy
Ukraine has struggled with significant economic challenges, including comparatively low GDP per capita growth, pervasive poverty across multiple thresholds, a volatile unemployment rate, and high inflation rates, distinguishing it from its European peers by its ongoing economic instability and slower recovery.
Demographics
Ukraine has experienced a significant population decline, negative net migration, a below-replacement fertility rate, and improvements in life expectancy, mirroring trends seen in some neighboring Eastern European countries but distinguishing itself with more pronounced population challenges.
Basic needs
Ukraine has seen significant improvement in access to clean fuels for cooking and electricity, mirroring its central European peers, while strides in safely managed drinking water and sanitation facilities highlight ongoing efforts to address basic needs, albeit with slower progress in sanitation reflective of broader challenges in lower-middle-income countries.
Human development
Ukraine has shown progress in human development indicators such as literacy and education, although its improvements in health metrics like child mortality and overall Human Development Index scores present a mixed picture, aligning it with certain global trends yet indicating distinctive challenges compared to its Eastern European neighbors.
Environment & energy
Ukraine has experienced significant environmental and energy transformations, including a steady decline in per capita CO₂ emissions, the expansion of renewable energy sources, a slight decrease in renewable freshwater resources per capita, and a gradual increase in forest area, indicative of evolving energy production methods and a focus on environmental sustainability, in line with global trends towards greener practices.
Technology & innovation
Ukraine has demonstrated significant progress in technology and innovation, reflected by increased internet usage, mobile phone subscriptions, and scientific publications, though its research & development spending as a share of GDP remains modest compared to some European peers, highlighting a growing but still developing landscape in technological advancement.
Culture & society
Ukraine has experienced a significant cultural and societal transformation, marked by a high share of population born abroad, improving yet relatively lower self-reported life satisfaction compared to its European neighbors, a notable decrease in gender inequality, and an increasing age dependency ratio, mirroring broader trends seen in Eastern European countries.
Governance
Ukraine has experienced notable fluctuations in governance indicators, reflecting challenges in rule of law, corruption perception, political civil liberties, and press freedom, which indicate ongoing struggles for democratic consolidation and reform distinct from its European neighbors.