As can be observed from the above population pyramid, Ukraine has a large population of citizens between about 20- 55 years of age. The under- twelve demographic is also quite populous, but the older segment of the population is much smalller.
Traditional Demographic Transition Model
Stage of Demographic Transition
The Demographic Transition Model (DTM) is a model used to explain the process of shifting from a population’s high birth rates and high death rates to low birth rates and low death rates as part of economic development of a country. Most developed countries are at stage three, whereas most developing nations are at stage two.
Although there are officially only four stages in the original Demographic Transition Model, experts have introduced a fifth stage, known as the natural decrease stage. It is found in a limited number of countries and is characterized by populations who are reproducing significantly below their replacement levels and are not producing enough children to replace their parents’ generation. Ukraine is found at this stage, and this cannot be attributed to the improved status of women, family planning policies, or later marriages, but to the economic crisis initiated by the post-communist transition in the late 1980s and early 1990s (Cooper 2003).
The Demographic Transition Model (DTM) is a model used to explain the process of shifting from a population’s high birth rates and high death rates to low birth rates and low death rates as part of economic development of a country. Most developed countries are at stage three, whereas most developing nations are at stage two.
Although there are officially only four stages in the original Demographic Transition Model, experts have introduced a fifth stage, known as the natural decrease stage. It is found in a limited number of countries and is characterized by populations who are reproducing significantly below their replacement levels and are not producing enough children to replace their parents’ generation. Ukraine is found at this stage, and this cannot be attributed to the improved status of women, family planning policies, or later marriages, but to the economic crisis initiated by the post-communist transition in the late 1980s and early 1990s (Cooper 2003).
The graph above depicts life expectancy of females (and the graph below for males) in both Ukraine (red dots) and as an average in the rest of the countries in Europe and Central Asia. As it is evident, there is a large disparity between the number of years people are living in Ukraine in comparison to its neighbouring countries, with a larger difference with the male demographic (Rowland 2007).
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a sharp increase in the death rate and a gradual decrease in the birth rate has been observed in Ukraine. This has led to the decrease in the rate of natural growth, which has led to several national challenges (outlined in the next section) (Rowland 2007).