Geographical aspects of the demographic situation in Western Ukraine

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The population of Western Ukraine decreases over the 2001–2016 years and at present is 9,356 thousands or 21 % of the whole population. Due to the slower pace of depopulation in comparison with other regions, the demographic weight of the Western region increases in the population of Ukraine. The rural population of the Western region decreases, while the urban population due to migration inflows increases. The level of urbanization in the Western region remains the lowest in Ukraine – only 49 %, but the rate of urbanization in the last 15 years was the highest in the country, except the capital region. Improvements in the economic activity and expansion of urban areas have a place in many cities. The level of population ageing of the Western region is the lowest in Ukraine and the more aged population is rural. Due to reduced fertility and the premature mortality, extremely rapid ageing of the urban population occurs. Because of the great migration losses in rural areas in recent decades, the level of ageing of the rural population is growing really slowly and in Volyn region, the rural population became younger. The birth rate here is the highest in Ukraine, especially in rural areas of Rivne, Zakarpattia, and Volyn regions. Therefore, the proportion of children in all types of settlements dramatically exceeds the average indicators among Ukrainian. The urban population of the region is characterised by a new European model of reproductive behaviour that defines the main demographic parameters: low fertility, including early birth, the dominance of nucleus families, and higher age for marriages. In general, the most favourable demographic situation is in Zakarpattia region and rural areas of Rivne region, which is mostly achieved by high birth rates, lower level of premature mortality and lower migration loss of reproductive groups. The worst demographic situation among the Western regions is in the Ternopil region, where demographic potential in the rural areas significantly decreased as a result of large migration losses and a rapid decline in fertility. Key words: population, demographic situation, urbanization, depopulation, demographic ageing, natural reproduction, migration.