Country Guide

Ukraine Facts

Geography People and Society Government Economy Communications Transportation Military Transnational Issues

Geography

Location:
Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland, Romania, and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east


Geographic coordinates:
49 00 N, 32 00 E


Map references:
Europe


Area:
total:603,550 sq kmcountry comparison to the world: 46
land:579,330 sq km
water:24,220 sq km


Area - comparative:
Area comparison map: '>


Land boundaries:
total:4,566 km
border countries:Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 940 km, Poland 428 km, Romania (south) 176 km, Romania (southwest) 362 km, Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 90 km


Coastline:
2,782 km


Maritime claims:
territorial sea:12 nm
exclusive economic zone:200 nm
continental shelf:200 m or to the depth of exploitation


Climate:
temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm across the greater part of the country, hot in the south


    Terrain:
most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south


Elevation extremes:
lowest point:Black Sea 0 m
highest point:Hora Hoverla 2,061 m


Natural resources:
iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land


Land use:
arable land:53.85%
permanent crops:1.48%
other:44.67% (2011)


Irrigated land:
21,750 sq km (2010)


Total renewable water resources:
139.6 cu km (2011)


Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
139.6 cu km (2011)

Natural hazards:
NA


Environment - current issues:
inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water pollution; deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant


Environment - international agreements:
party to:Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds


Geography - note:
strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe

People and Society

Nationality:
noun: Ukrainian(s)
adjective:Ukrainian


Ethnic groups:
Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belarusian 0.6%, Moldovan 0.5%, Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Romanian 0.3%, Polish 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, other 1.8% (2001 est.)


Languages:
Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian (regional language) 24%, other (includes small Romanian-, Polish-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities) 9%


Religions:
Orthodox (includes Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox (UAOC), Ukrainian Orthodox - Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), Ukrainian Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish


Population:
44,291,413 (July 2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 32


Age structure:
0-14 years:14% (male 3,191,247/female 3,013,575)
15-24 years:11.5% (male 2,610,172/female 2,501,795)
25-54 years:45% (male 9,639,882/female 10,274,240)
55-64 years:13.6% (male 2,581,380/female 3,433,568)
65 years and over:15.6% (male 2,310,652/female 4,734,902) (2014 est.)


Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio:42 %
youth dependency ratio:20.8 %
elderly dependency ratio:21.2 %
potential support ratio:4.7 (2014 est.)


Median age:
total:40.6 years
male:37.3 years
female:43.7 years (2014 est.)


Population growth rate:
-0.64% (2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 226


Birth rate:
9.41 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 203


Death rate:
15.72 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 2


Net migration rate:
-0.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 113


Urbanization:
urban population:68.9% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization:-0.26% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)


Major urban areas - population:
KYIV (capital) 2.829 million; Kharkiv 1.451 million; Dnipropetrovsk 994,000; Odesa 1.01 million; Donetsk 959,000; Zaporizhzhya 771,000 (2011)


Sex ratio:
at birth:1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years:1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years:1.04 male(s)/female
25-54 years:0.94 male(s)/female
55-64 years:0.85 male(s)/female
65 years and over:0.49 male(s)/female
total population:0.85 male(s)/female (2014 est.)


Mother's mean age at first birth:
25.8 (2010 est.)


Maternal mortality rate:
32 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)


Infant mortality rate:
total:8.1 deaths/1,000 live birthscountry comparison to the world: 154
male:10.13 deaths/1,000 live births
female:5.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)


    Life expectancy at birth:
total population:69.14 yearscountry comparison to the world: 156
male:63.78 years
female:74.86 years (2014 est.)


Total fertility rate:
1.3 children born/woman (2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 215


Contraceptive prevalence rate:
66.7% (2007)


Health expenditures:
7.3% of GDP (2011)


Physicians density:
3.52 physicians/1,000 population (2011)


Hospital bed density:
8.7 beds/1,000 population (2009)


Drinking water source:
improved:
urban: 98.1% of population
rural: 97.7% of population
total: 98% of population
unimproved:
urban: 1.9% of population
rural: 2.3% of population
total: 2% of population (2012 est.)


Sanitation facility access:
improved:
urban: 96.5% of population
rural: 89.4% of population
total: 94.3% of population
unimproved:
urban: 3.5% of population
rural: 10.6% of population
total: 5.7% of population (2012 est.)


HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.9% (2012 est.)country comparison to the world: 52


HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
230,500 (2012 est.)country comparison to the world: 26


HIV/AIDS - deaths:
18,100 (2012 est.)country comparison to the world: 18


Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
21.3% (2008)country comparison to the world: 89


Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
0.9% (2002)country comparison to the world: 134


Education expenditures:
6.2% of GDP (2011)country comparison to the world: 35

Literacy:
definition:age 15 and over can read and write
total population:99.7%
male:99.8%
female:99.7% (2011 est.)


School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total:15 years
male:15 years
female:15 years (2012)


Child labor - children ages 5-14:



Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
total:17.3%country comparison to the world: 72
male:18.1%
female:16.1% (2012)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form:Ukraine
local long form:none
local short form:Ukrayina
former:Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic


Government type:
republic


Capital:
name:Kyiv (Kiev)
note:pronounced KAY-yiv
geographic coordinates:50 26 N, 30 31 E
time difference:UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time:+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October


Administrative divisions:
24 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic* (avtonomna respublika), and 2 municipalities (mista, singular - misto) with oblast status**; Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Crimea or Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Dnipropetrovs'k, Donets'k, Ivano-Frankivs'k, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmel'nyts'kyy, Kirovohrad, Kyiv**, Kyiv, Luhans'k, L'viv, Mykolayiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sevastopol'**, Sumy, Ternopil', Vinnytsya, Volyn' (Luts'k), Zakarpattya (Uzhhorod), Zaporizhzhya, Zhytomyr


Independence:
24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union); notable earlier dates: ca. 982 (VOLODYMYR I consolidates Kyivan Rus), 1648 (establishment of Cossack Hetmanate)


National holiday:
Independence Day, 24 August (1991); note - 22 January 1918, the day Ukraine first declared its independence (from Soviet Russia) and the day the short-lived Western and Greater (Eastern) Ukrainian republics united (1919), is now celebrated as Unity Day


Constitution:
several previous; latest adopted and ratified 28 June 1996; amended 2004, 2010; note - to revert to the 2004 version pending additional constitutional reforms (2014)


Legal system:
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts


International law organization participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt


Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal


Executive branch:
chief of state:President Petro POROSHENKO (since 7 June 2014)
head of government:Prime Minister Arseniy YATSENYUK (since 27 February 2014); First Deputy Prime Minister (vacant), Deputy Prime Ministers Volodymyr HROYSMAN and Oleksandr SYCH (all since 27 February 2014)
cabinet:Cabinet of Ministers nominated by the president
note:there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council; the NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on domestic and international matters and advising the president; a Presidential Administration helps draft presidential edicts and provides policy support to the president
elections:president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 25 May 2014 (next to be held in 2019)
election results:Petro POROSHENKO elected president; percent of vote - Petro POROSHENKO 54.5%, Yuliya TYMOSHENKO 12.9%, Oleh LYASHKO 8.4%, others 24.2%


Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; 50% of seats allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 5% or more of the national electoral vote and 50% to members elected in single mandate districts; members serve five-year terms)
elections:last held on 28 October 2012 (next to be held fall 2017)
election results:percent of vote by party - Party of Regions 30%, Batkivshchyna 25.5%, UDAR 14%, CPU 13.2%, Svoboda 10.4%, other parties 6.9%; seats by party - Party of Regions 185, Batkivshchyna 101, UDAR 40, Svoboda 37, CPU 32, United Center 3, People's Party 2, Radical 1, Union 1, independents 43, vacant 5; composition as of early April 2014 - Party of Regions 120, Batkivshchyna 88, UDAR 42, 'Economic Development' group 36, 'Sovereign European Ukraine' group 36, Svoboda 35, CPU 32, independents 59, vacant 2


    Judicial branch:
highest court(s):Supreme Court of Ukraine (consists of 95 judges organized into civil, criminal, commercial, and administrative chambers, and a military panel); Constitutional Court (consists of 18 justices)
judge selection and term of office:Supreme Court judges proposed by the Supreme Council of Justice or SCJ (a 20-member independent body of judicial officials and other appointees) and appointed by presidential decree; judges initially appointed for 5 years and, if approved by the SCJ, serve until mandatory retirement at age 65; Constitutional Court justices appointed - 6 each by the president, by the SCU, and by the Verkhovna Rada; justices appointed for 9-year non-renewable terms
subordinate courts:specialized high courts; Courts of Cassation; Courts of Appeal; regional, district, city, and town courts


Political parties and leaders:
Batkivshchyna ('Fatherland') [Yuliya TYMOSHENKO]
Communist Party of Ukraine or CPU [Petro SYMONENKO]
Party of Regions [vacant]
People's Movement of Ukraine (Rukh) [Borys TARASYUK]
People's Party [Volodymyr LYTVYN]
Radical Party [Oleh LYASHKO]
Socialist Party of Ukraine or SPU [Oleksandr MOROZ]
Svoboda ('Freedom') [Oleh TYAHNYBOK]
Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reforms or UDAR [Vitaliy KLYCHKO]
Union [Lev MIRIMSKY]
United Center [Viktor BALOHA]


Political pressure groups and leaders:
Committee of Voters of Ukraine [Oleksandr CHERNENKO]


International organization participation:
Australia Group, BSEC, CBSS (observer), CD, CE, CEI, CICA (observer), CIS (participating member, has not signed the 1993 CIS charter although it participates in meetings), EAEC (observer), EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC


Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission:Ambassador Oleksandr MOTSYK (since 24 June 2010)
chancery:3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone:[1] (202) 349-2920
FAX:[1] (202) 333-0817
consulate(s) general:Chicago, New York, San Francisco


Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:Ambassador Geoffrey R. PYATT (since 30 July 2013)
embassy:4 Igor Sikorsky Street, 04112 Kyiv
mailing address:5850 Kyiv Place, Washington, DC 20521-5850
telephone:[380] (44) 521-5000
FAX:[380] (44) 521-5155


Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow represent grain fields under a blue sky


National symbol(s):
trident (tryzub)


National anthem:
name:'Shche ne vmerla Ukraina' (Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished)

lyrics/music:Paul CHUBYNSKYI/Mikhail VERBYTSKYI
note:music adopted 1991, lyrics adopted 2003; the song was first performed in 1864 at the Ukraine Theatre in Lviv; the lyrics, originally written in 1862, were revised in 2003

Economy

Economy - overview:
After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was the most important economic component of the former Soviet Union, producing about four times the output of the next-ranking republic. Its fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. Likewise, its diversified heavy industry supplied the unique equipment (for example, large diameter pipes) and raw materials to industrial and mining sites (vertical drilling apparatus) in other regions of the former USSR. Shortly after independence in August 1991, the Ukrainian Government liberalized most prices and erected a legal framework for privatization, but widespread resistance to reform within the government and the legislature soon stalled reform efforts and led to some backtracking. Output by 1999 had fallen to less than 40% of the 1991 level. Ukraine's dependence on Russia for energy supplies and the lack of significant structural reform have made the Ukrainian economy vulnerable to external shocks. Ukraine depends on imports to meet about three-fourths of its annual oil and natural gas requirements and 100% of its nuclear fuel needs. After a two-week dispute that saw gas supplies cutoff to Europe, Ukraine agreed to 10-year gas supply and transit contracts with Russia in January 2009 that brought gas prices to 'world' levels. The strict terms of the contracts have further hobbled Ukraine's cash-strapped state gas company, Naftohaz. Outside institutions - particularly the IMF - have encouraged Ukraine to quicken the pace and scope of reforms to foster economic growth. Ukrainian Government officials eliminated most tax and customs privileges in a March 2005 budget law, bringing more economic activity out of Ukraine's large shadow economy, but more improvements are needed, including fighting corruption, developing capital markets, and improving the legislative framework. Ukraine's economy was buoyant despite political turmoil between the prime minister and president until mid-2008. The economy contracted nearly 15% in 2009, among the worst economic performances in the world. In April 2010, Ukraine negotiated a price discount on Russian gas imports in exchange for extending Russia's lease on its naval base in Crimea. Movement toward an Association Agreement with the European Union, which would commit Ukraine to economic and financial reforms in exchange for preferential access to EU markets, was curtailed by the November 2013 decision of President YANUKOVYCH against signing this treaty. In response, on 17 December 2013 President YANUKOVYCH and President PUTIN concluded a financial assistance package containing $15 billion in loans and lower gas prices. However, the end of the YANUKOVYCH government in February 2014 caused Russia to halt further funding. With the formation of an interim government in late February 2014, the international community began efforts to stabilize the Ukrainian economy, including a 27 March 2014 IMF assistance package of $14-18 billion.


GDP (purchasing power parity):
$337.4 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
$336.1 billion (2012 est.)
$335.6 billion (2011 est.)
note:data are in 2013 US dollars


GDP (official exchange rate):
$175.5 billion (2013 est.)


GDP - real growth rate:
0.4% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189
0.2% (2012 est.)
5.2% (2011 est.)


GDP - per capita (PPP):
$7,400 (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 139
$7,400 (2012 est.)
$7,400 (2011 est.)
note:data are in 2013 US dollars


Gross national saving:
10.1% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133
10.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
14.5% of GDP (2011 est.)


GDP - composition, by end use:
household consumption:72%
government consumption:18.6%
investment in fixed capital:17.8%
investment in inventories:-1.1%
exports of goods and services:49.6%
imports of goods and services:-56.9%
(2013 est.)


GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
agriculture:9.9%
industry:29.6%
services:60.5%
(2013 est.)


Agriculture - products:
grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; beef, milk


Industries:
coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food processing


Industrial production growth rate:
-5% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 190

Labor force:
22.17 million (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30


Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture:5.6%
industry:26%
services:68.4%
(2012)


Unemployment rate:
8% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
7.5% (2012 est.)
note:officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers


    Population below poverty line:
24.1% (2010)


Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%:3.8%
highest 10%:22.5% (2011 est.)


Distribution of family income - Gini index:
28.2 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 124
29 (1999)


Budget:
revenues:$57.4 billion
expenditures:$66.5 billion
note:this is the planned, consolidated budget (2013 est.)


Taxes and other revenues:
32.7% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
-5.2% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171


Public debt:
40.6% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
36.6% of GDP (2012 est.)
note:the total public debt of $64.5 billion consists of: domestic public debt ($23.8 billion); external public debt ($26.1 billion); and sovereign guarantees ($14.6 billion)


Fiscal year:
calendar year


Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.7% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 16
0.6% (2012 est.)


Central bank discount rate:
7.5% (31 January 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 20
11.97% (31 December 2010 est.)


Commercial bank prime lending rate:
16% (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
18.39% (31 December 2012 est.)


Stock of narrow money:
$39.94 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53
$40.44 billion (31 December 2012 est.)


Stock of broad money:
$100.3 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
$96.48 billion (31 December 2012 est.)


Stock of domestic credit:
$130.6 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48
$129.6 billion (31 December 2012 est.)


Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2012 est.)


Current account balance:
-$11.92 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 181
-$14.32 billion (2012 est.)


Exports:
$71.14 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48
$70.24 billion (2012 est.)


Exports - commodities:
ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, food products


Exports - partners:
Russia 25.6%, Turkey 5.4%, Egypt 4.2% (2012)


Imports:
$87.21 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
$89.71 billion (2012 est.)


Imports - commodities:
energy, machinery and equipment, chemicals


Imports - partners:
Russia 32.4%, China 9.3%, Germany 8%, Belarus 6%, Poland 4.2% (2012)


Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$21.95 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
$24.55 billion (31 December 2012 est.)


Debt - external:
$138.3 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
$136.5 billion (31 December 2012 est.)


Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$61.46 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
$54.46 billion (31 December 2012 est.)


Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$8.604 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
$8.104 billion (31 December 2012 est.)


Exchange rates:
hryvnia (UAH) per US dollar -
8.195 (2013 est.)
7.991 (2012 est.)
7.9356 (2010 est.)
7.7912 (2009)
4.9523 (2008)

Energy

Electricity - production:
198.1 billion kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22


Electricity - consumption:
175.3 billion kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21


Electricity - exports:
3.852 billion kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32


Electricity - imports:
1.909 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 54


Electricity - installed generating capacity:
54.88 million kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18


Electricity - from fossil fuels:
64.1% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 123


Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
25.2% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3


Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
9.9% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113


Electricity - from other renewable sources:
0.1% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100


Crude oil - production:
80,400 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52


Crude oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 197


Crude oil - imports:
155,300 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38


    Crude oil - proved reserves:
395 million bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53


Refined petroleum products - production:
262,300 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 47


Refined petroleum products - consumption:
320,600 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39


Refined petroleum products - exports:
80,980 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 49


Refined petroleum products - imports:
126,500 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 44


Natural gas - production:
19.8 billion cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33


Natural gas - consumption:
56.2 billion cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14


Natural gas - exports:
2.6 billion cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41


Natural gas - imports:
44.8 billion cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12


Natural gas - proved reserves:
1.104 trillion cu m (1 January 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 25


Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
304.4 million Mt (2011 est.)

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
12.182 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 19


Telephones - mobile cellular:
59.344 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 22


Telephone system:
general assessment:Ukraine's telecommunication development plan emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines, international connections, and the mobile-cellular system
domestic:at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair; more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be satisfied; telephone density is rising and the domestic trunk system is being improved; about one-third of Ukraine's networks are digital and a majority of regional centers now have digital switching stations; improvements in local networks and local exchanges continue to lag; the mobile-cellular telephone system's expansion has slowed, largely due to saturation of the market which has reached 125 mobile phones per 100 people
international:country code - 380; 2 new domestic trunk lines are a part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and 3 Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic Trans-European Lines (TEL) project that connects 18 countries; additional international service is provided by the Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and by an unknown number of earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems (2010)



    Broadcast media:
Ukraine's state-controlled nationwide TV broadcast channel (UT1) and a number of privately owned TV networks provide basic TV coverage; multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are available; Russian television broadcasts have a small audience nationwide, but larger audiences in the eastern and southern regions; Ukraine's radio broadcast market, a mix of independent and state-owned networks, is comprised of some 300 stations (2007)


Internet country code:
.ua


Internet hosts:
2.173 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 37


Internet users:
7.77 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 38

Transportation

Airports
187 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 31


Airports - with paved runways
total:108
over 3,047 m:13
2,438 to 3,047 m:42
1,524 to 2,437 m:22
914 to 1,523 m:3
under 914 m:28 (2013)


Airports - with unpaved runways
total:79
1,524 to 2,437 m:5
914 to 1,523 m:5
under 914 m:
69 (2013)


Heliports
9 (2013)


Pipelines
gas 36,720 km; oil 4,514 km; refined products 4,363 km (2013)


Railways
total:21,619 kmcountry comparison to the world: 12
broad gauge:21,619 km 1.524-m gauge (10,242 km electrified) (2012)


    Roadways
total:169,694 kmcountry comparison to the world: 29
paved:166,095 km (includes 17 km of expressways)
unpaved:3,599 km (2012)


Waterways
1,672 km (most on Dnieper River) (2012)
country comparison to the world: 47


Merchant marine
total:134country comparison to the world: 43
by type:bulk carrier 3, cargo 98, chemical tanker 1, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 8, refrigerated cargo 11, specialized tanker 2
registered in other countries:172 (Belize 6, Cambodia 35, Comoros 10, Cyprus 3, Dominica 1, Georgia 10, Liberia 10, Malta 29, Marshall Islands 1, Moldova 14, Mongolia 1, Panama 8, Russia 12, Saint Kitts and Nevis 8, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 12, Sierra Leone 5, Slovakia 2, unknown 5) (2010)



Ports and terminals
major seaport(s):Feodosiya (Theodosia), Illichivsk, Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Yuzhnyy

Military

Military branches
Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air Forces (2013)


Military service age and obligation
18-25 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation is 12 months for Army and Air Force, 18 months for Navy (2012)


Manpower available for military service
males age 16-49:10,984,394
females age 16-49:11.26 million (2010 est.)


Manpower fit for military service
males age 16-49:6,893,551
females age 16-49:8,792,504 (2010 est.)


    Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
male:246,397
female:234,916 (2010 est.)


Military expenditures
2.77% of GDP (2012)
country comparison to the world: 27
2.4% of GDP (2011)
2.77% of GDP (2010)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international
1997 boundary delimitation treaty with Belarus remains unratified due to unresolved financial claims, stalling demarcation and reducing border security; delimitation of land boundary with Russia is complete with preparations for demarcation underway; the dispute over the boundary between Russia and Ukraine through the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov is suspended due to the occupation of Crimea by Russia; Moldova and Ukraine operate joint customs posts to monitor transit of people and commodities through Moldova's break-away Transnistria Region, which remains under the auspices of an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe-mandated peacekeeping mission comprised of Moldovan, Transnistrian, Russian, and Ukrainian troops; the ICJ ruled largely in favor of Romania in its dispute submitted in 2004 over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy/Serpilor (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary delimitation; Romania opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea


    Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs:10,000 (separatist violence in Crimea and eastern Ukraine) (2014)
stateless persons:35,000 (2012); note - citizens of the former USSR who were permanently resident in Ukraine were granted citizenship upon Ukraine's independence in 1991, but some missed this window of opportunity; people arriving after 1991, Crimean Tatars, ethnic Koreans, people with expired Soviet passports, and people with no documents have difficulty acquiring Ukrainian citizenship; following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, thousands of Crimean Tatars and their descendants deported from Ukraine under the STALIN regime returned to their homeland, some being stateless and others holding the citizenship of Uzbekistan or other former Soviet republics; a 1998 bilateral agreement between Ukraine and Uzbekistan simplified the process of renouncing Uzbek citizenship and obtaining Ukrainian citizenship



Trafficking in persons



Illicit drugs
limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; some synthetic drug production for export to the West; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Africa, Latin America, and Turkey to Europe and Russia; Ukraine has improved anti-money-laundering controls, resulting in its removal from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and Territories List in February 2004; Ukraine's anti-money-laundering regime continues to be monitored by FATF
 Information/ Data by CIA - The World Factbook