Two-thirds of Ukrainian households consist of only one or two people
The State Statistics Service of Ukraine has published the first findings of its resumed household budget survey, conducted from December 2025 to February 2026 across 22 regions. Data shows children live in every fourth household, with the average household size recorded at 2.28 individuals. The study was restarted following a four-year hiatus caused by Russia's full-scale invasion. This is reported by the portal PromPolitInform, citing information from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine.
The State Statistics Service of Ukraine has published the main interview results of its household budget survey. Large-scale data collection was halted in 2022 due to Russian aggression, making this new study essential to establish an up-to-date data foundation for social policy and international aid.
To gather the data, statisticians sampled 11,000 households in 22 regions. The study excluded Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson regions, Crimea, Sevastopol, as well as active combat zones and territories outside government control.
Family Structure and Children
According to the findings, 45,3% of Ukrainian households consist of two people, while single-person households account for 21,2%. Rural households are slightly larger on average than urban ones, with 2,40 residents compared to 2,19 in cities.
Households with children under 18 represent 24,7% of the total. Among them, 68,1% raise one child, 27,7% have two children, and 4,2% have three or more children. Large families are more common in rural areas, making up 9,9% of households with children compared to 1,2% in urban centers.
Employment and Housing Conditions
Among households with employed members, 60,4% rely on a single working individual. Two members are employed in 34,2% of families, and three or more work in just 5,4% of households.
The statistics also highlighted inadequate living space. Around 21,8% of households fall below the sanitary standard of 13,65 square meters per person. Housing space deficits are more pronounced in urban areas at 25,8%, compared to 15,8% in rural villages.
Drinking Water Sources and EU Alignment
Access to drinking water varies substantially between regions. Centralized water systems supply 65,2% of urban households, yet 21,1% of city families use bottled water for drinking and cooking. In rural areas, 56,0% of households rely on private yard wells or pumps.
“During the years of full-scale war, the lives of Ukrainian families have changed so much that relying on pre-war data is no longer possible,” said Head of the State Statistics Service Arsen Makarchuk. He noted that the survey methodology was aligned with Eurostat standards to enable international comparison.
Expanded statistical sets will be published on the agency’s official website on November 20, 2026, alongside adjusted baseline data from 2021.
Photo: State Statistics Service of Ukraine
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