This was reported on Friday by "Interfax-Ukraine" with reference to the State Statistics Committee.

According to its data, as of November 1, 46,988,212 people lived in Ukraine. At the same time, the urban population was 31,890,922 people, the rural population - 15,097,290.

As reported, according to data as of October 1, the population was 47,015,251 people (urban - 31,888,897 people, rural - 15,126,354). As of September 1, 2005, 47.03 million people lived in the country.

The natural population growth for January-October 2005 in Ukraine remains negative.

353,813 people were born in the country, 649,076 people died, and 3,546 of them were children under the age of 1 year.

The overall birth rate per 1 thousand of population was 9.0 (unchanged over the month), death rate - 16.5 (previously - 16.6), children who died under the age of 1 year - 10.1 (10.0) per one thousand.

There were more marriages in Ukraine in January-October than divorces - 281,600 and 148,500 respectively. The overall marriage rate is 7.2 per 1 thousand of population (previously 6.9), divorces - 3.8 (unchanged).

External migration in Ukraine was positive. In the first 10 months of 2005, 31,752 people arrived in Ukraine, 29,094 people left the country.

According to the latest population census of Ukraine, conducted on December 5, 2001, 48,457,100 people lived in the country.

According to State Statistics Committee data, at the end of 1990, 51.94 million people lived in Ukraine, 1991 - 52.06 million, 1992 - 52.24 million.

Then the decline began: 1993 - 52.11 million, 1994 - 51.73 million, 1995 - 51.3 million, 1996 - 50.82 million, 1997 - 50.37 million, 1998 - 49.92 million, 1999 - 49.43 million, 2000 - 48.92 million, 2001 - 48.46 million people.

After the census, in 2002 the statistics cited data on slightly more than 48 million people of population, in 2003 - 47.62 million, at the end of 2004 - 47.28 million.

Birth rates declined over 14 years, death rates increased.

According to forecasts published in October by the Institute of Demography and Social Studies of the National Academy of Sciences, by 2050 the population of Ukraine may shrink to 35 million people.