Demographics
The population of Donetsk Oblast is 4.7 million (as of 2004), which constitutes 10% of the overall Ukrainian population, making it the most populous and most densely populated region of the country. Its large population is due to the presence of several big industrial cities and numerous villages agglomerated around them (see urbanization).
During the 2004 presidential election, political supporters of Viktor Yanukovych threatened to demand autonomy for Donetsk and neighbouring oblasts if the election of their candidate was not recognised. However, no official moves were ever made.
As of the Ukrainian National Census, 2001, the ethnic groups within the Donetsk Oblast are: Ukrainians — 2,744,100 (56.9%), Russians — 1,844,400 (38.2%), Greeks – 77,500 (1.6%), Belarusians — 44,500 (0.9%), others (2.3%).
As of 2001, the languages spoken within the oblast' are: Russian — 74.9%, Ukrainian — 24.1%.
| Year | Fertility | Birth | Year | Fertility | Birth | Year | Fertility | Birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1,6 | 58 050 | 2000 | 0,9 | 30 042 | 2010 | 1,2 | 41 258 |
| 1991 | 1,5 | 54 466 | 2001 | 0,9 | 29 931 | 2011 | 1,3 | 41 720 |
| 1992 | 1,4 | 50 258 | 2002 | 0,9 | 31 216 | |||
| 1993 | 1,3 | 46 344 | 2003 | 0,9 | 33 433 | |||
| 1994 | 1,2 | 43 195 | 2004 | 1,0 | 35 526 | |||
| 1995 | 1,1 | 38 808 | 2005 | 1,0 | 35 883 | |||
| 1996 | 1,1 | 36 349 | 2006 | 1,1 | 39 327 | |||
| 1997 | 1,0 | 34 347 | 2007 | 1,2 | 40 560 | |||
| 1998 | 1,0 | 33 518 | 2008 | 1,3 | 44 394 | |||
| 1999 | 0,9 | 30 503 | 2009 | 1,3 | 43 373 |
Read more about this topic: Donetsk Oblast