Language

In the 2001 census, the distribution of the population as a whole according to declared native language was as follows: Ukrainian – 67.5%, Russian – 29.6%, other languages – 2.9%. The corresponding figures in the 1989 census were 64.7%, 32.8% and 2.5%, indicating a small shift in the 1990s from Russian towards Ukrainian and other languages.

The proportion of Ukrainians who declared Ukrainian to be their native language in the 2001 census was 85.2% (87.7% in 1989). Other ethnic groups with significant numbers of people declaring Ukrainian to be their native language were Poles (71.0%), Germans (22.1%), Roma (21.1%), Belarusians (17.5%) and Jews (13.4%).

Official language policies in the Russian Empire and subsequently the Soviet Union were aimed at the promotion of Russian at the expense of Ukrainian and other non-Russian languages. A new language law adopted in 1989 established Ukrainian as the official language of Ukraine. Although the law has not been fully enforced in all respects, since its adoption Ukrainian has been gradually gaining a higher profile in various spheres, including government and education.