Environment
Ukraine
Climate
The climate is characterized as temperate continental, with a Mediterranean climate present solely along the southern coast of Crimea. Precipitation is unevenly distributed, being most abundant in the western and northern regions, while the eastern and southeastern areas receive less. Winters range from cool temperatures near the Black Sea to colder conditions further inland, while the majority of the country experiences warm summers, with the southern regions facing hotter temperatures.
Land use
other
10.4% (2023 est.)
forest
17.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
71.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 56.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 1.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 13% (2023 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
70.1% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
-0.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Methane emissions
other
70.9 kt (2019-2021 est.)
waste
409.2 kt (2019-2021 est.)
energy
1,003.4 kt (2022-2024 est.)
agriculture
341.6 kt (2019-2021 est.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually
15.242 million tons (2024 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled
4.5% (2022 est.)
Environmental issues
Issues include air and water pollution, degradation of land, management of solid waste, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, and radiation contamination in the northeastern region stemming from the 1986 nuclear disaster in Chornobyl.
Total water withdrawal
municipal
1.66 billion cubic meters (2022)
industrial
2.188 billion cubic meters (2022)
agricultural
1.031 billion cubic meters (2022)
Carbon dioxide emissions
total emissions
106.847 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from consumed natural gas
36.847 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke
45.512 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids
24.488 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Particulate matter emissions
15.2 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Total renewable water resources
175.28 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
International environmental agreements
party to
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified
Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds