The total number of the actual population of the region, according to the All-Ukrainian Population Census ‘2001 data, accounted for 1,133.1 thousand people.

The urban population, according to the All-Ukrainian Population Census data, accounted for 682 thousand people, or 60.2%, and that of the rural population – 451.1 thousand people, or 39.8%.

According to the All-Ukrainian Population Census ‘2001 data, the number of men accounted for 520.8 thousand people, or 46%, that of women – 612.3 thousand people, or 54%.

The permanent population of the region as of 5 December 2001 accounted for 1,125.7 thousand people, including men – 516.6 thousand people, or 45.9%, that of women – 609.1 thousand people, or 54.1%, the urban population – 675.2 thousand people, or 60%, the rural population – 450.5 thousand people, or 40%.

The age structure of the population, stated by the All-Ukrainian Population Census, is characterized by the following data: the decrease in the part of children in total population simultaneously with the increase in the part of the persons at the older than able-to-work age, that considerably complicates present demographic situation and leads to the growing ageing of the population.

The peculiarity of the national structure of the population of the region is its multinational composition. According to the All-Ukrainian Population Census data, the representatives of more than 98 nationalities and ethnic groups lived on the territory of the region. The part of Ukrainians in the national structure of the population of the region was the largest, their number totaled 1,014.6 thousand people, or 90.1% of the total population.

The language structure of the region, according to the All-Ukrainian Population Census ‘2001 data, is characterized by the following data: the part of those whose mother tongue was Ukrainian totaled 88.9, the Russian - 10.0% of the population.

The All-Ukrainian Population Census ‘2001 results testified to the tendency to the rise of the educational standard of the population and the increase in the number of people with higher and complete secondary education. The number of people with higher and complete secondary education amounted to 670.6 thousand people, what exceeded by 17.3% the corresponding characteristic of the population census ‘1989.

According All-Ukrainian Population Census ‘2001 data the number of married men and women accounts for 574 thousand people.