The total number of the actual population of the region, according to the All-Ukrainian Population Census ‘2001 data, accounted for 2,546.2 thousand people.

The number of the urban population, according to the All-Ukrainian Population Census, data, accounted for 2,190.8 thousand people, or 86.0%, and that of the rural population 355.4 thousand people, or 14.0%.

According to the All-Ukrainian Population Census data, the number of men accounted for 1,169.9 thousand people, or 45.9%, that of women – 1,376.3 thousand people, or 54.1%.

The information about changes in the number of townswith more than 50 thousand inhabitants is offered below:

The number of the permanent population of the region on the Census day accounted for 2,540.2 thousand people, including men – 1,167.9 thousand people, or 46%%, that of women – 1,372.3 thousand people, or 54%, the urban population – 2,183.5 thousand people, or 86%, the rural population – 356.7 thousand people, or 14%.

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 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 120 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 – 1,472.4 thousand people, or 58% 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 is Ukrainian totals 30.0% of the population of the region, this is by 4.9 percentage points less than in 1989. The part of those whose mother tongue is Russian totals 68.8% of the population, comparatively with the data of the previous census this index has decreased by 4.9 percentage points. The part of other languages, specified like mother tongue have stayed constant since previous census and totaled 0.03%.

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 1,568.2 thousand people, what exceeded by 12.7% the corresponding characteristic of the population census ‘1989.

According to the All-Ukrainian Population Census ‘2001 data the number of married men and women, accounts for 1,233.1 thousand people.