The actual population of the region, according to the All-Ukrainian Population Census ‘2001 data, accounted for 1,630.1 thousand people.

The urban population, according to the All-Ukrainian Population Census data, accounted for 956.8 thousand people, or 58.7%, and that of the rural population 673.3 thousand people, or 41.3%.

According to the All-Ukrainian Population Census '2001 data the number of men accounted for 747.4 thousand people, or 45.8%, that of women – 882.7 thousand people, or 54.2%.

The number of towns situated on the territory of region is equal to 15. Among their total number - 5 towns with the regional status numbered more than 40,000 inhabitants and 10 towns with district subordination.

The number of the permanent population of the region as of 5 December 2001 accounted for 1,621.2 thousand people, including the urban population – 944.3 thousand people, or 58.2%, the rural population - 676 9 thousand people, or 41.8%, the number of men – 742.2 thousand people, or 45.8%, that of women – 879.0 thousand people, or 54.2%.

Some changes have taken place in the age structure of the population. The diminution of the part of children simultaneously with the significant increase in the part of persons at the age older than able-to-work considerably complicates present demographic situation in the region 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 '2001 data, the representatives of more than 100 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 1,481.1 thousand people, or 91.4% of the total population.

The language structure of the region, is characterized by the following data: the part of those whose mother tongue is Ukrainian totals 90.0% of the population of the region, this is by 4.1 percentage points more than in 1989. The part of those whose mother tongue is Russian totals 9.5% of the population, comparatively with the data of the previous census this index has decreased by 3.7 percentage points.

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 973.1 thousand people, what exceeded by 18.8% 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 750.6 thousand people.