Visually more informative was the schedule of chain changes in population on 01.01 each year as a percentage of the previous year, which clearly demonstrates the wave-like «speed» of population changes from 01.01.1990 to 01.01.2020.

The first period is characterized by an increase in the population of Ukraine, adopting from 1990 to 1993 inclusive. The population increased by 405.6 thousand people from 51,838.5 thousand people in 1990 to 52,244.1 thousand people in 1993.

In the second period, from 1994 to 2001, there was a decrease in the population with increasing negative annual chain changes from 52,114.4 thousand people to 48,923.2 thousand people. During this period, the population decreased by 3,191.2 thousand people.

In the third period from 2001 to 2013, the decline continues, but this process is gradually slowing down. This is evidenced by the reduction of negative annual chain changes from –1.02 % to –0.17 %. During this period, the number of population decline amounted to 3,370.2 thousand people (48,923.2–45,533.0).

The fourth period took place from 2013 to 2019, again characterized by an increase in the chain percentage of population decline from –0.17 % to –1.14 %. That is, population decline has accelerated again. The reduction in the 2015 report was particularly noticeable due to the loss of Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. During this period, the population decreased by 3,630.6 thousand people, from 45,533.0 thousand persons to 41,902.4 thousand persons.

On the graph (Fig. 1.4, data from Table 1.2) the percentage of changes –5.5 %, which took place in 2015, was replaced by the value –0.33 %, which was obtained by the approximation procedure, so as not to disturb the visual trend of changes in chain percent.

Thus, over the period under review, the population of Ukraine decreased by 10,468.3 thousand people, from 52,056.6 thousand people in 1992 to 41,588.3 thousand people in 2020, but the decrease was not uniform, and with some wavyness, which is visible on the graph of chain changes, Fig. 1.4.