Almost three thousand fewer kindergartens: the number of preschools in Ukraine is rapidly decreasing

Fewer kindergartens, fewer children: what's happening to preschool education in Ukraine

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24 May 2026

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As of May 2026 there are 11.6 thousand preschool education institutions operating in Ukraine. This is almost 1.3 times fewer than in 2015. At the same time, the number of children attending kindergartens has fallen by almost half over 10 years. These data were published by the outlet “Slovo i dilo” based on information from the State Statistics Service and the Institute of Educational Analytics.

2015–2019: the number of kindergartens in Ukraine remained roughly at the same level — 14.8–14.9 thousand. This figure included nursery-kindergartens, family, combined, special and sanatorium types, as well as educational complexes for preschool-aged children. Despite the stable number of institutions, there were not enough places for everyone. About 1.3 million children attended kindergartens, and for 100 places there were from 105 to 114 children.
2020–2021: during the coronavirus pandemic the number of operating kindergartens was at its highest — more than 15 thousand. They were attended by from 1.111 million to 1.151 million children, and the load per place decreased to 96–98 children per 100 places.
2022 — after the start of the full-scale war the situation changed sharply; 13.9 thousand kindergartens were operating in the country.
2023 — already 13.5 thousand. The number of children also fell significantly: in 2022 kindergartens were attended by 934 thousand children, in 2023 — 862 thousand.
2024 — in Ukraine 12.8 thousand kindergartens were operating, attended by 846 thousand children.
2025 — the number of institutions decreased to 11.8 thousand, and the number of children — to 743 thousand.
As of May 2026 the figure fell further — to 11.6 thousand kindergartens and 712 thousand children.

In Mykolaiv this problem also has a local dimension. It was previously reported that the city has 43 kindergartens with shelters, and the total shelter capacity in preschool institutions is about 16 thousand people. At the same time kindergartens are attended by about 7,800 children, so the city formally has spare places, but issues of safety, shelters and network optimization remain key.

For frontline Mykolaiv, the reduction of the preschool network is not just dry statistics. It concerns the return of families, parents’ employment, children’s safety and whether the city will be able after the war to preserve normal life in neighborhoods, in particular in the Korablevnyi District.

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