KIEV, Dec. 28 – The forecast figure for Ukraine's population as of January 1 will be 45,547,800 people, which is 42,900 people less than the average figure for the Ukrainian population in 2012, according to the State Statistics Service.

Population in towns and cities will total 31.4 million and in rural areas – 14.2 million.

The largest number of citizens will live in Donetsk region (4.4 million), Dnipropetrovsk region (3.3 million), Kiev city (2.84 million) and Kharkiv region (2.74 million).