Administrative divisions of Ukraine

The administrative divisions of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Адміністративний устрій України, romanized: Administratyvnyi ustrii Ukrainy) are under the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Constitution. Ukraine is a unitary state with three levels of administrative divisions: 27 regions (24 oblasts, two cities with special status and one autonomous republic), 136 raions (districts) and 1469 hromadas.^[1]^[2]

The administrative reform of July 2020 merged most of the 490 legacy raions and 118 pre-2020 cities of regional significance into 136 reorganized raions, or districts of Ukraine. The next level below raions are hromadas.^[3]

Following the annexations of Crimea and southeastern Ukraine by the Russian Federation, Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol as well as portions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts came under the de facto administration of the Russian Federation. Internationally, most states have not recognized the Russian claims.^[4]

Overview

According to Article 133 of the Constitution of Ukraine as amended, the system of administrative and territorial organization of Ukraine consists of:

the Autonomous Republic of Crimea
oblasts
raions
populated places (cities, rural settlements, villages)
urban districts
hromadas (communities)^[5]

In an administrative reform in 2020, all populated places in the country (except for two cities with special status, Kyiv and Sevastopol) were resubordinated to raions.^[6] The new figure of 136 raions includes 10 in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol; since September 2023, the Crimean raions are functional.^[7]

Administrative divisions of Ukraine
Level of subdivision	Territory	Total
First	autonomous republic	1
	cities with special status	2
	oblasts (regions)	24
Second	raions (districts)	136
Third	hromadas (territorial communities)	1469

First level

There are three types of first-level administrative divisions: 24 oblasts (regions), 1 autonomous republic and 2 cities with special status.

Colour	Description
24 oblasts	An oblast in Ukraine, sometimes translated as region or province, is the main type of first-level administrative division of the country. Ukraine is a unitary state, thus the oblasts do not have much legal scope of competence other than that which is established in the Ukrainian Constitution and by law. Articles 140–146 of Chapter XI of the constitution deal directly with local authorities and their competency.
1 autonomous republic	The administrative status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea is recognized in the Ukrainian Constitution in Chapter X: Autonomous Republic of Crimea and is governed in accordance with laws passed by Ukraine's parliament. In 2014, the autonomous republic was illegally annexed by Russia as the Republic of Crimea.^[8]
2 cities with special status	There are two cities with special status: Kyiv and Sevastopol (occupied since 2014). Their administrative status is recognized in the Ukrainian Constitution in Chapter IX: Territorial Structure of Ukraine.^[9] Unlike the oblasts and the autonomous republic, the cities with special status only have urban districts and are not subdivided into hromadas.

List

No.	Name	Area (km²)	Population (2021 estimate)	Population density (people/km², 2021)	Capital	No. of raions	No. of hromadas
1	Autonomous Republic of Crimea	26,081	1,967,259	75.43	Simferopol	10	—
2	Vinnytsia Oblast	26,513	1,529,123	57.67	Vinnytsia	6	63
3	Volyn Oblast	20,144	1,027,397	51.00	Lutsk	4	54
4	Dnipropetrovsk Oblast	31,974	3,142,035	98.27	Dnipro	7	86
5	Donetsk Oblast	26,517	4,100,280	154.63	Donetsk (de jure) Kramatorsk (de facto)	8	66
6	Zhytomyr Oblast	29,832	1,195,495	40.07	Zhytomyr	4	65
7	Zakarpattia Oblast	12,777	1,250,129	97.84	Uzhhorod	6	64
8	Zaporizhzhia Oblast	27,180	1,666,515	61.31	Zaporizhzhia	5	67
9	Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast	13,928	1,361,109	97.72	Ivano-Frankivsk	6	62
10	Kyiv Oblast	28,131	1,788,530	63.58	Kyiv	7	69
11	Kirovohrad Oblast	24,588	920,128	37.42	Kropyvnytskyi	4	49
12	Luhansk Oblast	26,684	2,121,322	79.50	Luhansk (de jure) Sievierodonetsk (de facto, 2014–2022)	8	37
13	Lviv Oblast	21,833	2,497,750	114.40	Lviv	7	73
14	Mykolaiv Oblast	24,598	1,108,394	45.06	Mykolaiv	4	52
15	Odesa Oblast	33,310	2,368,107	71.09	Odesa	7	91
16	Poltava Oblast	28,748	1,371,529	47.71	Poltava	4	60
17	Rivne Oblast	20,047	1,148,456	57.29	Rivne	4	64
18	Sumy Oblast	23,834	1,053,452	44.20	Sumy	5	51
19	Ternopil Oblast	13,823	1,030,562	74.55	Ternopil	3	55
20	Kharkiv Oblast	31,415	2,633,834	83.84	Kharkiv	7	56
21	Kherson Oblast	28,461	1,016,707	35.72	Kherson	5	49
22	Khmelnytskyi Oblast	20,645	1,243,787	60.25	Khmelnytskyi	3	60
23	Cherkasy Oblast	20,900	1,178,266	56.38	Cherkasy	4	66
24	Chernivtsi Oblast	8,097	896,566	110.73	Chernivtsi	3	52
25	Chernihiv Oblast	31,865	976,701	30.65	Chernihiv	5	57
26	Kyiv	839	2,962,180	3530.61	Kyiv	10	—
27	Sevastopol	864	385,870	446.61	Sevastopol	4	—

Autonomous republic

The Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Ukrainian: Автономна Республіка Крим) geographically encompasses the major portion of the Crimean peninsula in southern Ukraine. Its capital is Simferopol. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea is the only region within Ukraine that has its own constitution.

On 16 March 2014, after the occupation of Crimea by the Russian military, a referendum on joining the Russian Federation was held. A majority of votes supported the measure. On 21 March 2014, the Russian Duma voted to annex Crimea as a subject into the Russian Federation. The Ukrainian government does not recognize the referendum or annexation of Crimea as legitimate. On 27 March, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 68/262 by 100 to 11 votes, recognizing the referendum as invalid and denying any legal change in the status of Crimea and Sevastopol.

Oblasts

An oblast (Ukrainian: область; pl. області) is on the first level of the administrative division of Ukraine.

Most oblasts are named after their administrative center. Volyn and Zakarpattia oblasts, whose respective capitals are Lutsk and Uzhhorod, are named after the historic regions Volhynia and Transcarpathia.

Cities with special status

Two cities have special status (Ukrainian: міста зі спеціальним статусом): Kyiv and Sevastopol. Their special status puts them on the same administrative level as the oblasts, and thus under the direct supervision of the state via their respective local state administrations, which constitute the executive bodies of the cities. Following the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, Sevastopol is controlled by Russia and is incorporated as a federal subject of Russia.^[10]^[11]

Second level

Raions

Raions (Ukrainian: район; pl. райони) are smaller territorial units of subdivision in Ukraine. There are 136 raions.^[12] Following the December 2019 draft constitutional changes submitted to the Verkhovna Rada by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 136 new raions have replaced the former 490 raions of Ukraine.^[13]

Urban districts

An urban district is subordinate to the city administration.^[14]

Third level

Hromadas

The territorial hromadas (Ukrainian: територіальна громада; lit. 'territorial community'; pl. територіальні громади), or simply hromadas (Ukrainian: громада; pl. громади) were established by the Government of Ukraine on 12 June 2020 as a part of administrative reform that started in 2015.^[15]

There are three types of hromadas: rural (Ukrainian: сільська громада), settlement (Ukrainian: селищна громада) and urban (Ukrainian: міська громада). There are 1469 hromadas in total (as of November 1, 2023).^[16]

History

Cossack Hetmanate

The Cossack Hetmanate was divided into military-administrative districts known as regimental districts (polks) whose number fluctuated with the size of the Hetmanate's territory. In 1649, when the Hetmanate controlled both the right and left banks, it included 16 such districts. After the loss of Right-bank Ukraine, this number was reduced to ten. The regimental districts were further divided into companies (sotnias), which were administered by captains (sotnyk).^[17] The lowest division was the kurin.

Ukrainian People's Republic

According to the Constitution of the Ukrainian People's Republic, the country was divided into zemlias (lands), volosts and hromadas (communities). This law was not fully implemented as on 29 April 1918 there was the anti-socialist coup in Kyiv, after which Pavlo Skoropadskyi reverted the reform back to the governorate-type administration.^[18]

Soviet Ukraine

Before the introduction of oblasts in 1932, Soviet Ukraine comprised 40 okruhas, which had replaced the former Russian Imperial governorate subdivisions.^[19]^[20]

In 1932 the territory of the Soviet Ukraine was re-established based on oblasts. At the same time, most of the Western Ukraine at the time formed part of the Second Polish Republic and shared in the Polish form of administrative division based on voivodeships.^[21]

References

^ Regions of Ukraine and their composition Archived 2011-12-26 at the Wayback Machine. Verkhovna Rada website.
^ Paul D'Anieri, Robert Kravchuk, and Taras Kuzio (1999). Politics and society in Ukraine. Westview Press. p. 292. ISBN 0-8133-3538-8
^ LiWebRadaAdmin (22 May 2015). "Реформа територіального устрою України". Silrada.org (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 20 October 2022.
^ "Putin signs documents to illegally annex four Ukrainian regions, in drastic escalation of Russia's war". The Globe and Mail. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
^ "Конституція України | від 28.06.1996 № 254к/96-ВР (Сторінка 3 з 4)". 2 April 2019. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
^ "Офіційний портал Верховної Ради України". static.rada.gov.ua. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
^ "Про внесення змін до деяких законодавчих актів України щодо вирішення окремих питань адміністративно-територіального устрою Автономної Республіки Крим". Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України (in Ukrainian). 23 August 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
^ Gutterman, Steve; Polityuk, Pavel (18 March 2014). "Putin signs Crimea treaty as Ukraine serviceman dies in attack". Reuters. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
^ "Конституція України". Законодавство України (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
^ "About the capital of Ukraine – the hero city of Kyiv (Vidomosti Verkhovnoi Rady Ukrainy (VVR), 1999, № 11, p. 79)". GOV.UA. Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
^ "Russia's annexation of Crimea". Kyiv Independent. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
^ "The council reduced the number of districts in Ukraine: 136 instead of 490". Ukrainska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 17 July 2020.
^ "Zelensky's decentralization: without features of Donbas, but with districts and prefects". BBC Ukrainian (in Ukrainian). 16 December 2019.
^ "Конституція України". Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 3 May 2023.
^ Автор. "Те, чого ніколи не було в Україні: Уряд затвердив адмінтерустрій базового рівня, що забезпечить повсюдність місцевого самоврядування". decentralization.gov.ua. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
^ Автор. "Децентралізація в Україні". decentralization.gov.ua. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
^ Magocsi, Paul Robert (2010). "The Cossack State, 1648–1711". History of Ukraine: The Land and Its Peoples (2nd ed.). Toronto: U of Toronto. p. 235. ISBN 978-1442610217. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
^ "Конституція Української Народньої Республіки (Статут про державний устрій, права і вільності УНР)". Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 13 November 2023.
^ "Адміністративно-територіальний устрій України". ВУЕ (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 7 May 2023.
^ "Збірник законів та розпоряджень робітничо-селянського уряду України (1935–1936)". 17 January 2020. Archived from the original on 17 January 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
^ "Ustawa Konstytucyjna z dnia 15 lipca 1920 r. zawierająca statut organiczny Województwa Śląskiego". isap.sejm.gov.pl. Retrieved 5 May 2023.

External links

"Regions of Ukraine and their composition". Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 26 December 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
"Ukraine Raions". Statoids. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
"Ukrainian cities and regions in alphabetical order". UkraineTrek. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
"Administrative territorial composition of Ukraine" (PDF). Ministry of Regional Development, Construction, and Communal Living. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 August 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2015.

[1] Regions of Ukraine and their composition Archived 2011-12-26 at the Wayback Machine. Verkhovna Rada website.

[2] Paul D'Anieri, Robert Kravchuk, and Taras Kuzio (1999). Politics and society in Ukraine. Westview Press. p. 292. ISBN 0-8133-3538-8

[3] LiWebRadaAdmin (22 May 2015). "Реформа територіального устрою України". Silrada.org (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 20 October 2022.

[4] "Putin signs documents to illegally annex four Ukrainian regions, in drastic escalation of Russia's war". The Globe and Mail. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2023.

[5] "Конституція України | від 28.06.1996 № 254к/96-ВР (Сторінка 3 з 4)". 2 April 2019. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2023.

[6] "Офіційний портал Верховної Ради України". static.rada.gov.ua. Retrieved 12 December 2020.

[7] "Про внесення змін до деяких законодавчих актів України щодо вирішення окремих питань адміністративно-територіального устрою Автономної Республіки Крим". Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України (in Ukrainian). 23 August 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2024.

[8] Gutterman, Steve; Polityuk, Pavel (18 March 2014). "Putin signs Crimea treaty as Ukraine serviceman dies in attack". Reuters. Retrieved 18 June 2023.

[9] "Конституція України". Законодавство України (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2023.

[10] "About the capital of Ukraine – the hero city of Kyiv (Vidomosti Verkhovnoi Rady Ukrainy (VVR), 1999, № 11, p. 79)". GOV.UA. Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Retrieved 4 October 2021.

[11] "Russia's annexation of Crimea". Kyiv Independent. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2023.

[12] "The council reduced the number of districts in Ukraine: 136 instead of 490". Ukrainska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 17 July 2020.

[50808046decentralizationAdU-13] "Zelensky's decentralization: without features of Donbas, but with districts and prefects". BBC Ukrainian (in Ukrainian). 16 December 2019.

[14] "Конституція України". Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 3 May 2023.

[15] Автор. "Те, чого ніколи не було в Україні: Уряд затвердив адмінтерустрій базового рівня, що забезпечить повсюдність місцевого самоврядування". decentralization.gov.ua. Retrieved 20 October 2022.

[16] Автор. "Децентралізація в Україні". decentralization.gov.ua. Retrieved 3 May 2023.

[17] Magocsi, Paul Robert (2010). "The Cossack State, 1648–1711". History of Ukraine: The Land and Its Peoples (2nd ed.). Toronto: U of Toronto. p. 235. ISBN 978-1442610217. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.

[18] "Конституція Української Народньої Республіки (Статут про державний устрій, права і вільності УНР)". Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 13 November 2023.

[19] "Адміністративно-територіальний устрій України". ВУЕ (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 7 May 2023.

[20] "Збірник законів та розпоряджень робітничо-селянського уряду України (1935–1936)". 17 January 2020. Archived from the original on 17 January 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2023.

[21] "Ustawa Konstytucyjna z dnia 15 lipca 1920 r. zawierająca statut organiczny Województwa Śląskiego". isap.sejm.gov.pl. Retrieved 5 May 2023.

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v t e Administrative divisions of Ukraine
Capital: Kyiv
Oblasts	Cherkasy Chernihiv Chernivtsi Dnipropetrovsk Donetsk² Ivano-Frankivsk Kharkiv⁴ Kherson² Khmelnytskyi Kirovohrad Kyiv Luhansk² Lviv Mykolaiv³ Odesa Poltava Rivne Sumy Ternopil Vinnytsia Volyn Zakarpattia Zaporizhzhia² Zhytomyr
Cities with special status	Kyiv Sevastopol¹
Autonomous republic	Crimea¹
Administrative centers	Cherkasy Chernihiv Chernivtsi Dnipro Donetsk² (Kramatorsk) Ivano-Frankivsk Kharkiv Kherson Khmelnytskyi Kropyvnytskyi Kyiv Luhansk² (Sievierodonetsk²) Lutsk Lviv Mykolaiv Odesa Poltava Rivne Sevastopol¹ Simferopol¹ Sumy Ternopil Uzhhorod Vinnytsia Zaporizhzhia Zhytomyr
¹Claimed and controlled by Russia as the Republic of Crimea and the Federal City of Sevastopol ²Claimed and partially controlled by Russia as the Republics Donetsk People's Republic, Lugansk People's Republic and Zaporozhye and Kherson oblasts ³ Partially claimed and partially controlled by Russia as a part of Kherson oblast ⁴Partially controlled by Russia, but not claimed as its part.

v t e Administrative divisions of Ukraine's regions
Oblasts	Cherkasy Chernihiv Chernivtsi Dnipropetrovsk Donetsk Ivano-Frankivsk Kharkiv Kherson Khmelnytskyi Kirovohrad Kyiv Luhansk Lviv Mykolaiv Odesa Poltava Rivne Sumy Ternopil Vinnytsia Volyn Zakarpattia Zaporizhzhia Zhytomyr
Autonomous republic	Crimea¹
Cities with special status	Kyiv Sevastopol¹
¹Claimed and controlled by Russia as the Republic of Crimea and the Federal City of Sevastopol

v t e First-level administrative divisions in European countries
Sovereign states	Albania Andorra Armenia² Austria Azerbaijan¹ Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus² Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia¹ Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan¹ Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia¹ San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey¹ Ukraine United Kingdom
States with limited recognition	Abkhazia² Kosovo Northern Cyprus² South Ossetia² Transnistria
Table of administrative divisions by country ¹ Spans the conventional boundary between Europe and another continent. ² Considered European for cultural, political and historical reasons but is geographically in Western Asia.