A popular nickname for Kiev is the City of Domes, reflecting its almost 1,000 churches and cathedrals many of which have golden onion-shaped roofs.
Research website numbeo ranks Kiev in the bottom 19% compared to the 250 cities evaluated on its overall quality of life index at June 2020. Kiev scored poorly on index factors such as health care (lagging 14%), purchasing power (weakest 23%), pollution (worst 26%) and safety (lowest 39%). From the positive side, Kiev rated within the lowest 17% for cost of living.
Kiev was recognized by the Guinness World Records for the biggest silver sculpture anywhere, a sacred candelabrum with 7 branches on display at Kiev’s Jewish Community Center. The sterling silver sculpture measures 6 feet 5.5 inches wide and 8 feet 3.4 inches high while weighing 124.78 pounds (56.6 kilograms).
Historian Paul R. Magocsi writes that roughly two-thirds of Ukraine’s land area consists of black soil rich in humus called chornozem, making Ukraine one of the world’s most fertile regions. On the politically dirty side, Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2016 ranks Ukraine among the world’s 50 most corrupt nations with a score of 29 (highly corrupt) out of 100 (very clean).
Kiev is home to the country’s biggest businesses, such as national oil and gas firm Naftogaz of Ukraine and telecommunications company Kyivstar.
From an international trade perspective, Ukraine exported an estimated US$50.1 billion worth of goods in 2019. Its valuable exports include corn (10.4% of Ukraine’s global total), iron ores and concentrates (8%), sunflower, safflower or cotton-seed oil (also 8%), wheat (6.4%), semi-finished iron or non-alloy products (5.4%), flat-rolled iron or non-alloy steel (5.4%), rape or colza seeds (2.9%), insulated wire or cable (2.7%), oil cake and other residues (2.3%), ferro-alloys (2%), pig iron (1.9%), and soya beans (also 1.9%) according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Kiev, Ukraine: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Saint Sophia Cathedral, Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti), Fountain of Samson (Felitsiyal), Golden Gate and Landscape Alley
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Kiev, Ukraine.
- Milla Jovovich, actress & supermodel (born Dec. 17, 1975)
- Juicy M, DJ & producer (born May 24, 1991)
- Vadim Perelman, film director (born Sep. 8, 1963)
- Alexander Rodnyansky, writer, director & producer (born Jul. 2, 1961)
- Viktor Khryapa, NBA basketball player (born Aug. 3, 1982)
- Anna Bessonova, rhythmic gymnast medalist (born Jul. 29, 1984)
- Nastya Kamenskykh, pop singer (born May 4, 1987)
- Vladimir Kozlov, professional wrestler (born Apr. 27, 1979)
- Golda Meir, former Israel prime minister (born May 3, 1898)
- Vladimir Horowitz, classical pianist (born Oct. 1, 1903)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Kiev resident: Kievan
Population: 2,988,176 (Kiev) at August 14, 2020
Density: 9,223 people per square mile (3,562 per square kilometer)
Population: 43,701,456 (Ukraine) at August 14, 2020
Density: 196 people per square mile (75 per square kilometer)
Median age for all Ukraine: 41.2 years old
Financial
GDP: US$409.3 billion in 2019 (Ukraine)
GDP per person: $9,775
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Kiev were unavailable.
Official currency used in Kiev: Ukrainian hryvnia (or hryvnya)
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Europe: Ukraine.
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas.
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition.
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
Guinness World Records, Largest silver sculpture.
Guinness World Records, Longest dam.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.
Magocsi, Paul R. A history of Ukraine: The land and its peoples (University of Toronto Press, 2010).
Official Government Website, Kyiv City State Administration Site.
Transparency International, Corruption Perceptions Index 2016.
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Kiev.
Wikipedia, Kiev metropolitan area.
Wikipedia, Legal status and local government of Kiev.
Wikipedia, Ukraine.
WorldOMeter, Ukrained Population.
World Population Review, Kiev Population.
Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union on August 24, 1991. Ukrainians celebrate Independence Day as a public holiday each August 24.
Kiev’s land area encompasses 324 square miles (839 square kilometers), home to 3 million inhabitants at August 2020.
At the country level, Ukraine’s land area covers 223,677 square miles (579,320 square kilometers). The nation’s population count was 43.7 million residents as of August 14, 2020.
Population density is more concentrated Ukraine’s capital Kiev, averaging 9,223 Kievans per square mile (3,562 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to Ukraine’s overall land boundaries, population density drops to an average 196 inhabitants per square mile (75 per square kilometer).
