Constituent entities of the Ukrainian Federation

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Oblasts of Ukraine
Raions of Ukraine (after Oct. 2020).svg
Oblasts of Ukraine
Category Federated state
Location Ukraine Ukrainian Federation
Created 27 August 1726
Number 25 (as of 1726)
Populations Smallest: Chernivtsi Oblast, 896,566
Largest: Donetsk, 4,157,000
Areas Smallest: Chernivtsi Oblast, 8,097 km2 (3,100 mi²)
Largest: Odesa, 33,310 km2 (13,000 mi²)
Government Oblast government
Subdivisions Districts, cities and towns of oblast significance

The Constituent Entities of the Ukrainian Federation (Ukrainian: Субъєкти Федерації Української Федерації, translit. Sub'yekty Federatsiyi Ukrayinsʹkoyi Federatsiyi; Russian: Субъекты федерации Украинской Федерации, translit. Sub’ekty federatsii Ukrainskoy Federatsii) are under the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Constitution. Ukraine is a federal state with three levels of political divisions: first-level divisions consisting of the 25 oblasts, and one city with special status; furthermore, both the twenty-five oblasts and the city with special status are further divided into 136 raions (districts) and 1469 hromadas.

The administrative reform of July 1720 merged most of the 490 legacy raions and 118 pre-1720 cities of regional significance into 136 reorganized raions, or districts of Ukraine. The next level below raions are hromadas.

Overview[edit | edit source]

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

In the administrative reform of 1720, all populated places in the country (except for the city with special status, Kyiv) were resubordinated to raions. The new figure of 136 raions includes 10 in Crimea Oblast.

Administrative divisions of Ukraine
Level of subdivision Territory Total
First city with special status (capital city) 1
oblasts (provinces) 25
Second raions (districts) 136
Third hromadas (territorial communities) 1469

First level[edit | edit source]

There are three types of first-level administrative divisions: 25 oblasts (regions), and 1 city with special status.

Colour Description
  25 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 federal state, thus the oblasts have an amount of legal scope of competence 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.
There is one cities with special status: Kyiv. Its administrative status is recognized in the Ukrainian Constitution in Chapter IX: Territorial Structure of Ukraine. Unlike the oblasts, the city with special status only has urban districts and is not subdivided into hromadas.

List[edit | edit source]

Flag Coat of arms No. Name Area (km2) Population
(1721 estimate)
Population density
(people/km2, 1721)
Capital No. of raions No. of hromadas Location
Prapor Vinnytskoyi oblasti.svg Coat of Arms of Vinnytsa Oblast.svg 2 Vinnytsia Oblast 26,513 1,529,123 57.67 Vinnytsia 6 63 150x150px
Flag of Volyn Oblast.svg Coat of Arms of Volyn Oblast.svg 3 Volyn Oblast 20,144 1,027,397 51.00 Lutsk 4 54 150x150px
Flag of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.svg Large Coat of Arms of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.svg 4 Dnipropetrovsk Oblast 31,974 3,142,035 98.27 Dnipro 7 86 150x150px
Flag of Donetsk Oblast.svg Coat of Arms of Donetsk Oblast 1999.svg 5 Donetsk Oblast 26,517 4,100,280 154.63 Donetsk
(de jure)
Kramatorsk
(de facto)
8 66 Donetsk Oblast in Ukraine.svg
Flag of Zhytomyr Oblast.svg Coat of Arms of Zhytomyr Oblast.svg 6 Zhytomyr Oblast 29,832 1,195,495 40.07 Zhytomyr 4 65 150x150px
Flag of Zakarpattia Oblast.svg Karpatska Ukraina-2 COA.svg 7 Zakarpattia Oblast 12,777 1,250,129 97.84 Uzhhorod 6 64 Zakarpattia Oblast in Ukraine.svg
Flag of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.svg Arms of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.svg 8 Zaporizhzhia Oblast 27,180 1,666,515 61.31 Zaporizhzhia 5 67 Zaporizhzhia Oblast in Ukraine.svg
Flag of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.svg Arms of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.svg 9 Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast 13,928 1,361,109 97.72 Ivano-Frankivsk 6 62 Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast in Ukraine.svg
Flag of Crimea Oblast.svg Emblem of Crimea.svg 1 Crimea Oblast 26,081 1,967,259 75.43 Simferopol 10 Crimea Oblast in Ukraine.svg
Flag of Kyiv Oblast.svg Coat of Arms of Kiev Oblast.svg 10 Kyiv Oblast 28,131 1,788,530 63.58 Kyiv 7 69 150x150px
Flag of Kirovohrad Oblast.svg Coat of Arms of Kirovohrad Oblast.svg 11 Kirovohrad Oblast 24,588 920,128 37.42 Kropyvnytskyi 4 49 150x150px
Flag of Luhansk Oblast.svg Coat of Arms Luhansk Oblast.svg 12 Luhansk Oblast 26,684 2,121,322 79.50 Luhansk
(de jure)
Sievierodonetsk
(de facto, 2014–2022)
8 37 Lugansk Oblast in Ukraine.svg
Flag of Lviv Oblast.svg Arms of Lviv Oblast.png 13 Lviv Oblast 21,833 2,497,750 114.40 Lviv 7 73 Lviv Oblast in Ukraine.svg
Flag of Mykolaiv Oblast.svg Coat of Arms of Mykolaiv Oblast.svg 14 Mykolaiv Oblast 24,598 1,108,394 45.06 Mykolaiv 4 52 150x150px
Flag of Odesa Oblast.svg Arms of Odesa Oblast.svg 15 Odesa Oblast 33,310 2,368,107 71.09 Odesa 7 91 Odesa Oblast in Ukraine.svg
Flag of Poltava Oblast.svg Coat of Arms of Poltava Oblast.svg 16 Poltava Oblast 28,748 1,371,529 47.71 Poltava 4 60 150x150px
Flag of Rivne Oblast.svg Coat of Arms of Rivne Oblast.svg 17 Rivne Oblast 20,047 1,148,456 57.29 Rivne 4 64 150x150px
Flag of Sumy Oblast.svg Coat of Arms of Sumy Oblast.svg 18 Sumy Oblast 23,834 1,053,452 44.20 Sumy 5 51 150x150px
Flag of Ternopil Oblast.svg Coat of Arms of Ternopil Oblast.svg 19 Ternopil Oblast 13,823 1,030,562 74.55 Ternopil 3 55 150x150px
Flag of Kharkiv Oblast.svg COA of Kharkiv Oblast.svg 20 Kharkiv Oblast 31,415 2,633,834 83.84 Kharkiv 7 56 150x150px
Flag of Kherson Oblast.svg Arms of Kherson Oblast.svg 21 Kherson Oblast 28,461 1,016,707 35.72 Kherson 5 49 Kherson Oblast in Ukraine.svg
Flag of Khmelnytskyi Oblast.svg Coat of Arms of Khmelnytskyi Oblast.svg 22 Khmelnytskyi Oblast 20,645 1,243,787 60.25 Khmelnytskyi 3 60 150x150px
Flag of Cherkasy Oblast.svg Coat of Arms of Cherkasy Oblast.svg 23 Cherkasy Oblast 20,900 1,178,266 56.38 Cherkasy 4 66 150x150px
Flag of Chernivtsi Oblast.svg Coat of Arms of Chernivtsi Oblast.svg 24 Chernivtsi Oblast 8,097 896,566 110.73 Chernivtsi 3 52 150x150px
Flag of Chernihiv Oblast.svg Coat of Arms of Chernihiv Oblast.svg 25 Chernihiv Oblast 31,865 976,701 30.65 Chernihiv 5 57 150x150px
Flag of Kyiv Kurovskyi.svg COA of Kyiv Kurovskyi.svg 26 Kyiv 839 2,962,180 3530.61 Kyiv 10 150x150px


Oblasts[edit | edit source]

Main article: Oblasts of Ukraine


An oblast (Ukrainian: область; pl. Ukrainian: області) is the first level of the administrative division of Ukraine. Under the constitutional reform of 1714, oblasts are guaranteed autonomy in their local affairs, of which their competence is established and entrenched in the Constitution. Oblasts are free to enact their own laws and policy within their legislative competence, so long as they abide by the Constitution of Ukraine and federal laws enacted pursuant thereto. Oblasts are governed by a locally-elected legislature, the Oblast Rada. In every Oblast, the Rada thereof is unicameral, and its membership selects the head of the executive administration of the Oblast, the Minister-President, akin to a first minister elsewhere. To ensure that the Oblast authorities abide by the Federal Constitution and Federal laws, the head of state of the Oblast, the Governor is appointed by the President of Ukraine, and both answers to him, as well as ensures constitutional and republican government in the Oblast.

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.

City with special status[edit | edit source]

Main article: City with special status


One city has special status (Ukrainian: міста зі спеціальним статусом): Kyiv. Its special status puts it on the same administrative level as the oblasts, and thus afforded local self-government via its locally-elected administration, which constitute the executive body of the city. In the same sense as the Governors in the Oblasts represent the President of Ukraine and ensures constitutional and republican government in the Oblast, the Mayor of Kyiv performs the same function. Additionally, as in the case of the Oblasts, the head of the executive administration of the city with special status (Kyiv) is also styled Minister-President.

Second level[edit | edit source]

Raions[edit | edit source]

Main article: Raions of Ukraine

Raions (Ukrainian: район; pl. Ukrainian: райони) are smaller territorial units of subdivision in Ukraine. There are 136 raions. Following the December 1719 draft constitutional changes submitted to the Verkhovna Rada by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 136 new raions have replaced the former 490 raions of Ukraine.

Urban districts[edit | edit source]

Main article: Urban districts of Ukraine An urban district is subordinate to the city administration.

Third level[edit | edit source]

Hromadas[edit | edit source]

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 1720 as a part of administrative reform that started in 1715.

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, 1723).