The economy of Ukraine is an emerging, lower-middle income, mixed economy located in Eastern Europe. It grew rapidly from 2000 until 2008 when the Great Recession began worldwide and reached Ukraine. The economy recovered in 2010 and continued improving until 2013. From 2014 to 2015, the Ukrainian economy suffered a severe downturn, with GDP in 2015 being slightly above half of its value in 2013. In 2016, the economy again started to grow. By 2018, the Ukrainian economy was growing rapidly, and reached almost 80% of its size in 2008.
Kyiv, the financial capital of Ukraine
A Zenit-2, produced by the former Yuzhmash, Ukrainian rocket manufacturer
A BM Oplot, produced by KMDB
A LAZ-5208DL built by Lviv Bus Factory
Corruption is an issue in Ukrainian society going back to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. After declaring independence from the Soviet Union, Ukraine faced a series of politicians from different sides of the political spectrum, as well as criminal bosses and oligarchs, who used the corruption of police, political parties, and industry to gain power. Despite improvements, as in Moldova corruption remains an obstacle to joining the EU.
Corruption Perceptions Index ratings in Ukraine 1998–2018. Lower scores reflect higher corruption levels; higher scores mean lower corruption levels.