Theoretical and practical framework of determining the Population index of rural areas based on innovative approaches

The article is devoted to highlighting the theoretical and methodical principles and practical methods of determining the population index of rural territories. It is noted the sustainable socio-economic development of the country is largely determined by the possibility of sustainable development of its rural territories. The latter cannot fully occur without the proper development of rural society. At the same time, the insufficient study and unresolved issues at the theoretical, methodical and applied levels of the problem of comprehensive assessment of the development Ukraine rural territories by demographic component needs creation and use of new methodical solutions capable of providing a more complete, accurate and objective, compared to currently existing approaches, socio-demographic characteristic of population development of rural territories. To solve this issue, an innovative method for calculating the integral population index of rural territories is proposed. The parameters included in it are generally recognized and available demographic indicators that directly and most significantly affect the formation of the population of rural territories: the size of the existing rural population, the total fertility rate of the rural population, the total mortality rate of the rural population, the total arrival rate of the rural population and the total departure rate of the rural population. The definition and analysis of the factors that are components of the rural population index makes it possible to provide a quite clear, complete and comparable over time assessment of the current state, existing trends and prospects for the socio-demographic development of the population of rural territories. Such information can serve as an effective tool for developing effective socio-economic policy aimed at stabilizing and further increasing and enriching the human potential of rural territories, which will be especially important for the post-war restoration of Ukraine.