The article identifies the problems, substantiates the prospects for accelerating the socio-economic development of Ukraine, taking into account the main criteria for improving its balance and sustainability in order to maximize the effects of improving the level and quality of life of the population as the main results and incentives for the competitiveness of the national economy, individual territorial communities, producers and workers. In general, a sustainable socio-economic system should be characterized by awareness (in particular, normalization) of processes, diversity (variability of functioning mechanisms), the ability to self-regulate (including through the use of integration mechanisms, adaptability and updating of current priorities), which provide the potential to withstand the spectrum of challenges and crises by making certain changes without compromising the basic values of society, its institutions and spheres of life. Increasing the sustainability of the economy and society as a whole will be ensured by capitalizing on: the advantages of Ukraine's economic, geographical and geopolitical position; the preserved parameters of competitiveness and innovative potential of the workforce, as well as social institutions for their reproduction; production potential of regional specialization sectors (industrial, agro-processing, social and cultural), including in the formation and activation of cross-border business, logistics and transit systems.