North Macedonia

This article is about the modern country. For other uses, see Macedonia (disambiguation).

Republic of North Macedonia
Република Северна Македонија (Macedonian)
Republika e Maqedonisë së Veriut (Albanian)
Anthem: Денес над Македонија (Macedonian)
"Today over Macedonia"
Location of North Macedonia (green) in Europe (dark grey)  –  [Legend]
Location of North Macedonia (green)

in Europe (dark grey)  –  [Legend]

Capital
and largest city
Skopje
42°0′N 21°26′E / 42.000°N 21.433°E / 42.000; 21.433
Official languages
  • Official regional languages
Ethnic groups
(2021[2])
Religion
(2021[3])
Demonym(s)
  • Macedonian
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary republic
• President
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova
Hristijan Mickoski
Afrim Gashi
LegislatureAssembly
Establishment history
2 August 1944
8 September 1991
Area
• Total
25,436[4] km2 (9,821 sq mi) (145th)
• Water (%)
1.1
Population
• 2021 census
Decrease 1,836,713[2]
• Density
71.43/km2 (185.0/sq mi) (122nd)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $44.055 billion[5] (130th)
• Per capita
Increase $21,391[5] (75th)
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $15.801 billion[5] (143rd)
• Per capita
Increase $7,672[5] (90th)
Gini (2019)Positive decrease 30.7[6]
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.765[7]
high (83rd)
CurrencyMacedonian denar (MKD)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+2 (CEST)
Calling code+389
ISO 3166 codeMK
Internet TLD

North Macedonia (/ˌmæsɪˈdoʊniə/ MASS-ih-DOH-nee-ə),[c] officially the Republic of North Macedonia,[d] is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo[e] to the northwest and Serbia to the north.[8] It constitutes approximately the northern third of the larger geographical region of Macedonia. Skopje, the capital and largest city, is home to a quarter of the country's population of 1.83 million. The majority of the residents are ethnic Macedonians, a South Slavic people. Albanians form a significant minority at around 25%, followed by Turks, Roma, Serbs, Bosniaks, Aromanians and a few other minorities.

The region's history begins with the kingdom of Paeonia. In the late sixth century BC, the area was subjugated by the Persian Achaemenid Empire, then incorporated into the Kingdom of Macedonia in the fourth century BC. The Roman Republic conquered the region in the second century BC and made it part of its larger province of Macedonia. The area remained part of the Byzantine Empire, but was often raided and settled by Slavic tribes beginning in the sixth century of the Christian era. Following centuries of contention between the Bulgarian, Byzantine, and Serbian Empires, it was part of the Ottoman Empire from the mid-14th until the early 20th century, when, following the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913, the modern territory of North Macedonia came under Serbian rule.

During the First World War, the territory was ruled by Bulgaria. After the end of the war, it returned to Serbian rule as part of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. During the Second World War, it was again ruled by Bulgaria; and in 1945 it was established as a constituent state of communist Yugoslavia, which it remained until its peaceful secession in 1991. The country became a member of the United Nations (UN) in 1993, but as a result of a dispute with Greece over the name "Macedonia", it was admitted under the provisional description "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (abbreviated as "FYR Macedonia" or "FYROM"). In 2018, the dispute was resolved with an agreement that the country should rename itself "Republic of North Macedonia". This renaming came into effect in early 2019.

North Macedonia is also a member of NATO, the Council of Europe, the World Bank, OSCE, CEFTA, BSEC and the WTO. Since 2005, it has also been a candidate for joining the European Union. North Macedonia is an upper-middle-income country according to the World Bank's definitions[9] and has undergone considerable economic reform since its independence in developing an open economy. It is a developing country, ranked 82nd on the Human Development Index; and provides social security, a universal health care system, and free primary and secondary education to its citizens.


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  1. ^ "Census final data" (PDF). stat.gov.mk. 2002.
  2. ^ a b "State Statistical Office – News release: Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of North Macedonia, 2021 – first dataset ,2021". Stat.gov.mk. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Попис на населението, домаќинствата и становите во Република Северна Македонија, 2021 – прв сет на податоци" (PDF). Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  4. ^ Territorial Units. State Statistical Office.
  5. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (MK)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income – EU-SILC survey". ec.europa.eu/eurostat. Eurostat. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Basic Facts". North Macedonia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 16 November 2008.
  9. ^ "The World Bank in North Macedonia". World Bank. Retrieved 7 July 2022.