World Factbook
North Macedonia
Republika Severna Makedonija
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Literacy
female
97.8% (2018 est.)
Languages
note
note: data represent mother tongue; minority languages are co-official with Macedonian in municipalities where at least 20% of the population are speakers, with Albanian co-official in Tetovo, Brvenica, Vrapciste, and other municipalities, Turkish in Centar Zupa and Plasnica, Romani in Suto Orizari, Aromanian in Krusevo, Serbian in Cucer Sandevo
Languages
Macedonian (official) 61.4%, Albanian (official) 24.3%, Turkish 3.4%, Romani 1.7%, other (includes Aromanian (Vlach) and Bosnian) 2%, unspecified 7.2% (2021 est.)
major-language sample(s)
Книга на Светски Факти, неопходен извор на основни информации. (Macedonian) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
Orthodox 46.1%, Islam 32.2%, Christian 13.2%, Other 7.2%; less than 1%: atheist, Catholic, other religions, not specified, Protestant (2021 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.03 male(s)/female
total population
0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.79 male(s)/female
Birth rate
10.07 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
9.62 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
39.4 years
total
40.9 years (2025 est.)
female
41.6 years
Population
male
1,065,634
total
2,137,556 (2025 est.)
female
1,071,922
Nationality
noun
Macedonian(s)
adjective
Macedonian
Urbanization
urban population
59.5% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
0.61% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
16% (male 176,423/female 164,945)
15-64 years
68.4% (male 740,649/female 719,627)
65 years and over
15.6% (2024 est.) (male 147,655/female 186,323)
Ethnic groups
Macedonian 58.4%, Albanian 24.3%, Turkish 3.9%, Romani 2.5%, Serb 1.3%, other 2.3%, no ethnic affiliation data available 7.2% (2021 est.)
note: data represent total resident population; Romani populations are usually underestimated in official statistics and may represent 6.5–13% of North Macedonia’s population
Child marriage
women married by age 15
0.3% (2019)
women married by age 18
7.5% (2019)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
46.9 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
23.3 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
4.2 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
23.6 (2025 est.)
Physician density
2.94 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
8.5% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
12.4% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
4.2 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.53 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 97.4% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 97.8% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 98.1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 2.6% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 2.2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 1.9% of population (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
7.9 deaths/1,000 live births
total
6.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
6 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
0.08% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.74 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations
Life expectancy at birth
male
75.3 years
female
79.6 years
total population
77.3 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
3 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 98.6% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 99.4% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 1.4% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 0.6% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
1.93 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
1.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
3.9 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
0.9 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
611,000 SKOPJE (capital) (2023)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
22.4% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth
26.9 years (2020 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
66.1% (2021 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
0.9% (2019 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
14 years (2022 est.)
total
15 years (2022 est.)
female
15 years (2022 est.)