North Macedonia

• mountainous with deep basins and valleys;
• three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line;
• country bisected by the Vardar River

noun:

Macedonian(s)

adjective:

Macedonian

total:

40.9 years (2025 est.)

male:

39.4 years

female:

41.6 years

at birth:

1.07 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.79 male(s)/female

total population:

0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

6.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male:

7.9 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

6 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

77.3 years (2024 est.)

male:

75.3 years

female:

79.6 years

total:

3.9 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

1.93 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

1.03 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.)

women married by age 15:

0.3% (2019)

women married by age 18:

7.5% (2019)

urban population:

59.5% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

0.61% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

627,000 tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

4.9% (2022 est.)

municipal:

305.4 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial:

31.54 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

agricultural:

139 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of North Macedonia

conventional short form:

North Macedonia

local long form:

Republika Severna Makedonija

local short form:

Severna Makedonija

former:

Democratic Federal Macedonia, People's Republic of Macedonia, Socialist Republic of Macedonia, Republic of Macedonia

etymology:

• the name derives from the ancient kingdom of Macedon (7th to 2nd centuries B.C.), whose name origin is unclear;
• it may derive from the mythological Macedon, the son of the Greek god Zeus;
• alternatively, it may come from the Greek word makednos , meaning "tail," or the Illyrian word maketia , meaning "cattle"

name:

Skopje

geographic coordinates:

42 00 N, 21 26 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology:

the name is of Illyrian or Macedonian origin, and the meaning is unclear; derives from Scupi, its name during the Roman era

history:

several previous (since 1944); latest adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991

amendment process:

• proposed by the president of the republic, by the government, by at least 30 members of the Assembly, or by petition of at least 150,000 citizens;
• final approval requires a two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of North Macedonia

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

8 years

chief of state:

President Gordana SILJANOVSKA-DAVKOVA (since 12 May 2024)

head of government:

Prime Minister Hristijan MICKOSKI (since 23 June 2024)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers elected by the Assembly by simple majority vote

election/appointment process:

• president directly elected using a modified 2-round system;
• a candidate can only be elected in the first round with an absolute majority from all registered voters;
• in the second round, voter turnout must be at least 40% for the result to be valid;
• president elected for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• following legislative elections, the Assembly usually elects the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as prime minister

most recent election date:

24 April and 8 May 2024

election results:

2024: Hristijan MICKOSKI elected prime minister; Assembly vote - 77 for, 22 against;

• 2024: Gordana SILJANOVSKA-DAVKOVA elected president in the second round;
• percent of vote - Gordana SILJANOVSKA-DAVKOVA (VMRO-DPMNE) 69%, Stevo PENDAROVSKI (SDSM) 31%

; 2024: Talat XHAFERI elected caretaker prime minister; Assembly vote - 65 for (opposition boycott); 2022: Dimitar KOVACEVSKI elected prime minister; Assembly vote - NA

expected date of next election:

2029

legislature name:

Assembly of the Republic (Sobranie)

legislative structure:

unicameral

number of seats:

123 (all directly elected)

electoral system:

mixed system

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

4 years

most recent election date:

5/8/2024

parties elected and seats per party:

• Coalition "Your Macedonia" (led by VMRO-DPMNE) (58);
• Coalition "European Front" (led by the Democratic Union for Integration – DUI) (18);
• Coalition "For a European Future" (led by the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia – SDSM) (18);
• Coalition VLEN (14);
• ZNAM (Movement "I know": For our Macedonia) (6);
• The Left (Levica) (6)

percentage of women in chamber:

39.2%

expected date of next election:

May 2028

highest court(s):

Supreme Court (consists of 22 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judges nominated by the Judicial Council, a 7-member body of legal professionals, and appointed by the Assembly;
• judge tenure NA;
• Constitutional Court judges appointed by the Assembly for nonrenewable, 9-year terms

subordinate courts:

Courts of Appeal; Basic Courts

• Alliance for Albanians or AfA or ASH
• Alternative (Alternativa) or AAA
• Besa Movement or BESA
• Citizen Option for Macedonia or GROM
• Democratic Alliance or DS
• Democratic Movement or LD
• Democratic Party of Albanians or PDSH
• Democratic Party of Serbs or DPSM
• Democratic Renewal of Macedonia or DOM
• Democratic Union for Integration or BDI
• European Democratic Party or PDE
• Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization - Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity or VMRO-DPMNE
• Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization - People's Party or VMRO-NP
• Liberal Democratic Party or LDP
• New Social-Democratic Party or NSDP
• Social Democratic Union of Macedonia or SDSM
• Socialist Party of Macedonia or SPM
• Srpska Stranka in Macedonia or SSM
• The Left (Levica)
• The People Movement or LP
• Turkish Democratic Party or TDP
• Turkish Movement Party or THP
• We Can! (coalition includes SDSM/BESA/VMRO-NP, DPT, LDP)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Zoran POPOV (since 16 September 2022)

chancery:

2129 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 667-0501

FAX:

[1] (202) 667-2104

email address and website:

[email protected]; United States (mfa.gov.mk)

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Detroit, New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Angela AGGELER (since 8 November 2022)

embassy:

Str. Samoilova, Nr. 21, 1000 Skopje

mailing address:

7120 Skopje Place, Washington, DC 20521-7120

telephone:

[389] (2) 310-2000

FAX:

[389] (2) 310-2499

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://mk.usembassy.gov/

description:

a red field with a yellow sun (the Sun of Liberty) in the center, with eight broadening rays extending to the edges

meaning:

the red and yellow colors have long been associated with Macedonia

title:

"Denes nad Makedonija" (Today Over Macedonia)

lyrics/music:

Vlado MALESKI/Todor SKALOVSKI

history:

written in 1943 and adopted in 1991, the song previously served as the anthem of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, when it was part of Yugoslavia

total World Heritage Sites:

2 (both natural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid Region; Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians

• upper-middle-income European economy;
• GDP growth driven by private consumption, public infrastructure investments, and wage growth;
• stalled progress on EU accession;
• public debt rising due to high pensions, wages, and interest payments;
• structural challenges of emigration, low productivity growth, and governance

agriculture:

6% (2024 est.)

industry:

22.7% (2024 est.)

services:

59.2% (2024 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

30.3% (2024 est.)

male:

29.2% (2024 est.)

female:

32.3% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

on food:

30.6% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

4.8% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

lowest 10%:

1.9% (2019 est.)

highest 10%:

22.9% (2019 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

production:

4 million metric tons (2023 est.)

consumption:

5.344 million metric tons (2023 est.)

exports:

58,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

imports:

41,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

proven reserves:

332 million metric tons (2023 est.)

consumption:

348.078 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

imports:

347.981 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

• public TV broadcaster Macedonian Radio and Television operates 5 national terrestrial TV channels and 2 satellite TV channels;
• 11 regional TV stations broadcast nationally;
• 29 regional and local broadcasters;
• a large number of cable operators offer domestic and international programming;
• the public radio broadcaster operates 3 stations;
• 4 privately owned national radio stations and 60 regional and local operators (2023)

• the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia (ARSM) is responsible for the defense of the country’s territory and independence, fulfilling North Macedonia’s commitments to NATO and European security, and contributing to EU, NATO, and UN peace and security missions;
• the ARSM has participated in multinational missions and operations in Afghanistan (NATO), Bosnia and Herzegovina (EU), Eastern Europe (NATO), Iraq (NATO), Kosovo (NATO), and Lebanon (UN);
• a key area of focus over the past decade has been improving capabilities and bringing the largely Soviet-era-equipped ARSM up to NATO standards;
• it has increased its participation in NATO training exercises since becoming the 30th member of the Alliance in 2020 and currently has small numbers of combat troops deployed to Bulgaria and Romania as part of NATO’s Enhance Forward Presence mission implemented because of Russian military aggression against Ukraine (2025)

refugees:

20,937 (2024 est.)

stateless persons:

159 (2024 est.)