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:

40.5 years (2024 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:

7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 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%

women married by age 18:

7.5% (2019 est.)

urban population:

59.5% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

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

particulate matter emissions:

25.17 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

7.05 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

2.28 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

796,585 tons (2016 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

1,434 tons (2013 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

0.2% (2013 est.)

municipal:

310 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

140 million cubic meters (2020 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 country name derives from the ancient kingdom of Macedon (7th to 2nd centuries B.C.)

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:

• Skopje derives from its ancient name Scupi, the Latin designation of a Dardanian and classical era Greco-Roman frontier fortress town;
• the name goes back to a pre-Hellenic, Illyrian times

history:

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

amendments:

• 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;
• amended several times, last in 2019;
• this amendment was the result of the 2018 Prespa Agreement with Greece, in which the constitutional name of the country would be modified to Republic of North Macedonia in exchange for assurances that Greece would no longer object to its integration in international organizations;
• note - a referendum on amendments to the constitution is expected in 2024

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:

President Gordana SILJANOVSKA-DAVKOVA (since 12 May 2024)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers elected by the Assembly by simple majority vote

elections/appointments:

• 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 deemed valid;
• president elected for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 24 April and 8 May 2024 (next to be held in 2029);
• following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by the Assembly

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

description:

unicameral Assembly - Sobranie in Macedonian, Kuvend in Albanian (between 120 and 140 seats, current 123; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by closed-list proportional representation vote; possibility of 3 directly elected in diaspora constituencies by simple majority vote provided there is sufficient voter turnout; members serve 4-year terms)

elections:

last held on 8 May 2024 (next to be held on 31 May 2028)

election results:

• percent of vote by party/coalition - Your Macedonia 44.6%, For a European Future 15.8%, European Front 14%, VLEN 10.9%, The Left 7%, For Our Macedonia 5.7%, other 1.9%;
• seats by party/coalition - Your Macedonia 58, For a European Future 18, European Front 18, VLEN 14, The Left 6, For Our Macedonia 6;
• composition - TBD

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/

• a yellow sun (the Sun of Liberty) with eight broadening rays extending to the edges of the red field;
• the red and yellow colors have long been associated with Macedonia

name:

"Denes nad Makedonija" (Today Over Macedonia)

lyrics/music:

Vlado MALESKI/Todor SKALOVSKI

note: written in 1943 and adopted in 1991, the song previously served as the anthem of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia while 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;
• recovering from energy-driven inflation;
• macroeconomic support from IMF and EU lending facilities;
• stalled progress on EU accession;
• fiscal consolidation hampered by deficit spending on public works;
• structural challenges of emigration, low productivity growth, and governance

agriculture:

7% (2023 est.)

industry:

21.4% (2023 est.)

services:

58.2% (2023 est.)

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

total:

28.6% (2023 est.)

male:

27% (2023 est.)

female:

31.5% (2023 est.)

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

on food:

33% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

6% of household expenditures (2022 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:

5.075 million metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption:

5.776 million metric tons (2022 est.)

exports:

53,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

750,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

332 million metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption:

274.928 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

imports:

274.918 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

general assessment:

• as part of the EU pre-accession process, North Macedonia has built closer economic ties with the Union which accounts for 79% of Macedonia’s exports and 49% of its imports;
• closer regulatory and administrative ties with European Commission (EC) institutions have done much to develop the telecom sector and prepare the market for the competitive environment encouraged in the EU;
• as part of EU integration legislation North Macedonia has implemented the principles of the EU’s regulatory framework for communications, established an independent regulator and set out several provisions to provide for a competitive telecom market, including wholesale access to the incumbent’s fixed-line network;
• broadband services are widely available, with effective competition between DSL and cable platforms complemented by wireless broadband and a developing fiber sector;
• the number of DSL subscribers has continued to fall in recent years as customers are migrated to fiber networks;
• the MNOs are increasingly focused on expanding their 5G networks, seeking stronger coverage across North Macedonia’s high value urban areas;
• mobile data services are also becoming increasingly important following investments in LTE network rollouts and in upgrades to LTE-A technology (2022)

domestic:

fixed-line roughly 20 per 100 and mobile-cellular 92 per 100 subscriptions (2021)

international:

country code - 389

• public service TV broadcaster Macedonian Radio and Television operates 5 national terrestrial TV channels and 2 satellite TV channels;
• additionally, there are 11 regional TV stations broadcasting nationally, 29 regional and local broadcasters, a large number of cable operators offer domestic and international programming;
• the public radio broadcaster operates 3 stations;
• there are 4 privately owned national radio stations that broadcast 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 (2024)

refugees (country of origin):

18,915 (Ukraine) (as of 22 February 2024)

stateless persons:

521 (2022)

note: 579,828 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-February 2024)

• major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and hashish;
• minor transit point for South American cocaine destined for Europe;
• although not a financial center and most criminal activity is thought to be domestic, money laundering is a problem due to a mostly cash-based economy and weak enforcement