North Macedonia’s first census in 20 years concluded on Thursday, September 30, with preliminary results suggesting a decrease in the population of around 190,000 compared to the previous census in 2001.
President of the State Election Commission Apostol Simovski gave a press conference following the 26-day headcount that started on 5 September. He welcomed the conclusion of the first census in two decades, noting that “we did not have an accurate idea of what we will face on the ground.”
During the press conference, Simovski said that 1,832,696 people in 568,175 households and 837,225 apartments were counted. This shows a decrease of at least 190,000 people in the last 20 years. He also said that around 10,000 refused to take part and would be fined.
The reduction in the size of the population, on average 27 people a day, echoed what many expected. But it is the breakdown of ethnicities that observers are keen to understand. This was not announced in yesterday’s press conference.
Simovski said a summarization would be provided in the coming days, but the final results will not be confirmed until March 2022, according to the census law.
In the last census, which took place in 2002, 25% of the population declared themselves as Albanian, and 64 % said they were Macedonian. The remaining population was made up of Turks, Serbs, and Roma and Egyptians.
Numbers are important because, under Macedonian law, any minority accounting for 20% or more of the population can enjoy special rights. These include the right to use their language in official state correspondence and ethnic quotas for public sector jobs.
This is also why the census, which is supposed to be held every 10 years, has been delayed since 2011. The 2011 census was cancelled due to political disputes, as Albanians and Macedonians accused each other of manipulating the outcome favoring their cause.
Albanians often believe that the Macedonian authorities want to downplay their numbers to keep them from decision-making roles. Some Macedonians thought Albanians wanted to over-inflate figures to gain more control in the country.
North Macedonia’s First Census in Twenty Years Expected to Reveal Population Decline
Ethnic strife has marked the history of the census in North Macedonia. The 2002 census took place a year following ethnically-fuelled armed conflicts between Albanian Macedonians and government forces. The conflict started in January 2001 when the Albanian National Liberation Army attacked Macedonian security forces.
The National Liberation Army asserted that the uprising was due to the discrimination faced by ethnic Albanians in North Macedonia, where they were banned from using their language, and they struggled under social inequality and limited educational opportunities.
The conflict ended with the Ohrid agreement, which was signed on 13 August of that year, which foresaw that the rights of the Albanian minority must be improved within four years.
In fact, ethnic strife has marked the history of the census in North Macedonia. The 2002 census took place a year following ethnically-fuelled armed conflicts between Albanian Macedonians and government forces. The conflict started in January 2001 when the Albanian National Liberation Army attacked Macedonian security forces.
The National Liberation Army asserted that the uprising was due to the discrimination faced by ethnic Albanians in North Macedonia, where they were banned from using their language, and they struggled under social inequality and limited educational opportunities.
The conflict ended with the Ohrid agreement, which was signed on 13 August of that year, which foresaw that the rights of the Albanian minority must be improved within four years.
