North Macedonia

parliamentary republic

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

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

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

BIS, CD, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EU (candidate country), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO note: North Macedonia is an EU candidate country whose satisfactory completion of accession criteria is required before being granted full EU membership

2% of GDP (2025 est.) 1.9% of GDP (2024 est.) 1.7% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.6% of GDP (2022 est.) 1.5% of GDP (2021 est.)

Army of the Republic of North Macedonia (ARSM or ARNM): joint force with air, ground, reserve, special operations, and support forces (2025) note: the Police of Macedonia maintain internal security, including migration and border enforcement, and report to the Ministry of the Interior

18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2007 (2025) note: as of 2024, women made up about 10% of the military's full-time personnel

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)

$43.844 billion (2024 est.) $42.668 billion (2023 est.) $41.801 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$24,500 (2024 est.) $23,300 (2023 est.) $22,800 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

2.8% (2024 est.) 2.1% (2023 est.) 2.8% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

3.5% (2024 est.) 9.4% (2023 est.) 14.2% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

39.3% of GDP (2017 est.) note: official data from Ministry of Finance; data cover central government debt; this data excludes debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; includes treasury debt held by foreign entitites; excludes debt issued by sub-national entities; there are no debt instruments sold for social funds

$10.445 billion (2024 est.) $10.691 billion (2023 est.) $10.123 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$12.644 billion (2024 est.) $12.748 billion (2023 est.) $13.009 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

13.5% (2024 est.) 13.2% (2023 est.) 14.5% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $4.787 billion (2023 est.) expenditures: $5.514 billion (2023 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, iron, steel, cement, energy, pharmaceuticals, automotive parts

chillies/peppers, milk, wheat, potatoes, grapes, barley, cabbages, maize, watermelons, tomatoes (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 2,137,556 (2025 est.) male: 1,065,634 female: 1,071,922

0.08% (2025 est.)

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)

10.07 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

9.62 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 77.3 years (2024 est.) male: 75.3 years female: 79.6 years

urban population: 59.5% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 0.61% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

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

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. 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

Orthodox 46.1%, Islam 32.2%, Christian 13.2%, Other 7.2%; less than 1%: atheist, Catholic, other religions, not specified, Protestant (2021 est.)

female: 97.8% (2018 est.)

low-grade iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, manganese, nickel, tungsten, gold, silver, asbestos, gypsum, timber, arable land

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

refugees: 20,937 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 159 (2024 est.)

13 (2025)

total: 699 km (2020) 313 km electrified

total subscriptions: 1.98 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 108 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 87% (2023 est.)