General
Kosovo had a population of 1.93 million in 2021. It ranks 39th in terms of population among the 50 states in Europe. It is the youngest country on the continent, with approximately 50% of the population under the age of 30. It is also, for the time being, the only Balkan state whose population is growing again. But given the falling birth rate (1.97 children per woman in 2019) and, above all, the continuing emigration (50% of young people say they want to leave), Kosovo's population is expected to fall in the medium term, with a prospect of 1.7 million inhabitants in 2050. This marks the end of a long growth cycle that saw the population increase fivefold in the 20th century to exceed 2 million in the 1990s. The economic crisis of Yugoslavia, the break-up of the Federation and the war in Kosovo (1998-1999) have caused a demographic shock with population movements both within the country and abroad, where one in three Kosovars now live. These changes continue. In 2011, only 38% of the population lived in cities. That proportion jumped to 50 per cent by 2021. In ten years, Pristina has grown from 145,000 to 220,000 inhabitants. In the other urban centers, there are varying trends. Prizren, the country's second-largest city, has returned to its 1991 population level with 200,000 inhabitants, while the third-largest city, Ferizaj/Uroševac, has seen its population decline from 108,000 in 2011 to 106,000 in 2021. The next three cities, Peja/Peć, Gjilan/Gnjilane, and Gjakova/Đakovica, have slightly increasing populations of 90,000-100,000. But Mitrovica (the eighth city) has been steadily declining in population to 80,000 today from 104,000 in 1991. It is now replaced in seventh place by Besiana/Podujevo (northeast of the country) with 90,000 inhabitants. The rest of the urban population is divided among six cities with populations of 10,000 to 30,000. In total, there are 30 municipalities in the country, comprising 1,468 towns, villages and hamlets
The Albanians
Albanians(Shqiptarët in Albanian) represent 92% of the population. Kosovo is thus the country with the highest proportion of Albanians, ahead of Albania itself (89% of the 3 million inhabitants), Northern Macedonia (about 30%) and Greece (about 10%). The Albanians in Kosovo are overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim (about 95%), but there are also Catholics (3-4%) and Protestants. The unifying factor is above all the Albanian language, whether it is standardized Albanian (the official language also adopted by Albania and Northern Macedonia) or the Guggeny dialect (as in northern Albania, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and western Northern Macedonia). Generally speaking, the Albanians present themselves as descendants of the Illyrians who populated the eastern coast of the Adriatic during antiquity. This would make them the oldest inhabitants of Kosovo. The current Albanians are the result of interbreeding between Paleo-Balkan tribes, Greco-Romans, Slavs, Aromanians... Thus, in the Middle Ages, they represented only a minority among others of the population of Kosovo. Their presence as a distinct ethnic group is attested only from the fourteenth century and their number grows with the arrival of settlers from Albania in the sixteenth century. Initially mostly Christian, they converted to Islam during the Ottoman period. After centuries of peaceful cohabitation between diverse populations, a radical change took place at the end of the 19th century. This occurred in the context of the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of nationalism in the Balkans. In concrete terms, this resulted in Kosovo (under Ottoman control until 1912) with the arrival of Albanian refugees driven from the northern part of Serbia (independent since 1878). In 1899, the ratio between communities was still balanced, with 182,650 Albanians (47.9% of the population) and 166,700 Serbs (43.7%). When Kosovo was reintegrated into Serbia in 1912, the Albanians represented more than 60% of the population, compared with about 30% for the Serbs. The massacres committed against the Serbs during the two world wars and the high birth rate of Albanians will further accentuate this imbalance. In 1981, the Albanians represented 77% of the population and the Serbs 13%. Subsequently, inter-ethnic tensions and the war in Kosovo caused a massive exodus of Slavic populations and gave the Albanians the predominant place they occupy today.
The Serbs
Serbs (Срби/Srbi in Serbian) now make up only 5 percent of Kosovo's population, down from about 50 percent in the 19th century. Of Christian Orthodox culture, these Slavs speak Serbian, one of the two official languages of the country along with Albanian. It is a language almost identical to Croatian, Bosnian and Montenegrin, but written in the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet. The Serbs settled in Kosovo in the 6th-7th centuries. Christianized by the Byzantines and Bulgarians, they began to assert their power over the region from the 9th century. From the eleventh to the fourteenth century, Kosovo became the economic and religious heart of the kingdom of Serbia with the exploitation of the rich mines of Novo Brdo and the establishment of the patriarchate of Peć. The attachment of the Serbs to this land is reinforced by the battle of Kosovo Polje in 1389, which marks the beginning of Ottoman domination of the Balkans, but is also the symbol of Serbian resistance through the centuries. Between the 1998-1999 war and the country's declaration of independence in 2008, over 200,000 Serbs left Kosovo. About 100,000 of them remain today. They are the majority in three small areas: in Mitrovica and the north (50,000), southeast of Pristina in Gračanica/Graçanica and Novo Brdo/Artana (13,000), and in the south in Štrpce/Shtërpca (10,000). Elsewhere in the Balkans, Serbs are most prevalent in Serbia (83 percent of the 6.9 million population), Bosnia and Herzegovina (1.4 million), Croatia (190,000), and Montenegro (170,000).
Roma, Ashkali and Balkan-Egyptians
These three groups total about 40,000 people and represent 2% of the population. According to ethnologists, they are one and the same community, that of the Roma(Roma in Romani), also known in French as gitans, tziganes or romanichels (literally "Roma people" in Romani). Coming from the regions of Sindh (Pakistan) and Punjab (India), their ancestors penetrated the Balkans at the beginning of the 15th century and then spread throughout Europe and became sedentary. In the 1980s and 1990s, due to nationalist tensions, some Roma invented new identities in an attempt to integrate better. However, all the Roma in Kosovo were targeted either by the Serbs or by the Albanians. It is estimated that there were more than 100,000 Roma here before the 1998-1999 war. Almost all were expelled and less than half returned. Today, only a group of about 10,000 people still call themselves Roma in Kosovo. Mostly Muslim, some are also Orthodox or Catholic, as in the Lipjan/Lipljan region. They speak Romani, but are fluent in Albanian and/or Serbian. They are known for their closeness to the Serbs - not a big Serbian party without a Roma band! -They are discredited by the Albanians and live in Serbian enclaves
Numbering 14,000, the Balkan-Egyptians(Egjiptianëve të Ballkanit in Albanian) were recognized as a "new ethnic group" by the Yugoslav authorities in 1990. This group, having lost the use of Romani and having adopted Albanian and Islam, wishes to distinguish itself from the Roma. They deny their Indian roots and take up a 19th century theory that the Roma originated in Egypt
The Ashkalis(Ashkali in Albanian) are the most numerous: about 16,000. They are the most recent "new ethnic group" recognized by Kosovo in 2000. They are often settled in the same localities as the Balkan-Egyptians, mainly in the Pristina district. They also share with them their borrowings from the Albanians (language, religion) and refuse to be assimilated to the Roma. According to their versions, they originate either from Iran, Italy or Palestine. Each of these three groups has a member of parliament. But despite their differences, they are all victims of racism, unemployment, lack of access to health care, etc. In the Balkans, the Roma are mainly present in Romania (about 620,000 people), Bulgaria (325,000-700,000), Serbia (150,000-500,000) and Northern Macedonia (80,000-200,000).
The Turks
The Turks(Türkler in Turkish) number between 30,000 and 50,000 and represent 1.5 to 2% of the population. Of Muslim faith and Turkish language, they are the descendants of Turks from Anatolia who arrived after the battle of Kosovo Polje in 1389. During the Ottoman period, they occupied a central place in Kosovar society and some of them assimilated into the Albanians. After the Ottoman withdrawal in 1912, it is estimated that half of them emigrated to Turkey, but they still constituted 6% of the population in 1921. Their numbers declined again from 1953 onwards, during organized departures to Turkey, so that by 1981 they represented less than 1% of the population. Thanks to their status as an ethnic minority (recognized in 1951), a high birth rate and active support from Turkey, the community has nevertheless prospered in recent decades. In Prizren, where they are now the most numerous (9,000-15,000 people), Turkish is still spoken by some Albanians. They hold the municipality of Mamusha/Mamuša (north of Prizren), where they are more than 5,500 (93% of the population). They are then found mainly in Pristina (about 2,500) and Gjilan/Gnjilane (about 1,000). In the Balkans, Turks are mainly present in Eastern Thrace, i.e. the European part of Turkey (11 million people), Bulgaria (about 600,000), Greece (about 150,000) and Northern Macedonia (about 100,000)
The Bosnians
The Bosnians(Bošnjaci in Bosnian and Serbian) today represent 1.6% of the population, or about 28,000 people. They are Muslim Slavs who speak Serbian and/or Bosnian. The term "Bosnian" is rather vague, since it applies to various peoples of the Balkans who were Islamized during the Ottoman period and not only to the Muslims of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Thus, in Kosovo, the community includes both Serbs and Montenegrins Islamized since the late Middle Ages and descendants of migrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina in the twentieth century. They are found mainly in three municipalities: Prizren (about 15,000), Dragash/Dragaš (about 5,000) and Mitrovica (about 2,000). While in Mitrovica they are mostly settled in the Serbian part of the city, in Dragash/Dragaš, in the south of the country, they live alongside the Gorans, another community of Islamic Slavs. Although they are Muslims like the majority of Albanians, they are rejected by them because they are assimilated into the Serbs through their language. Thus, about 15,000 Bosnians from Kosovo have been forced into exile since 1999. In the Balkans, Bosnians are mainly present in Bosnia-Herzegovina (51% of the 3.8 million inhabitants), Montenegro (56,000) and Croatia (31,000).
The Montenegrins
Montenegrins(Crnogorci in Montenegrin and Serbian) number about 20,000 in Kosovo, or 1% of the population. The origin of their settlement is confused with that of the Serbs, to whom they still feel very close, since they use the same dialects and are also Orthodox Christians. With the rise of Albanian nationalism, they also shared the same fate: while there were about 40,000 Montenegrins in the 1960s in Kosovo, half were forced into exile. The region of Peja/Peć, which once had more than 12,000 Montenegrins, is now home to less than 4,000. The rest of the community is now divided between Pristina and Mitrovica. However, there has been slight dissension between Serbs and Montenegrins since the independence of Montenegro (which broke away from Serbia in 2006). Montenegrins also suffer from being assimilated to Serbs by the authorities: in the parliament in Pristina, they do not have one of the 20 seats (out of 120) reserved for minorities and must be represented by Serbian deputies. In the Balkans, Montenegrins are mainly found in Montenegro (45 per cent of the 620,000 population) and Serbia (39,000).
The Gorans
The Gorans or Goranis(Goranci in Našinski and in Serbian) number about 10,000 and represent 0.5% of the population. Slavs and Muslims, they speak a Slavic dialect that borrows from Bulgarian and Serbo-Croatian: Našinski ("our language"), also called Goranski or Gorani. Their name, formed from the word gora ("mountain"), means "mountain people" in Slavic languages. They actually live on the plateaus of the Šar Mountains, at the southern tip of the country, spread over 19 villages in the municipalities of Prizren and Dragash/Dragaš. Since the 8th century, this area has been the main settlement of the Gorans, who are also present in the neighboring regions of Northern Macedonia and Albania. Of Bulgarian origin, but closer to the Serbs and Bosnians, they are distinguished from the latter by their late Islamization, in the 18th-19th centuries. Victims of discrimination by the Albanians, they left Kosovo en masse, where there were about 30,000 before the 1998-1999 war. The diaspora meets every year in May in the Šar mountains to celebrate traditional weddings, known for the rich makeup covering the entire face of the bride. In the Balkans, the Gorans are also present in Northern Macedonia (about 10,000), Serbia (8,000) and Albania (2,000).
The Croatians
About 500, the Croats(Hrvati in Croatian or Serbian) are the smallest minority in Kosovo. Residing mainly around the village of Janjevo, near Gračanica/Graçanica (Pristina district), they call themselves the Janjevci and have cohabited for centuries with different communities. Croatian-speaking Catholic Christians, they are the descendants of merchant families from Ragusa (now Dubrovnik, Croatia) and Saxon miners from Germany and Hungary who settled around Novo Brdo, the rich mining city of the Serbian kings, starting in the 13th century. There were nearly 9,000 of them in the 1980s and almost all left Kosovo when Yugoslavia broke up to find refuge in Croatia. Like the Montenegrins in Kosovo, they have no representatives in parliament. In the Balkans, Croats live mainly in Croatia (90 per cent of the 4.1 million population), Bosnia and Herzegovina (540,000) and Serbia (58,000).
Foreigners
Kosovo is above all a country of emigration and not really a land of welcome. There are about 15,000 foreigners, including about 1,000 French speakers. The families of diplomatic personnel constitute the largest group: embassies, UN, OSCE and EU missions, such as the Eulex mission responsible for justice (420 employees). Then come the experts of charitable associations, very numerous (about 300), then the binational families, often from the diaspora, as well as a few hundred nationals of Balkan countries (Albania, Northern Macedonia...). Each year, there are also about a thousand asylum seekers who, for the most part, are simply in transit to third countries. In addition, there are 3,800 KFOR soldiers (Americans, Italians, etc.). In total, foreigners represent less than 1% of the population, but more than 5% in Pristina. In the capital, their weight is significant, if only because of their political influence. Diplomats and international experts also enjoy exorbitant salaries in relation to the local standard of living, which has the effect of driving up prices in Pristina, especially for real estate.
The Diaspora
More than one million Kosovars now reside outside Kosovo. This recent diaspora was formed with the massive departure of inhabitants from the late 1980s for economic reasons. The exodus is still going on for the same reasons. In the meantime, the 1998-1999 war has accentuated the phenomenon with minorities that have become undesirable in their own country (Serbs, Montenegrins, Gorans...) and the creation of a state that still cannot solve the problem of unemployment (27% of the active population was unemployed in 2021). The situation is such that today it is the diaspora that keeps the country going: one third of foreign direct investment in Kosovo is made by Kosovars living abroad. The bulk of the diaspora is made up of Albanians: about 800,000 people, mainly in Europe. In Germany, there are 220,000 of them, 70% of whom live around the cities of Cologne, Stuttgart and Munich. In Switzerland, there are more than 120,000 Kosovo Albanians, mainly concentrated in German-speaking cantons. The other main host countries for Kosovo Albanians are Sweden (about 40,000 emigrants), Italy (30,000), Austria (25,000), the United States, Norway and France (about 15,000 each), the United Kingdom (11,000) and Belgium (8,000). The rest of the diaspora consists of 300,000 non-Albanians. Serbia has received more than 200,000 of these exiles driven out by war and subsequent discrimination, especially Serbs, Gorans and Roma from Kosovo. Montenegrin, Bosnian and Croatian emigrants from Kosovo found refuge mainly in the countries where their communities were in the majority (Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia).
