Demographics of Kosovo
| Demographics of Kosovo | |
|---|---|
Population pyramid of Kosovo in 2022 | |
| Population | 1,602,515 (2024) |
| Growth rate | 0.68% (2024) |
| Birth rate | 14.4 per 1,000 pop. (2024) |
| Death rate | 7.2 per 1,000 pop. (2024) |
| Life expectancy | 76.7 years (2011): 13 |
| • male | 74.1 years (2011): 13 |
| • female | 79.4 years (2011): 13 |
| Fertility rate | 1.87 children born/woman (2024) |
| Infant mortality rate | 24.9 per 1,000 births |
| Net migration rate | -0.4 per 1,000 pop. (2024) |
| Age structure | |
| 0–14 years | 27.2% |
| 15–64 years | 66.1% |
| 65 and over | 6.7% |
| Sex ratio | |
| Total | 1.08 male(s)/female |
| Nationality | |
| Nationality | noun: Kosovar/Kosovan(s) adjective: Kosovar |
| Major ethnic | Albanians (95%) (2011 census) |
| Minor ethnic | Bosniaks (2%), Serbs (1.5%) and others (4%) (2011 census) |
| Language | |
| Official | Albanian |
| Spoken | Albanian (95%) languages of the minorities (5%) |
The Kosovo Agency of Statistics monitors various demographic features of the population of Kosovo, such as population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Censuses, normally conducted at ten-year intervals, record the demographic characteristics of the population. According to the preliminary results of the 2024 census released in April 2024, there are 1,586,659 inhabitants, of which 795,046 are men (50.1%) and 791,614 are women (49.9%). The same year, US CIA World Factbook estimate put the country's population at 1,977,093. According to the first census conducted after the 2008 declaration of independence in 2011, the permanent population of Kosovo was 1,739,825.: 12
The 2011 census also shows that Albanians form the majority in Kosovo, with 92.9% of the total population; significant minorities include Bosniaks (1.6%), Serbs (1.5%), Turkish (1.1%), Askhali (0.9%), Egyptian (0.7%), Gorani (0.6%), and Roma (0.5%). However, it excluded North Kosovo — a largely Serb-inhabited region. Moreover, it was partially boycotted by Romani and Serb communities in South Kosovo. After Albanians, Serbs form the largest ethnic community in Kosovo (6–7.8%).
Kosovo has the youngest population in Europe. The average age is 34.8 and median age is 32, as of 2024. In 2008, half of its population was under the age of 25 (United Nations Development Programme data) and more than 65 percent of the population was younger than 30 (government data).