01
Physical geography
Mountainous with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River.
Local timeSkopje ·
Europe / Southeast Europe · Card 037
North Macedonia
North Macedonia is a country in Southeast Europe. Its capital is Skopje.
Find North Macedonia
● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
At a glance
- Capital
- Skopje
- Languages
- Macedonian & Albanian
- Currency
- denar (MKD)
- Population
- 1.8 million2025 · World Bank
- Area
- 25,713 km²9,927.84 square miles
- Independence
- 1991
North Macedonia in context
Europe and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Skopje; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapGeography & languages
02
Languages
Macedonian is the state-wide official language; Albanian also has official use under the language law. Other languages have local recognition.
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Location
Southeastern Europe, north of Greece.
Flag
A red field with a yellow sun (the Sun of Liberty) in the center, with eight broadening rays extending to the edges
History & independence
North Macedonia became independent from Yugoslavia following a referendum in 1991. It separated without the large-scale war experienced by several neighboring republics. The 2018 Prespa Agreement with Greece led to the name North Macedonia in 2019.
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A referendum leads to independence
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The name North Macedonia takes effect
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North Macedonia joins NATO
Economy
Main activities
Manufacturing, trade, services and agriculture contribute to the economy. Vehicle components, metals, textiles and food products are important outputs. Foreign investment connects some industries to European supply chains.
Industry and production
food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, iron, steel, cement, energy, pharmaceuticals, automotive parts
Population & economic trends
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population, 1970–2025
Millions of people1.82025 · millions of people
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
View data table
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1,664,208 | 1.664 |
| 1980 | 1,933,038 | 1.933 |
| 1990 | 2,063,689 | 2.064 |
| 2000 | 2,026,350 | 2.026 |
| 2010 | 1,946,298 | 1.946 |
| 2020 | 1,856,124 | 1.856 |
| 2025 | 1,820,909 | 1.821 |
Real GDP, 1990–2025
Billions of constant 2015 US dollars12.52025 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
View data table
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 7,293,742,777 | 7.294 |
| 1991 | 6,843,662,858 | 6.844 |
| 1992 | 6,394,362,794 | 6.394 |
| 1993 | 5,916,750,488 | 5.917 |
| 1994 | 5,812,724,182 | 5.813 |
| 1995 | 5,747,928,136 | 5.748 |
| 1996 | 5,816,047,056 | 5.816 |
| 1997 | 5,899,797,048 | 5.900 |
| 1998 | 6,099,135,594 | 6.099 |
| 1999 | 6,363,778,789 | 6.364 |
| 2000 | 6,653,275,728 | 6.653 |
| 2001 | 6,449,202,687 | 6.449 |
| 2002 | 6,545,532,201 | 6.546 |
| 2003 | 6,691,013,308 | 6.691 |
| 2004 | 7,003,757,264 | 7.004 |
| 2005 | 7,334,620,965 | 7.335 |
| 2006 | 7,711,402,290 | 7.711 |
| 2007 | 8,210,598,903 | 8.211 |
| 2008 | 8,659,882,990 | 8.660 |
| 2009 | 8,628,827,363 | 8.629 |
| 2010 | 8,918,648,176 | 8.919 |
| 2011 | 9,127,334,380 | 9.127 |
| 2012 | 9,085,697,011 | 9.086 |
| 2013 | 9,351,477,060 | 9.351 |
| 2014 | 9,690,853,712 | 9.691 |
| 2015 | 10,064,519,963 | 10.065 |
| 2016 | 10,351,178,143 | 10.351 |
| 2017 | 10,463,154,366 | 10.463 |
| 2018 | 10,764,555,646 | 10.765 |
| 2019 | 11,185,494,934 | 11.185 |
| 2020 | 10,661,068,595 | 10.661 |
| 2021 | 11,141,955,230 | 11.142 |
| 2022 | 11,449,348,867 | 11.449 |
| 2023 | 11,741,875,753 | 11.742 |
| 2024 | 12,093,396,440 | 12.093 |
| 2025 | 12,515,101,179 | 12.515 |
Human development
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
HDI · 20230.815Very High human developmentRank 68 of 193 · 2025 report
Human Development Index over time
19900.644
20000.686
20100.765
20200.783
20230.815
77.4 yearsLife expectancy at birth
10.2 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
Government
Parliamentary republic. Assembly of the Republic (Sobranie) has one chamber (a unicameral legislature).
Knowledge check
Three questions about North Macedonia.
QUESTION 1 OF 3
Which agreement led to the name North Macedonia?
Sources & notes
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.