North Macedonia Overview
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a small country in the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. The country is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia and declared independence in 1991. Macedonia is a landlocked country bordered by Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Albania. Skopje is the largest city with a population estimated at 507,000. This is the only city with a population of more than 75,000.
North Macedonia Demographics
According to the last census in 2002, the largest ethnic group in Macedonia was the Macedonians. The second largest is the Albanians, who are concentrated in the northwestern part of the nation. Estimates indicate a Roma population of up to 260,000.
Up to 65% of the population follows Orthodox Christianity, with most belonging to the Macedonian Orthodox Church. Other Christian denominations account for 0.4% of the population. Muslims account for 33% of the population. Macedonia has the 5th highest proportion of Muslims in Europe. Most of the Muslims in the country are Turks, Rom or Albanians, although there is a small number of Macedonian Muslims.
Prior to World War II, the country had a Jewish community of about 7,200, although only 2% of Macedonian Jews survived the Holocaust. After the end of the War, most emigrated to Israel. There are now about 200 Jewish people in Macedonia who live in Skopje.