North Macedonia's population has decreased by 9% in the past two decades from 2.02 million to 1.83 million, census data showed on Wednesday, in a trend experts attribute to a declining birthrate and immigration mainly to western European nations.
The long-delayed census is sensitive as it helps determine a delicate power-sharing arrangement in place since North Macedonia narrowly avoided civil war in 2001 between government forces and ethnic Albanian rebels seeking greater rights.
Census data from the official statistics office showed that 58.4% of the population are ethnic Macedonians, 24.3% Albanians, and 3.84% Turks. The rest are smaller groups such as Roma, Serbs and Bosniaks.
