North Macedonia recorded the third-largest population decline in Europe

Eurostat data show that North Macedonia has lost 11.4 percent of its population compared with 2011. This is the third-largest decline in Europe, after Albania and Bulgaria, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.

At the end of 2024, Albania had 18 percent fewer residents than in 2011. During the period when the population censuses were conducted, the number of residents in the country fell by more than 500,000, reported “euronews.al”.

According to Eurostat, the European statistical agency, Albania tops the list for population decline. It is followed by Bulgaria, which lost 12.3 percent of its residents over the past decade, while North Macedonia recorded a contraction of 11.4 percent.

The wave of emigration has affected nearly all the countries in the region. Montenegro is among the few countries that has kept its population almost unchanged, recording an increase of 0.6 percent.

By contrast, Western European countries have expanded their populations through aggressive immigration policies, used to mitigate the demographic consequences of an aging population and declining birth rates. Since 2011, the eurozone’s population has grown by 3.2 percent.