Population and Demographics of North Macedonia
Population declining at 0.48% in 2024 · 18.02% aged 65 or older
The fertility estimate of 1.5 should be read with the age profile, where 16.82% are children and 18.02% are older adults. That context matters for the outlook: the 2050 medium projection is 1.51 million, 17.0% lower than in 2024.
Population Over Time in North Macedonia
North Macedonia's population stood at 2.057M in 2000 and 1.823M in 2024, equivalent to a -11.4% change over that period. By 2050, the medium path reaches 1.513M, which would make the population smaller than in 2024. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
The 2024 age structure gives North Macedonia a maturing population profile. The under-15 share is 16.82% and the 65-and-older share is 18.02%, with 65.16% aged 15 to 64. The youngest and oldest broad age groups are relatively close in size.
Population by broad age group
North Macedonia's 2024 population is 51.4% female and 48.6% male in the World Bank series. Females exceed males by 2.8 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Females made up 51.4% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 48.6% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
North Macedonia's 2024 demographic snapshot includes -0.48% annual change plus fertility of 1.5, as the working-age group accounts for 65.16% of the population.
Population change before the projection period is -11.4% for North Macedonia between 2000 and 2024, before the medium projection moves another -17.0% to 2050; component causes are not assigned without separate births, deaths and migration data.
2024 estimate for North Macedonia. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
North Macedonia vs. World
In the harmonized 2024 comparison, North Macedonia's annual population change is lower than the world rate, fertility is below the global level, and its population is older than the world median-age profile.
| Indicator | North Macedonia | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | -0.48% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.5 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 41 | 30.6 | 2024 |
This comparison avoids mixed-year arithmetic by keeping North Macedonia and the world on the same 2024 harmonized demographic table.
Key Takeaways
North Macedonia has 1,823,009 people in the 2024 estimate, with the population changing -0.48% over the year.
Age structure is a key feature of the profile: 16.82% are under 15 and 18.02% are 65 or older.
The 2024 female and male shares are 51.4% and 48.6% respectively.
On the medium path, 2050 reaches 1.513M, a -17.0% shift from the 2024 level.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of North Macedonia?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for North Macedonia is 1,823,009 people.
Is the population of North Macedonia growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, North Macedonia's population is declining, with annual change of -0.48%.
What percentage of the population of North Macedonia is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 18.02% of North Macedonia's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of North Macedonia in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts North Macedonia's 2050 population at 1,512,688.
What is the fertility rate in North Macedonia?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for North Macedonia is 1.5 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.