Kosovo is losing population! First census results show big drop - as many as 183,000 apartments are empty

Photo: N.Z.

The municipality of Pristina has the largest population, 227,154 people. 32 percent of the total population lives in the Pristina region, which is an increase from 27.4 percent compared to 2011. According to the preliminary results of the Census of Population, Households and Apartments, conducted from April 5 to May 24, 2024, 1,586,659 residents live in Kosovo, which is slightly more than 150,000 less than in 2011, reports Anadolu.

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Preliminary data, published today by the Agency for Statistics of Kosovo, includes the number of the population by gender and at the municipal level, including the latest demographic trends.

Acting Director of the Kosovo Statistics Agency (ASK) Avni Kastrati said that the preliminary results indicate there are 795,046 men and 791,614 women. He added that the average age of the population is 34.5, which is an increase of about 5 years compared to 2011.

Kastrati said that more than 99.8 percent of all units larger than 40 square meters have been visited by census takers, which is a success compared to the previous time. According to him, in the southern municipalities, almost all Serbs got registered.

"In the four municipalities in the north of Kosovo, Leposavic, Zubin Potok, Zvecan and northern (Kosovska) Mitrovica, there was a large-scale boycott, but a part of the population was registered. Nevertheless, ASK has data for that part as well and will publish it in the final report, both concerning the population and apartments, family households and other indicators", Kastrati said.

He added that about 600,000 residents who live outside of Kosovo have so far been registered online and that the deadline for this has been extended until August 31.

Only in 9 out of 38 municipalities have had an increase in the number of inhabitants, while the other 29 recorded a decrease. The municipality of Pristina has the largest population, 227,154. 32 percent of the total population lives in the Pristina region, which is an increase from 27.4 percent in comparison to 2011.

The second largest is the municipality of Prizren with 147,428 inhabitants, which is a decrease in the number of inhabitants compared to 2011.

The population density is 145.5 inhabitants per square kilometer, and the most populated municipality is Kosovo Polje with 762 inhabitants per square kilometer, followed by Mamusa with 513 and Pristina with 434.

559,936 apartments have been registered, of which 373,983 are inhabited, while 185,953 or 33.2 percent are empty. Kosovo has 353,702 family households with an average of 4.5 members.

Kastrati, presenting the preliminary results of the census, said that the final results may differ only slightly.

(Telegraf.rs)