Editing Kosovo (section)

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Kosovo}}
{{Further|Languages of Kosovo|Demographic history of Kosovo}}

[[File:Population of Kosovo (1921-2015).png|thumb|upright=1.25|The population of Kosovo from 1921 to 2015]]

The [[Kosovo Agency of Statistics|Agency of Statistics]] estimated Kosovo's population in 2021 to be approximately 1,774,000.<ref name="Chapter 1">{{cite web |author1=Kosovo Agency of Statistics |title=Estimation of Kosovo population 2021 |url=https://ask.rks-gov.net/en/kosovo-agency-of-statistics/add-news/population-assessment-2021#:~:text=The%20population%20in%20Kosovo%20for,971%20resident%20inhabitants. |location=Pristina |language=en |author1-link=Kosovo Agency of Statistics |access-date=18 November 2022 |archive-date=17 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117225230/https://ask.rks-gov.net/en/kosovo-agency-of-statistics/add-news/population-assessment-2021.pdf#:~:text=The%20population%20in%20Kosovo%20for,971%20resident%20inhabitants. }}</ref> In 2023, the overall [[List of countries by life expectancy|life expectancy]] at birth is 79.68 years; 77.38 years for males and 81.87 years for females.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Life Expectancy of Kosovo (under UNSC res. 1244) 1950–2023 & Future Projections |url=https://database.earth/population/Kosovo%20(under%20UNSC%20res.%201244)growth-rate |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=database.earth |language=en }}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The estimated [[total fertility rate]] in 2023 is 1.88 children born per woman.<ref name=cia_fb2023>{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Kosovo|access-date=15 August 2023|year=2023}}</ref> The country is the [[Balkans#Demographics|11th most populous country]] in the [[Southeastern Europe]] ([[Balkans]]) and ranks as the [[List of countries and dependencies by population|148th most populous country]] in the world. The country's population rose steadily over the 20th century and peaked at an estimated 2.2 million in 1998. The [[Kosovo War]] and subsequent migration have decreased the population of Kosovo over time.  
[[File:Kosovo ethnic map 2011 census.GIF|thumb|Distribution of ethnic groups within Kosovo, as of the 2011 census<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ethnic composition of Kosovo 2011 |url=http://pop-stat.mashke.org/kosovo-ethnic-loc2011.htm |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=pop-stat.mashke.org}}</ref>|left]]
In 2019, [[Kosovo Albanians|Albanians]] constituted 92% of the population of Kosovo, followed by ethnic [[Kosovo Serbs|Serbs]] (4%), [[Bosniaks in Kosovo|Bosniaks]] (2%), [[Turks in Kosovo|Turks]] (1%), [[Romani people in Kosovo|Romani]] (1%), and the [[Gorani people|Gorani]] (<1%).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/kosovo-population/ |title=Kosovo Population 2019 |work=World Population Review |access-date=8 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728020418/http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/kosovo-population/ |archive-date=28 July 2019 }}</ref> Albanians constitute the majority of the population in most of Kosovo. Ethnic Serbs are concentrated in [[North Kosovo|the north]] of the country, as well as in [[Serbian enclaves in Kosovo|other municipalities]] in the east of the country, such as [[Gračanica, Kosovo|Gračanica]] and [[Štrpce]]. Turks form a local majority in the municipality of [[Mamusha]], just north of Prizren, while the Bosniaks are mainly located within Prizren itself. The Gorani are concentrated in the southernmost tip of the country, in [[Dragash]]. The Romani are spread across the entire country.

The [[official language]]s of Kosovo are [[Albanian language|Albanian]] and [[Serbian language|Serbian]]<ref name="bein12">{{cite web |title=LANGUAGES SPOKEN IN KOSOVO |url=https://www.beinkosovo.com/languages-spoken-in-kosovo/ |access-date=19 December 2023 |archive-date=19 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231219194519/https://www.beinkosovo.com/languages-spoken-in-kosovo/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and the institutions are committed to ensure the equal use of those two official languages of Kosovo.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo |url=https://gzk.rks-gov.net/ActDetail.aspx?ActID=3702 |access-date=June 9, 2022 |website=Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo |archive-date=6 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806185048/https://gzk.rks-gov.net/ActDetail.aspx?ActID=3702 |url-status=live }}</ref> Municipal civil servants are only required to speak one of the two languages in a professional setting and, according to Language Commissioner of Kosovo Slaviša Mladenović, no government organisation has all of its documents available in both languages.<ref name="ECMI-Kosovo Language Commissioner">{{cite web|url=http://www.infoecmi.eu/index.php/kosovo-language-commissioner-trainings/|title=Kosovo Language Commissioner lauds trainings|publisher=[[European Centre for Minority Issues]]|access-date=29 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924034740/http://www.infoecmi.eu/index.php/kosovo-language-commissioner-trainings/|archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> The Law on the Use of Languages gives [[Turkish language|Turkish]] the status of an official language in the municipality of [[Prizren]], irrespective of the size of the [[Turks of Kosovo|Turkish community]] living there.<ref name="COE-Municipalities">{{cite web|url=http://www.osce.org/kosovo/120010?download=true|title=Municipal language compliance in Kosovo, June 2014|publisher=[[Council of Europe]]|format=PDF|access-date=29 June 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703120903/http://www.osce.org/kosovo/120010?download=true|archive-date=3 July 2015}}</ref> Otherwise, [[Turkish language|Turkish]], [[Bosnian language|Bosnian]] and [[Romani language|Roma]] hold the status of official languages at municipal level if the linguistic community represents at least 5% of the total population of municipality.<ref name="langauges">{{Cite web |title=Kosovo's Constitution of 2008 (with Amendments through 2016), article 5 |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Kosovo_2016.pdf |via=constituteproject.org |access-date=2 November 2019 |archive-date=2 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102154102/https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Kosovo_2016.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="COE-Municipalities"/> Albanian is spoken as a [[first language]] by all Albanians, as well as some of the Romani people, such as the [[Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians]]. Serbian, Bosnian, and Turkish are spoken as first languages by their respective communities.

According to the [[World Happiness Report]] 2024, which evaluates the happiness levels of citizens in various countries, Kosovo is currently ranked 29th among a total of 143 nations assessed, compared with neighbours Serbia ranked 37th, Montenegro 76th, North Macedonia 84th and Albania 87th.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[World Happiness Report]] (WHR) |title=World Happiness Report 2024: Happiness of the younger, the older, and those in between |url=https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2024/happiness-of-the-younger-the-older-and-those-in-between/#ranking-of-happiness-2021-2023 |access-date=11 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240911095847/https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2024/happiness-of-the-younger-the-older-and-those-in-between/#ranking-of-happiness-2021-2023 |archive-date=11 September 2024 |date=20 March 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The relations between [[Kosovar Albanians]] and [[Kosovar Serbs]] have been hostile since the rise of nationalism in the Balkans during the 19th century.<ref name="Schabnel, Albrecht 2001. Pp. 20">Schabnel, Albrecht; Thakur (ed), Ramesh (ed). ''Kosovo and the Challenge of Humanitarian Intervention: Selective Indignation, Collective Action, and International Citizenship'', New York: The United Nations University, 2001. p. 20.</ref> During Communism in Yugoslavia, the ethnic Albanians and Serbs were strongly irreconcilable, with sociological studies during the Tito-era indicating that ethnic Albanians and Serbs rarely accepted each other as neighbors or friends and few held inter-ethnic marriages.<ref name="Schabnel, Albrecht 2001. Pp. 24">Schabnel, Albrecht; Thakur (ed), Ramesh (ed), 2001. p. 24.</ref> Ethnic prejudices, stereotypes and mutual distrust between ethnic Albanians and Serbs have remained common for decades.<ref name="Schabnel, Albrecht 2001. Pp. 24"/> The level of intolerance and separation between both communities during the Tito-period was reported by sociologists to be worse than that of Croat and Serb communities in Yugoslavia, which also had tensions but held some closer relations between each other.<ref name="Schabnel, Albrecht 2001. Pp. 24"/>

Despite their planned integration into the Kosovar society and their recognition in the Kosovar constitution, the [[Romani people|Romani]], Ashkali, and Egyptian communities continue to face many difficulties, such as segregation and discrimination, in housing, education, health, employment and social welfare.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dissidentvoice.org/Articles/Rifati_Kosovo.htm |title=The Roma and "Humanitarian" Ethnic Cleansing in Kosovo |publisher=Dissidentvoice.org |access-date=19 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100521004009/http://dissidentvoice.org/Articles/Rifati_Kosovo.htm |archive-date=21 May 2010}}</ref> Many camps around Kosovo continue to house thousands of [[internally displaced people]], all of whom are from minority groups and communities.<ref>{{cite web|author=Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) – Norwegian Refugee Council |url=http://www.internal-displacement.org/8025708F004CE90B/(httpCountries)/165F03EE03E9D015C1257662005CE095?opendocument&count=10000 |title=IDMC, Internally Displaced persons (IDPs) in Kosovo |publisher=Internal-displacement.org |access-date=19 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100521044236/http://www.internal-displacement.org/8025708F004CE90B/%28httpCountries%29/165F03EE03E9D015C1257662005CE095?OpenDocument&count=10000 |archive-date=21 May 2010}}</ref> Because many of the Roma are believed to have sided with the Serbs during the conflict, taking part in the widespread looting and destruction of Albanian property, [[Minority Rights Group International]] report that Romani people encounter hostility by Albanians outside their local areas.<ref>{{cite web|author=Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) – Norwegian Refugee Council |url=http://www.internal-displacement.org/8025708F004CE90B/(httpEnvelopes)/B4A8E121B6EA5BBB802570B8005AA863?OpenDocument|title=IDMC: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, Countries, Kosovo, Roma, Ashkaelia and Egyptians in Kosovo (2006) |publisher=Internal-displacement.org |access-date=19 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514140932/http://www.internal-displacement.org/8025708F004CE90B/%28httpEnvelopes%29/B4A8E121B6EA5BBB802570B8005AA863?OpenDocument|archive-date=14 May 2011}}</ref> A 2020 research report funded by the EU shows that there is a limited scale of trust and overall contact between the major ethnic groups in Kosovo.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020|title=Index of ethnic stereotypes in Kosovo|website=kcs-ks.org|url=https://kcr-ks.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Index-ENG-stereotypes.pdf|access-date=20 July 2020|archive-date=20 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720222406/https://kcr-ks.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Index-ENG-stereotypes.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
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{|class="wikitable floatright" style="text-align:left; width:97%; margin-right:10px; font-size:90%"
|+Largest [[Municipalities of Kosovo|municipalities]] by population (2024)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population and housing census in Kosovo – Preliminary results – July 2024 |url=https://askapi.rks-gov.net/Custom/1d268e37-5934-4bd5-bbd1-34a9965cff92.pdf |publisher=Kosovo Agency of Statistics |access-date=3 August 2024}}</ref>
|-
!rowspan=23 width:150|<br />
{{center|[[File:Prishtina nga Katedrala 1.jpg|180px|Pristina]]<br />[[Pristina]]}}
{{center|[[File:37 Prizreni - Xhamia e Sinan Pashës - The Sinan Pasha Moscue.JPG|180px|Prizren]]<br />[[Prizren]]}}
! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"|Rank
! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"|Municipality
! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"|Population
! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"|Rank
! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"|Municipality
! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"|Population
!rowspan=23 width:150|<br />
{{center|[[File:Xhami dhe Kishë Orthodokse.jpg|165px|Ferizaj]]<br />[[Ferizaj]]}}
{{center|[[File:Peja..JPG|165px|Peja]]<br />[[Peja]]}}
|-
|style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 1 ||align=left|'''[[Pristina]]''' || 227,154 || style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;" | 11 ||align=left|'''[[Lipjan]]'''|| 54,974
|-
|style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 2 ||align=left|'''[[Prizren]]''' || 147,428 || style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;" | 12 ||align=left|'''[[Drenas]]''' || 48,054
|-
|style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 3 ||align=left|'''[[Ferizaj]]''' || 109,345 || style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;" | 13 ||align=left|[[Suva Reka|'''Suharekë''']]|| 45,713
|-
|style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 4 ||align=left|'''[[Gjilan]]'''|| 82,901 || style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;" | 14 ||align=left|'''[[Malisheva]]''' || 43,871
|-
|style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 5 ||align=left|'''[[Peja]]'''|| 82,661 || style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;" | 15 ||align=left|'''[[Rahovec]]''' || 41,777
|-
|style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 6 ||align=left|'''[[Gjakova]]''' || 78,824 || style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;" | 16 ||align=left|'''[[Skenderaj]]''' || 40,632
|-
|style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 7 ||align=left|'''[[Podujevë]]''' || 71,018 || style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;" | 17 ||align=left|[[Viti, Kosovo|'''Viti''']]|| 35,549
|-
|style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 8 ||align=left|'''[[Mitrovica, Kosovo|Mitrovica]]''' || 64,680 || style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;" | 18 ||align=left|'''[[Istog]]''' || 33,066
|-
|style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 9 ||align=left|'''[[Kosovo Polje]]'''|| 64,078 || style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;" | 19 ||align=left|'''[[Klina]]''' || 30,574
|-
|style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 10 ||align=left|'''[[Vushtrri]]''' || 61,493 || style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;" | 20 ||align=left|'''[[Dragash]]''' || 28,908
|-
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"|
|}
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=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in Kosovo}}

{{bar box
| title     = Religion in Kosovo<ref name=factbook/>
| titlebar  = #ddd
| float     = right
| bars      =
{{bar percent|[[Islam|Muslim]]<ref>{{cite journal |last=Ghaffar |first=Mughal Abdul |title=Muslims in Kosovo: A Socio-economic and Demographic Profile: Is the Muslim Population Exploding? |journal=Balkan Social Science Review |date=30 December 2015 |volume=6 |pages=155–201 |url=https://js.ugd.edu.mk/index.php/BSSR/article/view/1258 |access-date=20 December 2021 |archive-date=20 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220190456/https://js.ugd.edu.mk/index.php/BSSR/article/view/1258 |url-status=live}}</ref>|Green|95.6}}
{{bar percent|[[Christianity|Christian]]|Yellow|3.7}}
{{bar percent|{{spaced ndash}}[[Roman Catholic]]|Yellow|2.2}}
{{bar percent|{{spaced ndash}}[[Eastern Orthodox]]|Orange|1.5}}
{{bar percent|[[Non-religious]]|Blue|0.1}}
{{bar percent|Other|Beige|0.1}}
{{bar percent|Unspecified|Violet|0.1}}
}}

Kosovo is a [[secular state]] with no [[state religion]]; [[freedom of belief]], [[Freedom of conscience|conscience]] and [[Freedom of religion|religion]] is explicitly guaranteed in the [[Constitution of Kosovo]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kosovo's Constitution of 2008 (with Amendments through 2016), article 8 |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Kosovo_2016.pdf |via=constituteproject.org |access-date=2 November 2019 |archive-date=2 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102154102/https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Kosovo_2016.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref name="ReferenceB"/> Kosovar society is strongly [[secularised]] and is ranked first in [[Southern Europe]] and ninth in the world as free and equal for tolerance towards [[religion]] and [[atheism]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Olivier Roy, Arolda Elbasani |title=The Revival of Islam in the Balkans: From Identity to Religiosity |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-137-51784-5 |page=67 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4F9OCgAAQBAJ&q=secular&pg=PA72 |language=en |date=2015 |access-date=1 November 2020 |archive-date=7 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307171441/https://books.google.com/books?id=4F9OCgAAQBAJ&q=secular&pg=PA72 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Freedom of Thought 2014 report (map)|url= http://freethoughtreport.com/map/|publisher= Freedom of Thought|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171010131440/http://freethoughtreport.com/map/|archive-date= 10 October 2017|df= dmy-all|access-date= 8 September 2015}}</ref>

In the 2011 census, 95.6% of the population of Kosovo was counted as [[Muslim]] and 3.7% as [[Christian]] including 2.2% as [[Roman Catholic]] and 1.5% as [[Eastern Orthodox]].<ref name="factbook">{{cite web |date=19 June 2014 |title=World Factbook–Kosovo |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kosovo/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204144331/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kosovo/ |archive-date=4 February 2021 |access-date=30 January 2014 |publisher=[[The World Factbook]]}}</ref> The remaining 0.3% of the population reported having no religion, or another religion, or did not provide an adequate answer. Protestants, although recognised as a religious group in Kosovo by the government, were not represented in the census. The census was largely boycotted by the [[Kosovo Serbs]], who predominantly identify as [[Serbian Orthodox Christians]], especially in [[North Kosovo]],<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/kosovo-census-starts-without-northern-kosovo |title=Kosovo Census to Start Without the North |author=Petrit Collaku |work=[[Balkan Insight]] |date=29 March 2011 |access-date=17 December 2017 |archive-date=25 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925200738/https://balkaninsight.com/2011/03/29/kosovo-census-starts-without-northern-kosovo// |url-status=live}}</ref> leaving the Serb population underrepresented.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/kosovo-police-stop-illegal-serb-census-attempts-09-14-2017 |title=Kosovo Police Stop 'Illegal' Serb Census Attempts |author=Perparim Isufi |work=Balkan Insight |date=14 September 2017 |access-date=17 December 2017 |archive-date=25 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925200741/https://balkaninsight.com/2017/09/14/kosovo-police-stop-illegal-serb-census-attempts-09-14-2017// |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Islam in Kosovo|Islam]] is the most widely practiced religion in Kosovo and was introduced in the [[Middle Ages]] by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]]. Today, Kosovo has the second-highest number of Muslims as a percentage of its population in Europe after Turkey.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Mughal Abdul Ghaffar |title=Muslims in Kosovo: A Socio-economic and Demographic Profile: Is the Muslim Population Exploding? |url=http://js.ugd.edu.mk/index.php/BSSR/article/download/1258/1058/ |website=js.ugd.edu.mk |language=en |format=PDF |access-date=24 November 2018 |archive-date=24 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124220057/http://js.ugd.edu.mk/index.php/BSSR/article/download/1258/1058/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The majority of the Muslim population of Kosovo are ethnic [[Albanians]], [[Turkish people|Turks]], and Slavs such as [[Gorani people|Gorani]] and [[Bosniaks]].<ref>{{cite news | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4385768.stm | work= BBC News | title= Muslims in Europe: Country guide | date= 23 December 2005 | url-status=live | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090126140616/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4385768.stm | archive-date= 26 January 2009 | df= dmy-all}}</ref>

Members of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] are predominantly Albanians while ethnic Serbs mainly belong to the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]. In 2008, Protestant pastor [[Artur Krasniqi]], primate of the Kosovo Protestant Evangelical Church, claimed that "as many as 15,000" Kosovar Albanians had converted to Protestantism since 1985.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/europe/2008/12/30/conversion-rate|title=Conversion rate|date=30 December 2008|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=25 December 2018|issn=0013-0613|archive-date=5 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171105000350/http://www.economist.com/node/12868180|url-status=live}}</ref>

Relations between the Albanian Muslim and Albanian Catholic communities in Kosovo are good; however, both communities have few or no relations with the [[Serbian Orthodox]] community. In general, the Albanians define their [[ethnicity]] by language and not by religion, while religion reflects a distinguishing identity feature among the Slavs of Kosovo and elsewhere.<ref>{{cite web |title=Religion in Kosovo |url=https://www.crisisgroup.org/europe-central-asia/balkans/kosovo/religion-kosovo |website=crisisgroup.org |publisher=International Crisis Group |date=31 July 2001 |access-date=14 February 2024 |archive-date=14 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240214225145/https://www.crisisgroup.org/europe-central-asia/balkans/kosovo/religion-kosovo |url-status=live }}</ref>
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