2024-07-12 14:23:28
The population of Kosovo is 1,586,659. This is shown by the preliminary data from the census in Kosovo, announced at a press conference in Pristina today, broadcast live on Kosovo Radio and Television. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti was also present at the press conference.
The data was presented by the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Kosovo Statistics Agency (KSA) Avni Kastrati.
The Census of Population, Households and Housing in Kosovo (ReKos2024) was conducted between 5 April and 24 May 2024. It is the second census in Kosovo since the country’s independence in 2008.
The population count announced today does not include Kosovo citizens living outside the country, as the online census for them is still ongoing and will continue until August 31. Final census data is expected to be released at the end of the year.
Figures from 2011 show a population of Kosovo of 1,739,825, according to official figures on the website of the Kosovo Statistics Agency.
The current census was supposed to take place in 2021, but was postponed once due to COVID-19 and then several more times due to delays in the entire preparation process, before the Kosovo government finally postponed it to April 2024.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced in late November 2023 that he had decided to replace the leadership of the Kosovo Statistics Agency because the census process had not started as planned.
The last population census in 2011 was not held in four Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo and was partially boycotted in other Serb-majority municipalities.
Serbia and the Kosovo Serbs do not recognize Kosovo’s declared independence in 2008. Belgrade and Pristina are conducting a dialogue for the normalization of their relations under the auspices of the EU.
According to Kastrati, quoted by BTA, the Serbian community in Kosovo took part in the census this time.
The Kosovo Serb census this year came amid calls by two Kosovo Serb parties for the community to boycott the process.