Kosovo

Kosovo is a country in central southeastern Europe, within the Balkan region. Its capital and largest city is Pristina. The 2024 census carried out by the Kosovo Agency of Statistics gave a preliminary population figure of 1,586,659, of whom 795,046 were men and 791,614 women; the median age rose from 29.97 years (2011) to 34.8 years (2024).

Kosovo declared independence on 17 February 2008, following the end of a war in 1999, after which the territory was placed under an interim administration led by the United Nations under Security Council Resolution 1244. Serbia does not recognise the secession, which is why Kosovo has not become a member of the United Nations to date.

International legal status and recognition

On 22 July 2010 the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion (a non-binding legal opinion) stating that Kosovo's declaration of independence did not violate international law, since international law contains no rule prohibiting declarations of independence. The opinion removed the strongest legal argument against independence, but it did not settle the dispute between Belgrade and Pristina. Five European Union member states — Spain, Romania, Slovakia, Greece and Cyprus — still do not recognise Kosovo.

Population and communities

The 2024 census reached more than 99.8% of Kosovo's enumeration areas, but there were large-scale boycotts in some northern municipalities, where the Serb community is heavily concentrated. The published ethnic figures should therefore be read with this incomplete coverage in mind. Overall, Albanians make up the majority of the population, while Serbs, Bosniaks, Turks, Ashkali and Roma are smaller communities for which the law guarantees reserved seats in parliament.

Political system and difficulties in forming a government

Kosovo is a unitary parliamentary republic. In 2025–2026 there was a prolonged institutional deadlock: after the parliamentary election, the vote for Speaker of the Assembly stalled through more than 57 attempts, which led to a snap election on 28 December 2025, in which Vetëvendosje (LVV) won 57 seats. On 11 February 2026 parliament approved Albin Kurti's new government with 66 votes in favour and 49 against. That stability did not last: another election was held on 7 June 2026, and as of early August 2026 the new parliament had still not been constituted, the deadline set by the Constitutional Court having passed.

The Belgrade–Pristina dialogue

The EU-facilitated dialogue began in March 2011. More recently the two sides reached the Brussels Agreement of 27 February 2023 and the Ohrid Agreement of 18 March 2023 (Kosovo signed; Serbia agreed only verbally). The European Parliament reported that both sides had failed to implement their commitments. On 24 September 2023 an armed Serb group carried out an attack in northern Kosovo; one Kosovo police officer and three of the attackers were killed. As of March 2025 the dialogue remained stalled.

Security arrangements

NATO's KFOR force has been present in Kosovo since 12 June 1999, with a mandate derived from Resolution 1244 and the military technical agreement between NATO and Yugoslavia. According to NATO, KFOR has some 4,600 troops from 31 allied and partner countries. Security is organised in three tiers: the Kosovo Police (first), the EU rule-of-law mission EULEX together with its formed police unit (second), and KFOR (third). The transformation of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) into a national army is a matter Belgrade strongly opposes.

Economy

Kosovo uses the euro, although it is not formally a member of the eurozone. Remittances from the diaspora are a major foundation: in 2023 they reached 1.9 billion dollars, or 18% of GDP, one of the highest rates in the world; several sources indicate that nearly two in every three households report receiving remittances. The IMF projected economic growth of 4% and inflation of about 2¼% for 2025. The BTI 2026 report stated that overall unemployment had fallen to roughly 12% in 2024, while youth unemployment remained high at 41%; emigration continues.

European integration

Kosovo submitted its application for EU membership on 15 December 2022, but its status remains that of a "potential candidate", which is below formal candidate status. EU visa liberalisation has come into effect, which the IMF described as something that may affect the labour market and cause skills shortages over the medium term.