Statistical information Kosovo 2017

Kosovo in the World

Kosovo - Introduction 2017

The central Balkans were part of the Roman and Byzantine Empires before ethnic Serbs migrated to the territories of modern Kosovo in the 7th century. During the medieval period Kosovo became the center of a Serbian Empire and saw the construction of many important Serb religious sites including many architecturally significant Serbian Orthodox monasteries. The defeat of Serbian forces at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 led to five centuries of Ottoman rule during which large numbers of Turks and Albanians moved to Kosovo. By the end of the 19th century Albanians replaced Serbs as the dominant ethnic group in Kosovo. Serbia reacquired control over the region from the Ottoman Empire during the First Balkan War of 1912. After World War II Kosovo's present-day boundaries were established when Kosovo became an autonomous province of Serbia in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (S.F.R.Y.). Despite legislative concessions Albanian nationalism increased in the 1980s which led to riots and calls for Kosovo's independence. The Serbs - many of whom viewed Kosovo as their cultural heartland - instituted a new constitution in 1989 revoking Kosovo's autonomous status. Kosovo's Albanian leaders responded in 1991 by organizing a referendum declaring Kosovo independent. Serbia undertook repressive measures against the Kosovar Albanians in the 1990s provoking a Kosovar Albanian insurgency.
Beginning in 1998 Serbia conducted a brutal counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massive expulsions of ethnic Albanians (some 800,000 ethnic Albanians were forced from their homes in Kosovo). After international attempts to mediate the conflict failed a three-month NATO military operation against Serbia beginning in March 1999 forced the Serbs to agree to withdraw their military and police forces from Kosovo. UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) placed Kosovo under a transitional administration the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) pending a determination of Kosovo's future status. A UN-led process began in late 2005 to determine Kosovo's final status. The 2006-07 negotiations ended without agreement between Belgrade and Pristina though the UN issued a comprehensive report on Kosovo's final status that endorsed independence. On 17 February 2008 the Kosovo Assembly declared Kosovo independent. Since then over 110 countries have recognized Kosovo and it has joined numerous international organizations. In October 2008 Serbia sought an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality under international law of Kosovo's declaration of independence. The ICJ released the advisory opinion in July 2010 affirming that Kosovo's declaration of independence did not violate general principles of international law UN Security Council Resolution 1244 or the Constitutive Framework. The opinion was closely tailored to Kosovo's unique history and circumstances.
Demonstrating Kosovo’s development into a sovereign multi-ethnic democratic country the international community ended the period of Supervised Independence in 2012. Elections were held throughout Kosovo in 2013 and 2014 at the municipal and national level respectively. Serbia continues to reject Kosovo's independence but the two countries reached an agreement to normalize their relations in April 2013 through EU-facilitated talks and are currently engaged in the implementation process. Kosovo seeks full integration into the international community and has pursued bilateral recognitions and eventual membership in international organizations such as the UN EU and NATO.

Kosovo - Geography 2017

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Location: Southeast Europe between Serbia and Macedonia

Geographic coordinates: 42 35 N 21 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 10,887 km²
Land: 10,887 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 168
Comparative: slightly larger than Delaware

Land boundaries
Total: 714 km
Border countries: (4) Albania 112 km; Macedonia 160 km; Montenegro 76 km; Serbia 366 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: influenced by continental air masses resulting in relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall and hot dry summers and autumns; Mediterranean and alpine influences create regional variation; maximum rainfall between October and December

Terrain: flat fluvial basin at an elevation of 400-700 m above sea level surrounded by several high mountain ranges with elevations of 2000 to 2,500 m

Elevation
Mean elevation: 450 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Drini i Bardhe/Beli Drim 297 m: highest point: Gjeravica/Deravica 2,656 m

Natural resources: nickel lead zinc magnesium lignite kaolin chrome bauxite

Land use

Land use
Agricultural land: 52.8%

arable land: 27.4%
permanent crops: 1.9%
permanent pasture: 23.5%

Forest: 41.7%
Other: 5.5%

Irrigated land: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: the 41-km long Nerodimka River divides into two branches each of which flows into a different sea: the northern branch flows into the Sitnica River which via the Ibar Morava and Danube Rivers ultimately flows into the Black Sea; the southern branch flows via the Lepenac and Vardar Rivers into the Aegean Sea

Kosovo - People 2017

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Population
Distribution: population clusters exist throughout the country the largest being in the east in and around the capital of Pristina: 1,895,250 (July 2017 est.)
Rank: 150
Below poverty line: 30% (2013 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Kosovar Kosovac (Serbian)
Adjective: Kosovar Kosovski (Serbian)
Note: Kosovan a neutral term is sometimes also used as a noun or adjective

Ethnic groups: Albanians 92.9% Bosniaks 1.6% Serbs 1.5% Turk 1.1% Ashkali 0.9% Egyptian 0.7% Gorani 0.6% Romani 0.5% other/unspecified 0.2%
Note: these estimates may under-represent Serb Romani and some other ethnic minorities because they are based on the 2011 Kosovo national census which excluded northern Kosovo and was partially boycotted by Serb and Romani communities in southern Kosovo (2011 est.)

Languages: Albanian (official) 94.5% Bosnian 1.7% Serbian (official) 1.6% Turkish 1.1% other 0.9% (includes Romani) unspecified 0.1%
Note: in municipalities where a community's mother tongue is not one of Kosovo's official languages the language of that community may be given official status according to the 2006 Law on the Use of Languages

Religions: Muslim 95.6% Roman Catholic 2.2% Orthodox 1.5% other 0.07% none 0.07% unspecified 0.6% (2011 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Age structure
0-14 years: 25.01%
15-24 years: 17.22%
25-54 years: 42.57%
55-64 years: 7.92%
65 years and over: 7.28% (2017 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 29.1 years
Male: 28.8 years
Female: 29.5 years
Rank: 126

Population growth rate

Birth rate

Death rate

Net migration rate

Population distribution: population clusters exist throughout the country the largest being in the east in and around the capital of Pristina

Urbanization

Major urban areas
Population: PRISTINA (capital) 207,062 (2014)

Environment

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.08 male/female
0-14 years: 1.08 male/female
15-24 years: 1.1 male/female
25-54 years: 1.12 male/female
55-64 years: 1.01 male/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male/female
Total population: 1.06 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment

Kosovo - Government 2017

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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Kosovo
Conventional short form: Kosovo
Local long form: Republika e Kosoves
Local short form: Kosova
Etymology: name derives from the Serbian 'kos' meaning 'blackbird' an ellipsis for 'kosove polje' or 'field of the blackbirds'

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Pristina
Geographic coordinates: 42 40 N 21 10 E
Time difference: UTC+1
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: 38 municipalities (komunat singular - komuna (Albanian); opstine singular - opstina (Serbian)); Decan (Decani) Dragash (Dragas) Ferizaj (Urosevac) Fushe Kosove (Kosovo Polje) Gjakove (Dakovica) Gjilan (Gnjilane) Gllogovc (Glogovac) Gracanice (Gracanica) Hani i Elezit (Deneral Jankovic) Istog (Istok) Junik Kacanik Kamenice (Kamenica) Kline (Klina) Kllokot (Klokot) Leposaviq (Leposavic) Lipjan (Lipljan) Malisheve (Malisevo) Mamushe (Mamusa) Mitrovice e Jug (Juzna Mitrovica) [South Mitrovica] Mitrovice e Veriut (Severna Mitrovica) [North Mitrovica] Novoberde (Novo Brdo) Obiliq (Obilic) Partesh (Partes) Peje (Pec) Podujeve (Podujevo) Prishtine (Pristina) Prizren Rahovec (Orahovac) Ranillug (Ranilug) Shterpce (Strpce) Shtime (Stimlje) Skenderaj (Srbica) Suhareke (Suva Reka) Viti (Vitina) Vushtrri (Vucitrn) Zubin Potok Zvecan

Dependent areas

Independence: 17 February 2008 (from Serbia)

National holiday: Independence Day 17 February (2008)

Constitution
History: previous 1974 1990; latest draft finalized 2 April 2008 signed 7 April 2008 ratified 9 April 2008 entered into force 15 June 2008; note - amendment 24 passed by the Assembly in August 2015 established the Kosovo Relocated Specialist Institution a court established to try war crimes allegedly committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army in the late 1990s
Amendments: proposed by the government by the president of the republic or by one-fourth of Assembly deputies; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly including two-thirds majority vote of deputies representing non-majority communities followed by a favorable Constitutional Court assessment; amended several times last in 2016

Legal system: civil law system; note - the European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) retains limited executive powers related to the investigation of such issues as war crimes

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Kosovo
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Hashim THACI
Head of government: Prime Minister Ramush HARADINAJ ; note - Prime Minister Isa MUSTAFA lost no-confidence vote on 10 May 2017
Cabinet: Cabinet elected by the Assembly
Electionsappointments: president indirectly elected by at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly for a 5-year term; if a candidate does not attain a two-thirds threshold in the first two ballots the candidate winning a simple majority vote in the third ballot is elected ; election last held on 26 February 2016 (next to be held in 2021); prime minister indirectly elected by the Assembly
Election results: Hashim THACI elected president in the third ballot; Assembly vote - Hashim THACI 71 Rafet RAMA (PDK) 0 invalid 10; Isa MUSTAFA (LDK) selected prime minister by the president in consultation with the LDK/PDK/PD/LB/PSHDK/PK coalition

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi i Kosoves/Skupstina Kosova
Elections: last held on 11 June 2017 ; note - early elections were held after a no-confidence vote on 10 May 2017 led to the dismissal of Prime Minister Isa MUSTAFA
Election results: percent of vote by party/coalition - PAN Coalition 43.2% LDK 24.7% Self-Determination 12.7% New Kosovo Coalition 7.3% Independent Liberal Party 2.1% other 11.9%; seats by party/coalition - PAN Coalition 46 LDK 27 Self-Determination 14 New Kosovo Coalition 8 Independent Liberal Party 8 other 17

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court ; Constitutional Court (consists of the court president vice president and 7 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges nominated by the Kosovo Judicial Council a 13-member independent body staffed by judges and lay members and also responsible for overall administration of Kosovo's judicial system; judges appointed by the president of the Republic of Kosovo; judges appointed until mandatory retirement age; Constitutional Court judges nominated by the Kosovo Assembly and appointed by the president of the republic to serve single 9-year terms
Subordinate courts: subordinate courts: Court of Appeals
Note: in August 2015 the Kosovo Assembly approved a constitutional amendment that establishes the Kosovo Relocated Specialist Judicial Institution; the court located at the Hague in the Netherlands began operating in late 2016 and tries crimes by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army during the late 1990s

Political parties and leaders:

The Alternative [Mimoza KUSATI-LILA]
Turkish Democratic Party of Kosovo or KDTP [Mahir YAGCILAR]
Vakat Coalition or VAKAT [Rasim DEMIRI]

International organization participation: IBRD IDA IFC IMF ITUC (NGOs) MIGA OIF (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Vlora CITAKU
In the us chancery: 2,175 K Street NW Suite 300 Washington DC 20,037
In the us telephone: 202-450-2,130
In the us FAX: 202-735-0609
In the us consulate general: New York
In the us consulate: Des Moines
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Gregory T. DELAWIE
From the us embassy: Arberia/Dragodan Nazim Hikmet 30 Pristina Kosovo
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [381] 38 59 59 3,000
From the us FAX: [381] 38 549 890

Flag description

: centered on a dark blue field is a gold-colored silhouette of Kosovo surmounted by six white five-pointed stars arrayed in a slight arc; each star represents one of the major ethnic groups of Kosovo: Albanians Serbs Turks Gorani Roma and Bosniaks
Note: one of only two national flags that uses a map as a design element; the flag of Cyprus is the other

National symbols: six five-pointed white stars; national colors: blue gold white

National anthem
Name: 'Europe'
Lyrics and music: no lyrics/Mendi MENGJIQI
Note: adopted 2008; Kosovo chose to exclude lyrics in its anthem so as not to offend the country's minority ethnic groups

National heritage

Kosovo - Economy 2017

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Economy overview:

Kosovo's economy has shown progress in transitioning to a market-based system and maintaining macroeconomic stability but it is still highly dependent on the international community and the diaspora for financial and technical assistance. Remittances from the diaspora - located mainly in Germany Switzerland and the Nordic countries - are estimated to account for about 17% of GDP and international donor assistance accounts for approximately 10% of GDP. With international assistance Kosovo has been able to privatize a majority of its state-owned enterprises.
Kosovo's citizens are the second poorest in Europe after Moldova with a per capita GDP (PPP) of $9,600 in 2016. An unemployment rate of 33% and a youth unemployment rate near 60% in a country where the average age is 26 encourages emigration and fuels a significant informal unreported economy. Emigration remains challenging however because Kosovo lacks visa-free travel to the EU. Most of Kosovo's population lives in rural towns outside of the capital Pristina. Inefficient near-subsistence farming is common - the result of small plots limited mechanization and a lack of technical expertise. Kosovo enjoys lower labor costs than the rest of the region. However high levels of corruption little contract enforcement and unreliable electricity supply have discouraged potential investors. The official currency of Kosovo is the euro but the Serbian dinar is also used illegally in Serb majority communities. Kosovo's tie to the euro has helped keep core inflation low.
Minerals and metals production - including lignite lead zinc nickel chrome aluminum magnesium and a wide variety of construction materials - once the backbone of industry has declined because of aging equipment and insufficient investment problems exacerbated by competing and unresolved ownership claims of Kosovo’s largest mines. A limited and unreliable electricity supply is a major impediment to economic development but Kosovo has received technical assistance to help improve the sector’s performance. In 2012 Kosovo privatized its electricity supply and distribution network. The US Government is cooperating with the Ministry of Economic Development (MED) and the World Bank to conclude a commercial tender for the construction of Kosovo C a new lignite-fired power plant that would leverage Kosovo’s large lignite reserves. MED also has plans for the rehabilitation of an older coal power plant Kosovo B and the development of a coal mine that could supply both plants.
In June 2009 Kosovo joined the World Bank and International Monetary Fund and began servicing its share of the former Yugoslavia's debt. In order to help integrate Kosovo into regional economic structures UNMIK signed (on behalf of Kosovo) its accession to the Central Europe Free Trade Area (CEFTA) in 2006. Kosovo joined the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in 2012 and the Council of Europe Development Bank in 2013. In 2016 Kosovo implemented the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) negotiations with the EU focused on trade liberalization. Under the SAA Kosovo — which gets approximately 58% of government revenue from tariffs on imports — is required to phase out tariffs on EU goods over the next seven years. In 2014 nearly 60% of customs duty-eligible imports into Kosovo were EU goods. In 2015 Kosovo negotiated a $185 million Stand-by Arrangement (SBA) with the IMF following the conclusion of its previous SBA in 2014. The IMF requested an extension of the current SBA to August 2017 to facilitate policy continuity and allow sufficient time for ongoing structural reforms to progress. In August 2015 as part of its EU-facilitated normalization process with Serbia Kosovo signed agreements on telecommunications and energy distribution but disagreements over who owns economic assets such as the Trepca mining conglomerate within Kosovo continue.
Kosovo experienced its first federal budget deficit in 2012 when government expenditures climbed sharply. In May 2014 the government introduced a 25% salary increase for public sector employees and an equal increase in certain social benefits. Central revenues could not sustain these increases and the government was forced to reduce its planned capital investments. The government led by Prime Minister MUSTAFA - a trained economist - recently made several changes to its fiscal policy expanding the list of duty-free imports decreasing the Value Added Tax (VAT) for basic food items and public utilities and increasing the VAT for all other goods.
While Kosovo’s economy continued to make progress it needs further reform and investment to enable the level of growth required to reduce unemployment and raise living standards in a meaningful way.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:

$18.41 billion (2016 est.)
$17.57 billion (2015 est.)
$16.7 billion (2014 est.)

Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 149

Real gdp growth rate:

3.4% (2016 est.)
4.1% (2015 est.)
1.2% (2014 est.)

Rank: 79

Real gdp per capita:

$10,000 (2016 est.)
$9,700 (2015 est.)
$9,300 (2014 est.)

Note: data are in 2016 US dollars
Rank: 139

Gross national saving:

12.5% of GDP (2016 est.)
12.7% of GDP (2015 est.)
12.5% of GDP (2014 est.)

Rank: 144

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 90.5%
Government consumption: 16%
Investment in fixed capital: 28.2%
Investment in inventories: 3%
Exports of goods and services: 5.8%
Imports of goods and services: -43.5%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 12.9%
Industry: 22.6%
Services: 64.5%

Agriculture products: wheat corn berries potatoes peppers fruit; dairy livestock; fish

Industries: mineral mining construction materials base metals leather machinery appliances foodstuffs and beverages textiles

Industrial production growth rate

Labor force: 483,200
Note: includes those estimated to be employed in the grey economy
Rank: 157
By occupation agriculture: 5.9%
By occupation industry: 16.8%
By occupation services: 77.3%

Labor force

Unemployment rate:

34.8% (2016 est.)
34.6% (2015 est.)

Note: Kosovo has a large informal sector that may not be reflected in these data
Rank: 206

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 30% (2013 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index: 30 (FY05/06)
Rank: 127

Budget
Revenues: $1.396 billion
Expenditures: $1.61 billion
Surplus or deficit: -3.2% of GDP (2014 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 124

Taxes and other revenues: 20.8% of GDP (2014 est.)
Rank: 144

Public debt:

20.6% of GDP (2016 est.)
18.9% of GDP (2015 est.)

Rank: 183

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

0.3% (2016 est.)
-0.5% (2015 est.)

Rank: 59

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

12.8% (30 June 2013 est.)
13.7% (31 December 2012 est.)

Rank: 61

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money:

$2.511 billion (2014 est.)
$2.773 billion (2012 est.)

Rank: 145

Stock of domestic credit:

$2.02 billion (2014 est.)
$2.505 billion (2013 est.)

Rank: 145

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:

$-651 million (2016 est.)
$-548 million (2015 est.)

Rank: 107

Exports:

$349 million (2014 est.)
$408 million (2013 est.)

Rank: 180
Commodities: mining and processed metal products scrap metals leather products machinery appliances prepared foodstuffs beverages and tobacco vegetable products textiles and apparel
Partners: Albania 24.2% Macedonia The Former Yugo Rep of 17.3% Germany 8.8% Switzerland 7.7% Bulgaria 7.5% Netherlands 6.9% Turkey 4.6% Austria 4.4% (2016)

Imports:

$2.687 billion (2014 est.)
$3.398 billion (2013 est.)

Rank: 148
Commodities: foodstuffs livestock wood petroleum chemicals machinery minerals textiles stone ceramic and glass products electrical equipment
Partners: Macedonia The Former Yugo Rep of 34.1% Turkey 12% Germany 9.4% Albania 7.4% Slovenia 6.9% Italy 4.6% (2016)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $N/A

Debt external:

$1.4 billion (2016 est.)
$1.3 billion (2015 est.)

Rank: 160

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:

$21.2 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$36.67 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Rank: 77

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar -
0.9214 (2016 est.)
0.885 (2015 est.)
0.885 (2014 est.)
0.7634 (2013 est.)
0.7752 (2012 est.)

Kosovo - Energy 2017

Kosovo - Communication 2017

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Telephones
Fixed lines total: 831,470
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 45
Fixed lines rank: 143
Mobile cellular total: 562,000
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 31
Mobile cellular rank: 168

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions

Kosovo - Military 2017

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Military expenditures:

0.78% of GDP (2015)
0.73% of GDP (2014)
0.69% of GDP (2013)
0.67% of GDP (2012)
0.76% of GDP (2011)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups

Kosovo - Transportation 2017

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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: Z6 (2016)

Airports: 6 (2013)
Rank: 172
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1
With unpaved runways total: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 3

Heliports: 2 (2013)

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 333 km
Standard gauge: 333 km 1.435-m gauge
Rank: 121

Roadways
Total: 2003 km
Paved: 1883 km
Unpaved: 120 km
Rank: 176

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals

Kosovo - Transnational issues 2017

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Disputes international: Serbia with several other states protest the US and other states' recognition of Kosovo's declaration of its status as a sovereign and independent state in February 2008; ethnic Serbian municipalities along Kosovo's northern border challenge final status of Kosovo-Serbia boundary; several thousand NATO-led Kosovo Force peacekeepers under UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo authority continue to keep the peace within Kosovo between the ethnic Albanian majority and the Serb minority in Kosovo; Kosovo and Macedonia completed demarcation of their boundary in September 2008

Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: 17,000 (2015)

Illicit drugs