Population · Europe

Kosovo population 2026

Right now · estimate

1,665,652

Births today: 0
Deaths today: 0
Births this year: 16,161
Births minus deaths this year: +7,409

Kosovo has an estimated 1,666,992 people on 1 July 2026, the UN's projection, 7,133 fewer than a year earlier (−0.43%). It is the 154th most populous country in the world. Its population peaked in 1997 at 2.2 million and is projected to fall to 1.6 million by 2050.

UN projection The counter interpolates the UN’s 1 July figures to the second; it is an estimate, not a count.

Rank in the world

Year	Population	Rank
1950	778 thousand	141st
2000	1.8 million	147th
2026*	1.7 million	154th
2050*	1.6 million	153rd
2100*	1.1 million	157th

* UN medium-variant projection. Ranks among 237 countries and areas.

Kosovo in numbers, 2026

Births in 2026: 19 thousand 53 a day
Deaths in 2026: 10 thousand 29 a day
Net migration: −14 thousand more departures than arrivals
Growth rate: −0.31% shrinking
Fertility rate: 1.52per woman below replacement (2.1)
Median age: 33.2years world: 31.1
Life expectancy: 78.6years
Aged 65 and over: 10.9% 21.9% by 2050

Land, people and health

Capital: Pristina
Area: 10,908 km² 167th largest of 237
Population density: 153per km² 87th most crowded
Urban population: 51.6% 62.1% by 2050
Men and women: 820 thousand / 847 thousand 96.8 men per 100 women
Life expectancy, women: 80.6years men: 76.4 years
Infant mortality: 8.3per 1,000 births under-5: 9.3
Birth rate: 11.6per 1,000 death rate: 6.3
Net migration rate: −8.4per 1,000 net departures

Population of Kosovo, 1950–2100

Peaked in 1997 at 2.2 million. By 2050: 1.6 million (−1.4% from today).

UN estimate
UN projection

1.1M 2026

› Show the numbers as a table

Year	Population
1950	778,480
1951	794,323
1952	811,020
1953	828,802
1954	847,878
1955	868,048
1956	888,713
1957	910,458
1958	933,641
1959	958,431
1960	984,846
1961	1,011,421
1962	1,036,950
1963	1,062,737
1964	1,090,270
1965	1,120,168
1966	1,152,586
1967	1,187,667
1968	1,214,208
1969	1,231,460
1970	1,249,555
1971	1,273,021
1972	1,301,579
1973	1,331,176
1974	1,363,123
1975	1,397,686
1976	1,434,880
1977	1,474,457
1978	1,516,249
1979	1,559,787
1980	1,604,818
1981	1,646,565
1982	1,683,166
1983	1,719,246
1984	1,756,818
1985	1,796,018
1986	1,836,972
1987	1,880,590
1988	1,917,882
1989	1,946,339
1990	1,973,790
1991	2,005,362
1992	2,039,723
1993	2,072,664
1994	2,105,256
1995	2,137,514
1996	2,168,753
1997	2,197,284
1998	2,078,964
1999	1,871,524
2000	1,802,493
2001	1,820,009
2002	1,829,462
2003	1,826,434
2004	1,822,773
2005	1,818,354
2006	1,813,079
2007	1,807,094
2008	1,800,858
2009	1,794,681
2010	1,788,743
2011	1,791,949
2012	1,806,532
2013	1,817,167
2014	1,808,980
2015	1,779,020
2016	1,761,764
2017	1,768,119
2018	1,767,741
2019	1,755,042
2020	1,751,417
2021	1,741,446
2022	1,717,946
2023	1,700,031
2024 *	1,684,790
2025 *	1,674,125
2026 *	1,666,992
2027 *	1,663,093
2028 *	1,661,648
2029 *	1,661,294
2030 *	1,661,293
2031 *	1,662,128
2032 *	1,663,650
2033 *	1,665,398
2034 *	1,667,139
2035 *	1,668,691
2036 *	1,670,494
2037 *	1,672,312
2038 *	1,673,125
2039 *	1,673,544
2040 *	1,673,994
2041 *	1,673,608
2042 *	1,672,556
2043 *	1,671,301
2044 *	1,669,388
2045 *	1,666,556
2046 *	1,662,961
2047 *	1,659,062
2048 *	1,654,455
2049 *	1,649,216
2050 *	1,643,619
2051 *	1,637,267
2052 *	1,630,709
2053 *	1,623,669
2054 *	1,616,071
2055 *	1,608,537
2056 *	1,600,387
2057 *	1,591,703
2058 *	1,583,076
2059 *	1,574,801
2060 *	1,566,395
2061 *	1,557,585
2062 *	1,548,878
2063 *	1,539,819
2064 *	1,530,471
2065 *	1,520,859
2066 *	1,511,295
2067 *	1,501,906
2068 *	1,492,072
2069 *	1,481,911
2070 *	1,471,705
2071 *	1,461,493
2072 *	1,450,838
2073 *	1,439,468
2074 *	1,427,701
2075 *	1,416,049
2076 *	1,404,527
2077 *	1,392,732
2078 *	1,380,743
2079 *	1,368,486
2080 *	1,355,929
2081 *	1,343,395
2082 *	1,330,849
2083 *	1,318,009
2084 *	1,304,938
2085 *	1,291,938
2086 *	1,278,789
2087 *	1,265,597
2088 *	1,252,353
2089 *	1,238,927
2090 *	1,225,543
2091 *	1,212,170
2092 *	1,198,989
2093 *	1,185,845
2094 *	1,172,614
2095 *	1,159,322
2096 *	1,146,061
2097 *	1,133,045
2098 *	1,120,193
2099 *	1,107,445
2100 *	1,094,726

* UN projection

Population of Kosovo by year

1.8 million in 2000, 1.7 million in 2026. Every year for the last decade, then every five years to 1950. * UN projection; earlier years are UN estimates.

Year	Population	Yearly change	Change	Net migrants	Median age	Fertility	Density (km²)	Urban	World share	World rank
2026*	1,666,992	−0.43%	−7,133	−14,025	33.2	1.52	153	52%	0.02%	154
2025*	1,674,125	−0.63%	−10,665	−18,380	32.6	1.53	154	51%	0.02%	153
2024*	1,684,790	−0.90%	−15,241	−22,178	32.1	1.54	155	50%	0.02%	153
2023	1,700,031	−1.04%	−17,915	−28,754	31.4	1.55	156	49%	0.02%	153
2022	1,717,946	−1.35%	−23,500	−28,588	30.8	1.56	158	48%	0.02%	153
2021	1,741,446	−0.57%	−9,971	−38,584	30.2	1.56	160	47%	0.02%	153
2020	1,751,417	−0.21%	−3,625	+2,815	29.7	1.57	161	45%	0.02%	152
2019	1,755,042	−0.72%	−12,699	−28,829	29.3	1.57	161	44%	0.02%	152
2018	1,767,741	−0.02%	−378	−21,386	28.7	1.58	162	43%	0.02%	152
2017	1,768,119	+0.36%	+6,355	−5,428	28.2	1.62	162	42%	0.02%	152
2016	1,761,764	−0.97%	−17,256	−8,937	27.7	1.64	162	41%	0.02%	152
2015	1,779,020	−1.66%	−29,960	−55,524	27.2	1.76	163	40%	0.02%	152
2010	1,788,743	−0.33%	−5,938	−29,433	25.2	2.22	164	38%	0.03%	149
2005	1,818,354	−0.24%	−4,419	−31,137	23.1	2.62	167	38%	0.03%	148
2000	1,802,493	−3.69%	−69,031	−9,150	21.1	2.70	165	38%	0.03%	147
1995	2,137,514	+1.53%	+32,258	−764	21.6	2.52	196	37%	0.04%	140
1990	1,973,790	+1.41%	+27,451	−15,797	20.0	3.67	181	37%	0.04%	141
1985	1,796,018	+2.23%	+39,200	−1,096	20.0	4.20	165	35%	0.04%	141
1980	1,604,818	+2.89%	+45,031	+7,255	19.2	4.66	147	32%	0.04%	140
1975	1,397,686	+2.54%	+34,563	+1,188	18.1	5.28	128	30%	0.03%	141
1970	1,249,555	+1.47%	+18,095	−11,776	17.7	5.62	115	26%	0.03%	140
1965	1,120,168	+2.74%	+29,898	+2,403	18.8	6.03	103	23%	0.03%	140
1960	984,846	+2.76%	+26,415	+3,231	18.7	6.36	90	19%	0.03%	139
1955	868,048	+2.38%	+20,170	−28	18.6	6.74	80	17%	0.03%	140
1950	778,480	–	–	+0	18.6	6.95	71	13%	0.03%	141

Population forecast for Kosovo

UN medium-variant projection: 1.6 million in 2050 (−1.4% from 2026), 1.1 million in 2100.

Year	Population	Yearly change	Net migrants	Median age	Fertility	Density (km²)	Urban	World share	World rank
2030	1,661,293	−0.00%	−7,227	35.2	1.50	152	54%	0.02%	154
2035	1,668,691	+0.09%	−4,940	37.3	1.50	153	57%	0.02%	154
2040	1,673,994	+0.03%	−3,447	39.2	1.50	154	59%	0.02%	153
2045	1,666,556	−0.17%	−3,602	41.7	1.50	153	61%	0.02%	153
2050	1,643,619	−0.34%	−3,095	43.9	1.51	151	62%	0.02%	153
2060	1,566,395	−0.53%	−2,592	48.4	1.52	144	–	0.02%	154
2070	1,471,705	−0.69%	−1,647	51.9	1.53	135	–	0.01%	157
2080	1,355,929	−0.92%	−1,371	53.2	1.54	124	–	0.01%	158
2090	1,225,543	−1.08%	−1,011	54.4	1.55	112	–	0.01%	159
2100	1,094,726	−1.15%	−546	55.4	1.56	100	–	0.01%	157

Largest cities in Kosovo

Urban area in 2026: the whole built-up city, measured the same way for every country (UN, 2025). * UN projection. Largest cities in the world

#	City	Population 2026	2050*
1	Pristina (capital)	214,902	214,583
2	Prizren	117,880	117,482
3	Ferizaj	68,539	68,378
4	Mitrovica	65,898	65,768
5	Pejë	63,234	62,930
6	Gjakova	57,238	57,307

Age structure

Median age 33.2. 10.9% are 65 or older, 21.9% by 2050; 19.3% are under 15.

Kosovo, 2026 Men 2026 Women 2026 2050 (projection)

Share of the total population in each age group (%)

Births per woman

1.52 in 2026; about 2.1 keeps a population stable without migration. Below 2.1 since 2011.

UN estimate
UN projection

1.6 2026

› Show the numbers as a table

Year	Fertility rate
1950	6.95
1951	6.95
1952	6.94
1953	6.91
1954	6.83
1955	6.74
1956	6.63
1957	6.52
1958	6.40
1959	6.37
1960	6.36
1961	6.31
1962	6.24
1963	6.18
1964	6.11
1965	6.03
1966	5.95
1967	5.88
1968	5.81
1969	5.73
1970	5.62
1971	5.56
1972	5.49
1973	5.42
1974	5.37
1975	5.28
1976	5.18
1977	5.01
1978	4.83
1979	4.70
1980	4.66
1981	4.50
1982	4.49
1983	4.46
1984	4.41
1985	4.20
1986	4.11
1987	4.10
1988	3.97
1989	3.67
1990	3.67
1991	3.37
1992	2.77
1993	2.65
1994	2.52
1995	2.52
1996	2.54
1997	2.31
1998	2.35
1999	2.63
2000	2.70
2001	2.76
2002	2.79
2003	2.67
2004	2.65
2005	2.62
2006	2.49
2007	2.39
2008	2.36
2009	2.32
2010	2.22
2011	2.04
2012	1.97
2013	1.95
2014	1.87
2015	1.76
2016	1.64
2017	1.62
2018	1.58
2019	1.57
2020	1.57
2021	1.56
2022	1.56
2023	1.55
2024 *	1.54
2025 *	1.53
2026 *	1.52
2027 *	1.51
2028 *	1.51
2029 *	1.50
2030 *	1.50
2031 *	1.50
2032 *	1.50
2033 *	1.50
2034 *	1.50
2035 *	1.50
2036 *	1.50
2037 *	1.50
2038 *	1.50
2039 *	1.50
2040 *	1.50
2041 *	1.50
2042 *	1.50
2043 *	1.50
2044 *	1.50
2045 *	1.50
2046 *	1.50
2047 *	1.50
2048 *	1.51
2049 *	1.51
2050 *	1.51
2051 *	1.51
2052 *	1.51
2053 *	1.51
2054 *	1.52
2055 *	1.52
2056 *	1.52
2057 *	1.52
2058 *	1.51
2059 *	1.51
2060 *	1.52
2061 *	1.52
2062 *	1.52
2063 *	1.52
2064 *	1.52
2065 *	1.52
2066 *	1.52
2067 *	1.52
2068 *	1.52
2069 *	1.53
2070 *	1.53
2071 *	1.53
2072 *	1.53
2073 *	1.53
2074 *	1.53
2075 *	1.54
2076 *	1.54
2077 *	1.54
2078 *	1.54
2079 *	1.54
2080 *	1.54
2081 *	1.54
2082 *	1.54
2083 *	1.54
2084 *	1.54
2085 *	1.54
2086 *	1.54
2087 *	1.54
2088 *	1.55
2089 *	1.55
2090 *	1.55
2091 *	1.55
2092 *	1.55
2093 *	1.55
2094 *	1.56
2095 *	1.56
2096 *	1.56
2097 *	1.56
2098 *	1.56
2099 *	1.56
2100 *	1.56

* UN projection

Births and deaths each year

Deaths are projected to outnumber births from 2046.

Births
Deaths
UN estimate
UN projection

7.5k19.6k 2026

› Show the numbers as a table

Year	Births	Deaths
1950	34,712	18,848
1951	35,566	19,747
1952	36,473	18,900
1953	37,403	19,410
1954	38,199	18,026
1955	38,815	18,610
1956	39,430	18,629
1957	40,068	18,805
1958	40,453	17,928
1959	41,362	18,282
1960	42,378	18,326
1961	43,431	18,000
1962	44,208	19,291
1963	44,919	18,502
1964	45,729	18,221
1965	46,779	18,069
1966	47,799	18,181
1967	48,906	18,206
1968	50,183	18,309
1969	49,634	18,887
1970	48,730	18,635
1971	48,162	17,929
1972	49,083	17,728
1973	49,892	17,370
1974	50,981	17,388
1975	51,814	17,088
1976	52,578	17,227
1977	52,738	16,924
1978	52,915	16,861
1979	53,561	16,951
1980	55,132	16,504
1981	55,547	16,776
1982	57,314	17,372
1983	58,506	17,055
1984	59,355	17,035
1985	58,294	17,380
1986	59,103	16,574
1987	60,995	16,121
1988	61,192	15,888
1989	57,159	15,143
1990	57,568	14,363
1991	53,584	14,366
1992	45,425	13,255
1993	45,045	12,817
1994	44,343	12,490
1995	45,673	12,694
1996	47,039	12,582
1997	43,810	12,364
1998	45,211	13,855
1999	38,586	21,556
2000	32,657	10,130
2001	33,816	10,174
2002	34,828	10,275
2003	34,392	10,219
2004	35,579	10,157
2005	36,506	10,187
2006	35,697	10,228
2007	35,153	9,796
2008	35,537	9,716
2009	35,216	9,785
2010	33,682	9,993
2011	30,709	9,484
2012	29,837	9,431
2013	29,898	9,269
2014	28,577	9,631
2015	26,193	9,943
2016	23,206	9,515
2017	22,919	9,530
2018	22,514	9,842
2019	22,145	10,007
2020	21,603	14,980
2021	21,849	12,645
2022	21,088	10,110
2023	20,514	9,981
2024 *	19,967	10,063
2025 *	19,558	10,239
2026 *	19,260	10,430
2027 *	19,083	10,630
2028 *	18,996	10,840
2029 *	18,965	11,056
2030 *	18,918	11,274
2031 *	18,876	11,490
2032 *	18,853	11,720
2033 *	18,822	11,942
2034 *	18,781	12,176
2035 *	18,682	12,409
2036 *	18,520	12,637
2037 *	18,349	12,876
2038 *	18,113	13,122
2039 *	17,764	13,363
2040 *	17,387	13,617
2041 *	16,968	13,875
2042 *	16,489	14,133
2043 *	16,040	14,392
2044 *	15,595	14,639
2045 *	15,141	14,886
2046 *	14,685	15,153
2047 *	14,266	15,405
2048 *	13,908	15,649
2049 *	13,563	15,899
2050 *	13,257	16,150
2051 *	12,976	16,391
2052 *	12,741	16,629
2053 *	12,567	16,858
2054 *	12,403	17,074
2055 *	12,280	17,295
2056 *	12,194	17,519
2057 *	12,097	17,734
2058 *	12,021	17,920
2059 *	11,979	18,110
2060 *	11,977	18,291
2061 *	11,953	18,449
2062 *	11,919	18,602
2063 *	11,858	18,742
2064 *	11,790	18,877
2065 *	11,694	19,001
2066 *	11,582	19,121
2067 *	11,463	19,220
2068 *	11,321	19,324
2069 *	11,169	19,429
2070 *	10,998	19,506
2071 *	10,804	19,593
2072 *	10,603	19,685
2073 *	10,387	19,748
2074 *	10,159	19,839
2075 *	9,940	19,893
2076 *	9,723	19,960
2077 *	9,518	20,009
2078 *	9,319	20,064
2079 *	9,140	20,094
2080 *	8,970	20,153
2081 *	8,821	20,201
2082 *	8,692	20,240
2083 *	8,574	20,279
2084 *	8,475	20,323
2085 *	8,391	20,351
2086 *	8,316	20,378
2087 *	8,256	20,417
2088 *	8,212	20,444
2089 *	8,160	20,456
2090 *	8,106	20,455
2091 *	8,071	20,445
2092 *	8,027	20,425
2093 *	7,977	20,398
2094 *	7,923	20,359
2095 *	7,880	20,297
2096 *	7,803	20,232
2097 *	7,722	20,123
2098 *	7,637	20,004
2099 *	7,552	19,836
2100 *	7,455	19,632

* UN projection

Compare with Europe

Country	Population 2026	Growth	Fertility	Median age
Kosovo	1.7 million	−0.31%	1.52	33.2
Russia	143 million	−0.23%	1.47	40.7
Germany	83.6 million	−0.23%	1.46	45.7
United Kingdom	69.9 million	+0.52%	1.53	40.2
France	66.7 million	+0.14%	1.64	42.5
Italy	58.9 million	−0.39%	1.22	48.6
Spain	47.9 million	−0.10%	1.24	46.3
Ukraine	39.5 million	−0.74%	1.00	41.8
Poland	37.8 million	−0.38%	1.31	43.0

All 237 countries · Fertility rate by country · Birth rate by country · Median age by country · Life expectancy by country · Population growth rate by country · Population density by country · Largest countries by area · Death rate by country · Infant mortality rate by country · Elderly population by country · Net migration rate by country · Urban population by country · Sex ratio by country

Air quality in Kosovo today

Hourly AQI and a 48-hour forecast for Pristina.

See air quality →

Questions

What is the population of Kosovo in 2026?

1,666,992 on 1 July 2026, according to the UN's World Population Prospects 2024 (medium-variant projection). That is 1.7 million people, −0.43% on 2025.

Is Kosovo's population growing or shrinking?

Shrinking: 7,133 fewer people in 2026 than in 2025.

When will Kosovo's population peak?

It already did: 2.2 million in 1997. The UN projects 1.6 million in 2050 and 1.1 million in 2100.

What is the fertility rate in Kosovo?

1.52 births per woman in 2026. A population replaces itself at about 2.1. Kosovo has been below that since 2011.

How many babies are born in Kosovo every day?

About 53 a day (19 thousand in 2026), against about 29 deaths a day.

What is the life expectancy in Kosovo?

78.6 years at birth in 2026: 80.6 for women and 76.4 for men, against a world average of 73.8.

How many men and women live in Kosovo?

About 820 thousand men and 847 thousand women in 2026, or 96.8 men for every 100 women.

What is the population density of Kosovo?

153 people per km² of land in 2026, on a total area of 10,908 km². The world average is 64.

What was the population of Kosovo in 2000?

1,802,493 (1.8 million), the UN estimate for 1 July 2000. It has fallen by 8% since, to 1.7 million in 2026.

What will the population of Kosovo be in 2050?

About 1.6 million on the UN's medium projection (1,643,619), −1.4% from 2026; 1.1 million by 2100.

What are the largest cities in Kosovo?

Pristina (215 thousand), Prizren (118 thousand), Ferizaj (69 thousand), Mitrovica (66 thousand), Pejë (63 thousand). UN figures for 2026, counting each city’s whole built-up area.

Source and method

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024, medium variant. Figures for 1950–2023 are UN estimates; later years are the medium-variant projection, which assumes fertility, mortality and migration follow their most likely paths. National statistics offices publish their own counts, which can differ. Reuse under CC BY 3.0 IGO. How we use the data.