Languages spoken in North Macedonia
Europe · Capital: Skopje · Population 1.8 million
The official language of North Macedonia is Macedonian. A further one language holds official status at regional level: Albanian. An estimated 67% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 1.2 million people. After Macedonian, the most widely spoken are Albanian at 25% and Turkish at 3.5%. Macedonian belongs to the Indo-European language family. Macedonian is also spoken in one of its five neighbours: Greece. In total, three languages are recorded in North Macedonia, and their shares add up to 95.5% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.0 of them.
What languages are spoken in North Macedonia?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| MacedonianIndo-European | 67% | Official | 1.2 million |
| AlbanianIndo-European | 25% | Official (regional) | 455,653 |
| TurkishTurkic | 3.5% | Spoken | 63,791 |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of North Macedonia?
The official language of North Macedonia is Macedonian. A further one language is official at regional or state level: Albanian. Macedonian is spoken by an estimated 67% of the population, or roughly 1.2 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Macedonian in North Macedonia?
An estimated 67% of North Macedonia's 1.8 million people speak Macedonian, which works out at roughly 1.2 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about North Macedonia
- Capital
- Skopje
- Population
- 1.8 million
- Continent
- Europe
- Area
- 25,713 km²
- Currency
- MKD
- Languages recorded
- 3
- Land borders
- 5
- ISO codes
- MK / MKD / 807
Which countries border North Macedonia?
North Macedonia shares a land border with five countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, and Kosovo. Macedonian, the most widely spoken language in North Macedonia, is also spoken in Greece.
Explore more
Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.