Population growth in Kosovo
Kosovo: Population growth was -1.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Population growth in Kosovo, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, population growth in Kosovo stood at -1.1%.
That represents a change of up 79.6% on the previous year and up 19.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Kosovo peaked at 3.0% in 1967 and was at its lowest, -10.5%, in 1999.
That places Kosovo 210th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population growth in Kosovo, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.7% | — |
| 1962 | 2.5% | -6.4% |
| 1963 | 2.5% | -1.5% |
| 1964 | 2.6% | +4.1% |
| 1965 | 2.7% | +5.8% |
| 1966 | 2.9% | +5.5% |
| 1967 | 3.0% | +5.1% |
| 1968 | 2.2% | -26.3% |
| 1969 | 1.4% | -36.2% |
| 1970 | 1.5% | +3.4% |
| 1971 | 1.9% | +27.5% |
| 1972 | 2.2% | +19.2% |
| 1973 | 2.2% | +1.3% |
| 1974 | 2.4% | +5.5% |
| 1975 | 2.5% | +5.6% |
| 1976 | 2.6% | +4.9% |
| 1977 | 2.7% | +3.6% |
| 1978 | 2.8% | +2.7% |
| 1979 | 2.8% | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 2.8% | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 2.6% | -9.8% |
| 1982 | 2.2% | -14.4% |
| 1983 | 2.1% | -3.5% |
| 1984 | 2.2% | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 2.2% | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 2.3% | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 2.3% | +4.1% |
| 1988 | 2.0% | -16.3% |
| 1989 | 1.5% | -25.0% |
| 1990 | 1.4% | -4.9% |
| 1991 | 1.6% | +13.3% |
| 1992 | 1.7% | +7.1% |
| 1993 | 1.6% | -5.7% |
| 1994 | 1.6% | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 1.5% | -2.5% |
| 1996 | 1.5% | -4.6% |
| 1997 | 1.3% | -9.9% |
| 1998 | -5.5% | -523.5% |
| 1999 | -10.5% | +89.9% |
| 2000 | -3.8% | -64.2% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | -125.7% |
| 2002 | 0.5% | -46.4% |
| 2003 | -0.2% | -132.0% |
| 2004 | -0.2% | +21.1% |
| 2005 | -0.2% | +21.0% |
| 2006 | -0.3% | +19.7% |
| 2007 | -0.3% | +13.8% |
| 2008 | -0.3% | +4.5% |
| 2009 | -0.3% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | -0.3% | -3.5% |
| 2011 | 0.2% | -154.0% |
| 2012 | 0.8% | +371.0% |
| 2013 | 0.6% | -28.1% |
| 2014 | -0.3% | -148.4% |
| 2015 | -1.4% | +363.7% |
| 2016 | -0.6% | -55.9% |
| 2017 | 0.8% | -225.5% |
| 2018 | 0.3% | -55.1% |
| 2019 | -0.5% | -235.2% |
| 2020 | 0.1% | -115.4% |
| 2021 | -0.2% | -423.4% |
| 2022 | -1.0% | +344.4% |
| 2023 | -5.0% | +389.4% |
| 2024 | -5.4% | +8.9% |
| 2025 | -1.1% | -79.6% |
Kosovo compared with similar countries
- Kosovo's -1.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5%. (59 countries reporting)
- Kosovo's -1.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.3%. (57 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth in Kosovo changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | -523.5% | 1.3% | -5.5% |
| 2021 | -423.4% | 0.1% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | -389.4% | -1.0% | -5.0% |
| 2012 | +371.0% | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| 2015 | -363.7% | -0.3% | -1.4% |
| 2022 | -344.4% | -0.2% | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.5% | 1.4% | 3.0% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.4% | 1.5% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.2% | 1.5% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.4% | -10.5% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.4% | -3.8% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.0% | -1.4% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | -2.1% | -5.4% | 0.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kosovo
- 207 Monaco -0.8% compare
- 208 Bosnia and Herzegovina -0.8% compare
- 209 Latvia -1.0% compare
- 210 Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) -1.1% compare
- 212 Albania -1.2% compare
- 213 American Samoa -1.6% compare
More climate change data for Kosovo
- Population, total 1.58 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.1% (2025)
- Urban population 803,041 (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.5093 units per person (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 0.0922 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate -1.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population 50.9% (2025)
- Carbon dioxide emissions from fuel combustion 7.77 million tonnes (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Kosovo?
- Population growth in Kosovo was -1.1% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Kosovo?
- The highest recorded value was 3.0% in 1967.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Kosovo?
- The lowest recorded value was -10.5% in 1999.
- How does Kosovo rank for population growth?
- Kosovo ranks 210th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Kosovo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kosovo data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.