Factbook
Histoire de Macédoine du Nord — Chronologie
Dates clés de l'histoire de Macédoine du Nord, d'après le Factbook Magna et l'Encyclopédie universelle.
1991Independence: 8 September 1991 (referendum endorsed independence from Yugoslavia).
1991North Macedonia gained its independence peacefully from Yugoslavia in 1991 under the name of "Macedonia." Greece objected to the new country’s name, insisting it implied territorial pretensions to the northern Greek province of Macedonia, and democratic backsliding for several years stalled North Macedonia's movement toward Euro-Atlantic integration.
1993The country was eventually admitted to the UN in 1993 as "The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia," and at the same time it agreed to UN-sponsored negotiations on the name dispute.
1995In 1995, Greece lifted a 20-month trade embargo and the two countries agreed to normalize relations, but the issue of the name remained unresolved amid ongoing negotiations.
2001Ethnic Albanian grievances over perceived political and economic inequities escalated into an armed conflict in 2001 that eventually led to the internationally brokered Ohrid Framework Agreement, which ended the fighting and established guidelines for constitutional amendments and new laws that enhanced the rights of minorities.
2014The 2014 legislative and presidential election triggered a political crisis that lasted almost three years and escalated in 2015 when the opposition party began releasing wiretapped material revealing alleged widespread government corruption and abuse.
2018In 2018, Macedonia and Greece signed the Prespa Agreement whereby Macedonia agreed to change its name to North Macedonia, and the agreement went in to force on 12 February 2019.
2018In 2018, the government adopted a new law on languages, which elevated the Albanian language to an official language at the national level and kept the Macedonian language as the sole official language in international relations, but ties between ethnic Macedonians and ethnic Albanians remain complicated.
2020North Macedonia joined NATO in 2020 after amending its constitution as agreed and opened EU accession talks in 2022 after a two-year veto by Bulgaria over identity, language, and historical disputes.
2021Languages: Macedonian (official) 61.4%, Albanian (official) 24.3%, Turkish 3.4%, Romani 1.7%, other (includes Aromanian (Vlach) and Bosnian) 2%, unspecified 7.2% (2021 est.) Religions: Orthodox 46.1%, Islam 32.2%, Christian 13.2%, Other 7.2%; less than 1%: atheist, Catholic, other religions, not specified, Protestant (2021 est.) Urban population: 59.5% of total population (2023).
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 68.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 4.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 2.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 24% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 56.104 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, iron, steel, cement, energy, pharmaceuticals, automotive parts Agriculture: chillies/peppers, milk, wheat, potatoes, grapes, barley, cabbages, maize, watermelons, tomatoes (2023) Electricity access: 100% (2022 est.).
2023Major urban areas: 611,000 SKOPJE (capital) (2023) upper-middle-income European economy; GDP growth driven by private consumption, public infrastructure investments, and wage growth; stalled progress on EU accession; public debt rising due to high pensions, wages, and interest payments; structural challenges of emigration, low productivity growth, and governance Inflation: 3.5% (2024 est.).
2025Military spending: 2% of GDP (2025 est.).
