Muslims in the Republic of Macedonia

Republic of Macedonia

Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...

form roughly one-third of the nation's total population. It has the fifth largest Muslim population in Europe by percentage after Turkey

Islam in Turkey

The region secacomprising modern Turkey has a long and rich Islamic tradition stretching back to the dawn of the Seljuk period and Ottoman Empire. The country has many historical mosques present throughout the cities and towns, including many in Istanbul...

 (99%), Kosovo

Kosovo

Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...

 (90%), Albania

Albania

Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...

 (70%), and Bosnia-Herzegovina (47%). Some northwestern and western regions of the country have Muslim majorities. Almost all of the Muslims in the country are Albanian, Turkish

Turkish people

Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...

 or Roma.

Ethnicity

Albanian Muslims, forming roughly 25% of the nation's total population and most of the Muslim population, live mostly in the Polog

Polog statistical region

The Polog Statistical Region is one of eight arbitrary statistical regions in the Republic of Macedonia. Polog, located in the northwestern part of the country, borders Albania and Kosovo...

 and western regions of the country. The Turks, who make up about 4% of the country's total population, are scattered throughout the country, but mostly in major cities, as are Roma Muslims. Bosniaks are mostly concentrated within Skopje. Muslims of Macedonian ethnicity

Macedonian Muslims

The Macedonian Muslims , also known as Muslim Macedonians, Torbeš, ; , in older sources Pomaks are a minority religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Muslims...

 number roughly 40,000 to 100,000 and can be found in western Macedonia in the Centar Župa

Centar Župa

Centar Župa , Turkish: Merkez Jupa) is a village in Republic of Macedonia, in majority inhabited by Turks. It is the seat of the Centar Župa municipality....

, Debar

Debar

Debar is a city in the western part of the Republic of Macedonia, near the border with Albania, on the road from Struga to Gostivar. It is the seat of Debar Municipality.-Geography:...

, Struga

Struga

Struga is a town and popular tourist destination situated in the south-western region of the Republic of Macedonia, lying on the shore of Lake Ohrid. The town of Struga is the seat of Struga Municipality.-Etymology:...

 and Plasnica

Plasnica

Plasnica is a village in Republic of Macedonia. It is a seat of the Plasnica municipality....

 areas.

Rank	Ethnic group	Population	% of total Muslim population
1	Albanians Albanians Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...	509,083	77%
2	Turks	77,959	12%
3	Roma	53,879	9%
4	Bosniaks Bosniaks The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...	17,018	2%

Historical population

The following table shows the Muslim population and percentage for each given year. The Muslim percentage in Macedonia consistently decreased from 1904 to 1961 but began to rise again, reaching 33.33% in 2002. The Muslim population is projected to continue growing, comprising an estimated 40.3% of the Macedonian population by 2030.

Year	Muslim population	Muslim percentage
1904	634,000	36.76%
1912	384,000	33.47%
1921	269,000	31.43%
1948	314,603	27.29%
1953	388,515	29.78%
1961	338,200	24.05%
1971	414,176	25.14%
1981	546,437	28.62%
1991	611,326	30.06%
1994	581,203	30.04%
2002	674,015	33.33%
2010	713,000	34.90%
2030	812,000	40.30%

See also

• Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia
  Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia
  Albanians are the largest ethnic minority in the Republic of Macedonia. Of the 2,022,547 citizens of Macedonia, 509,083, or 25%, are Albanian according to the latest national census in 2002. The Albanian minority lives mostly in the north-western part of the country...
  
  
• Turks in the Republic of Macedonia
  Turks in the Republic of Macedonia
  Turks in the Republic of Macedonia, also known as Macedonian Turks, are the ethnic Turks who constitute the third largest ethnic group in the Republic of Macedonia. According to the 2002 census, there were 77,959 Turks living in the country, forming a minority of some 4% of the population. The...
  
  
• Macedonian Muslims
  Macedonian Muslims
  The Macedonian Muslims , also known as Muslim Macedonians, Torbeš, ; , in older sources Pomaks are a minority religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Muslims...
  
  

Mosques in Macedonia