Situation analysis of children and adolescents in North Macedonia 2024
A comprehensive assessment of the status of children and adolescents in the country
- English
- Македонски
- Shqip
Highlights
The 2024 Situation Analysis (SitAn) offers a comprehensive assessment of the status of children and adolescents in North Macedonia, highlighting progress, challenges, inequities and opportunities in the realization of their rights and the achievement of child-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The human-rights and equity focus of the SitAn provides insights to inform policy dialogue and advocacy, and orient national programmes and policies for children. As such, SitAn plays important role in child rights monitoring aimed at guiding government entities, civil society organizations, UN agencies, development partners and communities in advancing policies and actions to improve the lives of all children in North Macedonia.
North Macedonia is experiencing significant demographic shifts, with an 18 per cent decline in the child population from 2011 to 2023 and a low fertility rate of 1.5 well below the replacement rate, indicating a shrinking population. Urbanization is on the rise, with 63 per cent of children now living in urban areas. The country also faces a consistent pattern of negative net migration, with 1,000 more people leaving than entering per annum, except during COVID-19. Essential services, however, have not adapted adequately to these demographic shifts, which negatively impacts their capacity to meet the population's evolving needs, particularly the needs of children and most vulnerable groups.
