Who Leads North Macedonia?

Leadership

Hristijan Mickoski

Prime Minister of North Macedonia

Political Party

VMRO-DPMNE

Inaugurated

Jun 23, 2024

Term Ends

2028

Next Election

2028

Born

Nov 20, 1977 in Stip, North Macedonia

Country Population

1.8M

Continent

Europe

Hristijan Mickoski became Prime Minister in June 2024 after his VMRO-DPMNE party won parliamentary elections. An engineer by training, he led his party back to power after a decade in opposition. He has focused on EU integration, economic development, and navigating the country's relationship with both Western institutions and its Balkan neighbors.

Government

Capital

Skopje

Official Language(s)

Macedonian, Albanian

Currency

Denar (MKD)

Government Type

Parliamentary Republic

Area

25,713 km²

North Macedonia is a landlocked Balkan country that changed its name from 'Macedonia' in 2019 under the Prespa Agreement with Greece, resolving a decades-long dispute. It is a NATO member and EU candidate country. The capital Skopje has been extensively rebuilt with neoclassical statues and buildings. The country has a mix of Macedonian and Albanian populations.

North Macedonia is a parliamentary republic. Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski of VMRO-DPMNE was inaugurated on June 23, 2024, after his party won the May 2024 parliamentary elections with approximately 43% of the vote. Mickoski, an engineer by profession, led VMRO-DPMNE back after the party's decade in opposition (during which the SDSM-led governments signed the Prespa Agreement and managed NATO accession). President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova (VMRO-DPMNE; the first female president) was also elected in 2024. Controversially, she refused to use the name 'North Macedonia' in her inauguration speech, creating diplomatic tension with Greece and the EU. Parliament has 120 seats.

Economic Snapshot

GDP

$14.8B

GDP Per Capita

$7,900

Income Group

Upper-middle income

Trade Balance

Deficit

Inflation

9.4% (SSO, 2023)

North Macedonia is one of the Western Balkans' smallest and most EU-dependent economies. German automotive supply chain integration (through wiring harness factories and other components) has brought manufacturing jobs. Mining (Sasa zinc-lead) is a significant export earner. The economy has grown modestly but emigration (to Germany, Austria, and elsewhere) has created demographic pressure. The 27-year name dispute with Greece was simultaneously absurd (how could a country's name block it from international organizations for nearly three decades?) and deeply politically serious (Greek national sentiment around the Macedonian name and Alexander the Great's Greek identity was genuine and powerful). The Prespa Agreement's resolution (changing the name, qualifying 'North' as the accepted adjective) was achieved through extraordinary political courage from both Zaev and Tsipras, both of whom faced domestic opposition. Zaev lost subsequent elections partly because of domestic backlash over the name change. The new VMRO-DPMNE government (Mickoski; President Siljanovska-Davkova) has created new tension with Greece and the EU by refusing to consistently use 'North Macedonia' (preferring just 'Macedonia'). This threatens to unravel the Prespa Agreement's framework and could complicate EU accession progress.

Major Industries

• Mining (zinc, lead, silver, gold: Sasa and Buchim mines)
• Agriculture (tobacco; wine; peppers: Macedonian peppers are regionally famous)
• Manufacturing (automotive components; textiles)
• Tourism (Lake Ohrid; Skopje; Ohrid Old Town: UNESCO)
• Financial Services
• IT Services (growing outsourcing sector)

North Macedonia is known for: North Macedonia's Lake Ohrid is one of the world's oldest lakes (3-5 million years old) and Europe's oldest continuously inhabited lake region. The Ohrid Trout (a species found only in Lake Ohrid) is one of the world's rarest fish. Skopje was rebuilt after a 1963 earthquake and again 'redecorated' under the 'Skopje 2014' project that filled the city with neoclassical statues and buildings. Alexander the Great's origin is disputed between North Macedonia and Greece.

Trade Profile

North Macedonia runs a structural trade deficit, financed by diaspora remittances from the significant Macedonian communities in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Australia. The economy is small and tightly integrated with EU markets (particularly Germany) through the automotive supply chain.

Top Exports

• Ferrous metals & steel products
• Zinc, lead & silver concentrates
• Tobacco
• Wine
• Automotive components
• Clothing & textiles

Top Imports

• Petroleum
• Machinery
• Consumer goods
• Vehicles
• Electronics
• Food

Export Destinations

• Germany
• Kosovo
• Serbia
• Bulgaria
• Greece

Import Partners

• United Kingdom
• Germany
• Greece
• Serbia
• China

The world depends on North Macedonia for: Zinc and lead concentrates, automotive components, and premium Macedonian tobacco and wine

North Macedonia depends on the world for: Petroleum, machinery, consumer goods, vehicles, and electronics

Global Role

North Macedonia's global significance comes from the 27-year name dispute with Greece (resolved 2018), Lake Ohrid's extraordinary natural and cultural heritage, Alexander the Great's disputed origin, NATO membership, and EU candidate status.

• The 2018 Prespa Agreement (signed by PM Zaev and Greek PM Tsipras at Lake Prespa) resolved the name dispute by renaming Macedonia to 'North Macedonia'; it was one of modern diplomacy's most unusual bilateral resolutions
• Greece blocked North Macedonia's NATO and EU membership for 27 years over the name dispute, arguing 'Macedonia' implied territorial claims on Greece's northern Macedonia region
• Lake Ohrid is one of the world's oldest lakes (3-5 million years; older than most lakes on Earth) and contains approximately 200 endemic species
• Alexander the Great's birthplace (Pella, now in Greece) and the dispute over whether he was 'Macedonian' (Greek) or the ancestor of modern Macedonians has been a live cultural-political debate
• North Macedonia became NATO's 30th member on March 27, 2020, after the Prespa Agreement cleared the path
• Skopje 2014 filled the capital with Alexander the Great statues, ancient Greek-style columns, and neoclassical facades in an attempt to claim Macedonian-Hellenic heritage; it was widely criticized as kitsch
• North Macedonia's population has been declining significantly through emigration to Western Europe, particularly Germany and Austria

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the current Prime Minister of North Macedonia?

Hristijan Mickoski of VMRO-DPMNE became Prime Minister on June 23, 2024, after his party won the May 2024 elections with approximately 43% of the vote. An engineer by training, Mickoski led VMRO-DPMNE back to power after a decade in opposition. North Macedonia also elected Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova as President in 2024, the first female president in the country's history.

What was the name dispute with Greece?

When Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, Greece objected to the country using the name 'Macedonia' because Greece has its own northern Macedonia region and considers the name historically Greek (Alexander the Great's Macedonian kingdom is central to Greek identity). Greece blocked Macedonia from joining NATO and the EU for 27 years, compelling it to join the UN under the provisional name 'Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia' (FYROM). The 2018 Prespa Agreement resolved the dispute: the country became 'North Macedonia' and Greece lifted its objections to NATO and EU accession.

What is Lake Ohrid?

Lake Ohrid is one of the world's oldest and deepest lakes, formed approximately 3-5 million years ago. It sits on the border between North Macedonia and Albania. It is approximately 30 km long, up to 288 m deep, and contains approximately 200 endemic species that evolved in isolation, including the Ohrid Trout (critically endangered) and the Ohrid eel. Ohrid Old Town on the lake's eastern shore (North Macedonia's side) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Byzantine-era churches and Ottoman architecture.

Related Countries

• Greece: Former name dispute; Prespa Agreement; EU and NATO membership path; southern neighbor
• Albania: Shares Lake Ohrid; significant Albanian minority in North Macedonia (~25%)
• Serbia: Former Yugoslav federation member; significant trade; northern neighbor
• Bulgaria: Bulgaria raised historical and linguistic objections to Macedonian EU accession (disputing Macedonian as distinct from Bulgarian language/identity)
• Kosovo: Neighbor; largest export destination; Western Balkans regional connection
• Germany: Largest trade partner; automotive supply chain; large Macedonian diaspora in Germany