The North Macedonian census plays a crucial role in ethnic politics, but faces many challenges such as a lack of trust between groups, political parties using the census for political purposes, citizens' distrust of the statistical bureau, and a lack of ethnic representation in census institutions. These factors may lead to ethnic differences and tensions, hindering the smooth progress of the census.

1. Political background of ethnic identity in North Macedonia

The Albanian ethnic group in the Balkans is distributed in North Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo, and felt marginalized within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia after World War II. In 1991, North Macedonia gained independence and its constitution promised ethnic equality, but the Albanian people were still dissatisfied with resource allocation. After the 2001 conflict, the Ohrid Framework Agreement granted more rights to ethnic minorities, but the census issue became a focus of ethnic controversy. Albanian politicians believed that their population proportion was underestimated, affecting their rights.

Political games in previous population censuses

The census in North Macedonia is not only a statistical work, but also a political game of power and status among ethnic groups. The first census in 1991 was controversial due to Albanian resistance, and although the 1994 census was supervised by an international observer mission, issues with language and the appointment of census takers caused dissatisfaction. Although the 2002 census used multilingual tables and was supervised by international experts, the results were still questioned, with Albanians believing it was underestimated and Macedonian nationalists believing it was too high. The 2011 census was suspended due to disputes over statistical methods and scope, and there were differences between the Macedonian and Albanian ethnic groups in terms of census takers' statistical methods, census committee representativeness, and foreign population statistics.

3. 2021 Population Census and Related Discussions

The Ohrid Framework Agreement brought hope for the Albanian people to fight for their national rights. Over the past 20 years, the Albanian people have gained more rights in language, education, politics, and other areas. The 2021 census was originally scheduled to take place in April, but due to concerns about the impact of digital changes on social and political dynamics, North Macedonia hesitated and opposition voices rose one after another. In the end, the census was postponed to September and was solely managed by the National Bureau of Statistics, reducing political influence. The census results show that the total population of the country is 2097319, of which 58.44% are Macedonians and 24.30% are Albanians. After the results were announced, it sparked political controversy, with various political parties and ethnic groups expressing dissatisfaction with the data, believing that the census was incomplete or inaccurate.

4 Conclusion

Since its independence in 1991, North Macedonia has conducted five population censuses, with the 2002 and 2021 censuses being more successful, but the remaining three failed due to a lack of widespread recognition. The difficulties in the census are not only due to disputes over data collection methods and scope, but also to the politicization of the census and the lack of a political foundation of mutual trust. Although the Ohrid Framework Agreement temporarily eased ethnic conflicts, it tainted census and other affairs with racial and political undertones. The census has become a tool for political elites to engage in digital games, exacerbating social divisions and conflicts. Although the 2021 census has been internationally recognized, it still sparks controversy due to its close association with political rights. To carry out the census smoothly, it is necessary to downplay the political color at the national policy level, mobilize the participation of all ethnic groups, and reduce inter ethnic conflicts. Albanian politicians should promote national policy-making, and Macedonians should also demonstrate their willingness to expand participation from all ethnic groups.