Kosovo RL

On the other hand, Dardania maintained its independence until the year 28 BC, when the Romans, under Augustus, annexed it into their Republic. The Dardani retained an individuality and continued to maintain social independence after Roman conquest, playing an important role in the formation of new groupings in the Roman era. The flag of Dardania remains in use as the official Presidential seal and standard and is heavily featured in the institution of the presidency of the country. The entire territory that corresponds to today’s country is commonly referred to in English simply as Kosovo and in Albanian as Kosova (definite form) or Kosovë (indefinite form, pronounced kɔˈsɔvə). It has experienced significant economic growth over the last decade, as measured by international financial institutions, since the onset of the 2008 financial crisis.

In order to change the ethnic composition of Kosovo, between 1912 and 1941 a large-scale Serbian colonisation of Kosovo was undertaken by the Belgrade government. In 1929, the country was transformed into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the territories of Kosovo were reorganised among the Banate of Zeta, the Banate of Morava and the Banate of Vardar. Soon, there were concerted Serbian colonisation efforts in Kosovo during various periods between Serbia’s 1912 takeover of the province and World War II, causing the population of Serbs in Kosovo to grow by about 58,000 in this period. During the Balkan Wars, over 100,000 Albanians left Kosovo and about 50,000 were killed in the massacres that accompanied the war. However, this autonomy never materialised, and the revolt created serious weaknesses in the Ottoman ranks, luring Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Greece into declaring war on the Ottoman Empire and starting the First Balkan War.

• As of 19 December 2025, 118 UN states recognised its independence, including all of its immediate neighbours, with the exception of Serbia; 10 states have subsequently withdrawn that recognition.
• A declaration of independence by Kosovar Albanian leaders was postponed until the end of the Serbian presidential elections (4 February 2008).
• Despite declining foreign assistance, the GDP has mostly grown since its declaration of independence.
• The Bulgarians that pushed westwards across modern Macedonia and eastern Serbia, until by the 850’s had taken over Kosovo and were pressing on the border of Serbian Principality.
• The International Court of Justice ruled in 2010 that Kosovo’s declaration of independence did was legal according to international law, but Serbia has rejected that verdict.
• Kosovo is dominated by the services sector, accounting for 54% of GDP and employing approximately 56.6% of the population.

Members of the Roman Catholic Church are predominantly Albanians while ethnic Serbs mainly belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church. Today, Kosovo has the second-highest number of Muslims as a percentage of its population in Europe after Turkey. Additionally, 0.5% of population reported affiliation with other religions, jayabaji Nepal 0.5% stated they have no religious belief, and 1.5% chose not to disclose their religious affiliation. In the 2024 census, 93.5% of the population of Kosovo were Sunni Muslims, 2.3% were Eastern Orthodox and 1.8% Roman Catholics. Kosovo’s society is strongly secularised and is ranked first in Southern Europe and ninth in the world as free and equal for tolerance towards religion and atheism. In Kosovo, Albanian and Serbian are the official languages at the national level, but Albanian is the predominant language in Kosovo, spoken by over 92% of the population.

However, relations between Serbia and Kosovo took a step backward in November 2018, when Kosovo imposed a 100% import tax on all Serbian goods. The Brussels Agreement enabled both nations to eventually join the EU, and was followed the exchange of liaison officers between the two nations in June of 2013. In December 2012, Serbian’s Prime Minister Ivica Dačić agreed to appoint a liaison officer to Kosovo as a result of European Union (EU) negotiations on Kosovo’s status. Despite these initial tensions, relations between Serbia and Kosovo warmed over time. As a result, the true number of countries that recognize Kosovo is closer to 99. However, a handful of those recognitions are ambiguous or disputed, and several other countries have withdrawn their recognition due to political pressure from countries who favor Serbia’s stance over that of Kosovo.

Kosovo’s Declaration of Independence and Serbia’s Reaction

International exposure of Kosovan art was limited in the 1990s due to Slobodan Milošević’s regime and the difficult circumstances during the struggle for independence. Kosovo ranks 99th out of 180 countries in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index report compiled by the Reporters Without Borders, with a score of 52.73 indicating difficult conditions. It is Kosovo’s only international airport and the only port of entry for air travelers to Kosovo.

People

According to the most recent census in 2024 by the Kosovo Agency of Statistics, Kosovo’s population is 1,585,566. The largest and most populous district of Kosovo is the District of Pristina with the capital in Pristina, having a surface area of 2,470 km2 (953.67 sq mi) and a population of 511,307. The ICO concluded operations in 2012 after fulfilling obligations, while EULEX continues to operate within Kosovo and international law. The legal status of the ICO depended upon the de facto situation and Kosovo legislation, with oversight provided by the International Steering Group (ISG) comprising states that recognised Kosovo. These bodies were granted powers under Kosovo’s declaration of independence and constitution. In 2023, the Kosovo Security Force had over 5,000 active members, using vehicles and weapons acquired from a number of NATO countries.

The Yugoslav leadership tried to suppress protests of Kosovo Serbs seeking protection from ethnic discrimination and violence. During the 1980s, ethnic tensions continued with frequent violent outbreaks against Yugoslav state authorities, resulting in a further increase in emigration of Kosovo Serbs and other ethnic groups. In the aftermath of the 1981 protests, purges took place in the Communist Party, and rights that had been recently granted to Albanians were rescinded – including ending the provision of Albanian professors and Albanian language textbooks in the education system. Protests by Albanians in 1981 over the status of Kosovo resulted in Yugoslav territorial defence units being brought into Kosovo and a state of emergency being declared resulting in violence and the protests being crushed. Further concessions were made to the ethnic Albanians of Kosovo in response to unrest, including the creation of the University of Pristina as an Albanian language institution.

Roman period

A 2020 research report funded by the EU shows that there is a limited scale of trust and overall contact between the major ethnic groups in Kosovo. Ethnic prejudices, stereotypes and mutual distrust between ethnic Albanians and Serbs have remained common for decades. Relations between Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo Serbs have been hostile since the rise of nationalism in the Balkans during the 19th century. The Kosovo War and subsequent migration have decreased the population of Kosovo over time. The country is the 11th most populous country in the Southeastern Europe (Balkans) and ranks as the 152nd most populous country in the world.

Albania was also one of the first countries to officially announce its recognition of the Republic of Kosovo in February 2008. In 1992, Albania was the only country whose parliament voted to recognise the Republic of Kosova. Foreign relations with Albania are unique in that both countries share the same language and culture. Corruption is a major problem and an obstacle to the development of democracy in the country.