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Europe
Page last updated: April 24, 2024
The Ottoman Empire took control of Kosovo in 1389 after defeating Serbian forces. Large numbers of Turks and Albanians moved to the region, and by the end of the 19th century, Albanians had replaced Serbs as the majority ethnic group in Kosovo. Serbia reacquired control of Kosovo during the First Balkan War of 1912, and after World War II, Kosovo became an autonomous province of Serbia in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). Increasing Albanian nationalism in the 1980s led to riots and calls for Kosovo's independence, but in 1989, Belgrade -- which has in turn served as the capital of Serbia and Yugoslavia -- revoked Kosovo's autonomous status. When the SFRY broke up in 1991, Kosovo Albanian leaders organized an independence referendum, and Belgrade's repressive response led to an insurgency. Kosovo remained part of Serbia, which joined with Montenegro to declare a new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in 1992.
In 1998, Belgrade launched a brutal counterinsurgency campaign, with some 800,000 ethnic Albanians expelled from their homes in Kosovo. After international mediation failed, a NATO military operation began in March 1999 and forced Belgrade to withdraw its forces from Kosovo. UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) placed Kosovo under the temporary control of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Negotiations in 2006-07 ended without agreement between Serbia and Kosovo, though the UN issued a comprehensive report that endorsed independence. On 17 February 2008, the Kosovo Assembly declared Kosovo independent.
Serbia continues to reject Kosovo's independence, but the two countries began EU-facilitated discussions in 2013 to normalize relations, which resulted in several agreements. Additional agreements were reached in 2015 and 2023, but implementation remains incomplete. In 2022, Kosovo formally applied for membership in the EU, which is contingent on fulfillment of accession criteria, and the Council of Europe. Kosovo is also seeking UN and NATO memberships.
Southeastern Europe, between Serbia and Macedonia
42°35' N, 21°00' E
Europe
Total: 10,887 km²
Land: 10,887 km²
Water: 0 km²
Slightly larger than Delaware
Area comparison map:
Total: 714 km
Border countries (4): Albania 112 km; North Macedonia 160 km; Montenegro 76 km; Serbia 366 km
0 km (landlocked)
None (landlocked)
Influenced by continental air masses resulting in relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall and hot, dry summers and autumns; Mediterranean and alpine influences create regional variation; maximum rainfall between October and December
Flat fluvial basin at an elevation of 400-700 m above sea level surrounded by several high mountain ranges with elevations of 2,000 to 2,500 m
Highest point: Gjeravica/Deravica 2,656 m
Lowest point: Drini i Bardhe/Beli Drim (located on the border with Albania) 297 m
Mean elevation: 450 m
Nickel, lead, zinc, magnesium, lignite, kaolin, chrome, bauxite
Agricultural land: 52.8% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 27.4% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 1.9% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 23.5% (2018 est.)
Forest: 41.7% (2018 est.)
Other: 5.5% (2018 est.)
NA
Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 km²)
Population clusters exist throughout the country, the largest being in the east in and around the capital of Pristina
The 41-km long Nerodimka River divides into two branches each of which flows into a different sea: the northern branch flows into the Sitnica River, which via the Ibar, Morava, and Danube Rivers ultimately flows into the Black Sea; the southern branch flows via the Lepenac and Vardar Rivers into the Aegean Sea
1,964,327 (2023 est.)
Noun: Kosovan
Adjective: Kosovan
Note: Kosovo, a neutral term, is sometimes also used as a noun or adjective as in Kosovo Albanian, Kosovo Serb, Kosovo minority, or Kosovo citizen
Albanians 92.9%, Bosniaks 1.6%, Serbs 1.5%, Turk 1.1%, Ashkali 0.9%, Egyptian 0.7%, Gorani 0.6%, Romani 0.5%, other/unspecified 0.2% (2011 est.)
Note: these estimates may under-represent Serb, Romani, and some other ethnic minorities because they are based on the 2011 Kosovo national census, which excluded northern Kosovo (a largely Serb-inhabited region) and was partially boycotted by Serb and Romani communities in southern Kosovo
Albanian (official) 94.5%, Bosnian 1.7%, Serbian (official) 1.6%, Turkish 1.1%, other 0.9% (includes Romani), unspecified 0.1%; note - in municipalities where a community's mother tongue is not one of Kosovo's official languages, the language of that community may be given official status according to the 2006 Law on the Use of Languages
Note: these estimates may under-represent Serb, Romani, and some other ethnic minority languages because they are based on the 2011 Kosovo national census, which excluded northern Kosovo (a largely Serb-inhabited region) and was partially boycotted by Serb and Romani communities in southern Kosovo (2011 est.)
Major-language sample(s): Libri i fakteve boterore, burimi i pazevendesueshem per informacione elementare (Albanian)
Knjiga svetskih ÄŤinjenica, neophodan izvor osnovnih informacija. (Serbian)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Serbian language sample:
Muslim 95.6%, Roman Catholic 2.2%, Orthodox 1.5%, other 0.1%, none 0.1%, unspecified 0.6% (2011 est.)
Note: these estimates may under-represent Serb, Romani, and some other ethnic minorities because they are based on the 2011 Kosovo national census, which excluded northern Kosovo (a largely Serb-inhabited region) and was partially boycotted by Serb and Romani communities in southern Kosovo
0-14 years: 23.1% (male 235,379/female 218,359)
15-64 years: 68.75% (male 706,495/female 643,982)
65 years and over: 8.15% (2023 est.) (male 69,676/female 90,436)
2023 population pyramid:
Total dependency ratio: 46.9
Youth dependency ratio: 32.3
Elderly dependency ratio: 14.6
Potential support ratio: 6.9 (2021)
Total: 31.7 years (2023 est.)
Male: 31.3 years
Female: 32 years
0.62% (2023 est.)
14.6 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
7.7 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-0.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Population clusters exist throughout the country, the largest being in the east in and around the capital of Pristina
218,782 PRISTINA (capital) (2020)
At birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Total: 24.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 26.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 23.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Total population: 72.2 years (2023 est.)
Male: 69.9 years
Female: 74.5 years
1.88 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.91 (2023 est.)
NA
Improved: urban: NA
Rural: NA
Total: NA
Unimproved: urban: NA
Rural: NA
Total: NA
NA
NA
Improved: urban: NA
Rural: NA
Total: NA
Unimproved: urban: NA
Rural: NA
Total: NA
NA
NA
Air pollution (pollution from power plants and nearby lignite mines take a toll on people's health); water scarcity and pollution; land degradation
Influenced by continental air masses resulting in relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall and hot, dry summers and autumns; Mediterranean and alpine influences create regional variation; maximum rainfall between October and December
Agricultural land: 52.8% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 27.4% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 1.9% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 23.5% (2018 est.)
Forest: 41.7% (2018 est.)
Other: 5.5% (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
0.31% of GDP (2018 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 8.94 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 0.54 megatons (2020 est.)
Municipal solid waste generated annually: 319,000 tons (2015 est.)
Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 km²)
Conventional long form: Republic of Kosovo
Conventional short form: Kosovo
Local long form: Republika e Kosoves (Albanian)/ Republika Kosovo (Serbian)
Local short form: Kosove (Albanian)/ Kosovo (Serbian)
Etymology: name derives from the Serbian "kos" meaning "blackbird," an ellipsis (linguistic omission) for "kosove polje" or "field of the blackbirds"
Parliamentary republic
Name: Pristina (Prishtine, Prishtina)
Geographic coordinates: 42 40 N, 21 10 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Etymology: the name may derive from a Proto-Slavic word reconstructed as "pryshchina," meaning "spring (of water)"
38 municipalities (komunat, singular - komuna (Albanian); opstine, singular - opstina (Serbian)); Decan (Decani), Dragash (Dragas), Ferizaj (Urosevac), Fushe Kosove (Kosovo Polje), Gjakove (Dakovica), Gjilan (Gnjilane), Gllogovc (Glogovac), Gracanice (Gracanica), Hani i Elezit (Deneral Jankovic), Istog (Istok), Junik, Kacanik, Kamenice (Kamenica), Kline (Klina), Kllokot (Klokot), Leposaviq (Leposavic), Lipjan (Lipljan), Malisheve (Malisevo), Mamushe (Mamusa), Mitrovice e Jugut (Juzna Mitrovica) [South Mitrovica], Mitrovice e Veriut (Severna Mitrovica) [North Mitrovica], Novoberde (Novo Brdo), Obiliq (Obilic), Partesh (Partes), Peje (Pec), Podujeve (Podujevo), Prishtine (Pristina), Prizren, Rahovec (Orahovac), Ranillug (Ranilug), Shterpce (Strpce), Shtime (Stimlje), Skenderaj (Srbica), Suhareke (Suva Reka), Viti (Vitina), Vushtrri (Vucitrn), Zubin Potok, Zvecan
17 February 2008 (from Serbia)
Independence Day, 17 February (2008)
History: previous 1974, 1990; latest (postindependence) draft finalized 2 April 2008, signed 7 April 2008, ratified 9 April 2008, entered into force 15 June 2008; note - amendment 24, passed by the Assembly in August 2015, established the Kosovo Relocated Specialist Institution, referred to as the Kosovo Specialist Chamber or "Specialist Court," to try war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other crimes under Kosovo law committed during and immediately after the Kosovo War (1998-2000)
Amendments: proposed by the government, by the president of the republic, or by one fourth of Assembly deputies; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly, including two-thirds majority vote of deputies representing non-majority communities, followed by a favorable Constitutional Court assessment; amended several times, last in 2020
Civil law system; note - the European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) retained limited executive powers within the Kosovo judiciary for complex cases from 2008 to 2018
Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Kosovo
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
18 years of age; universal
Chief of state: President Vjosa OSMANI-Sadriu (since 4 April 2021)
Head of government: Prime Minister Albin KURTI (since 22 March 2021)
Cabinet: Cabinet elected by the Assembly
Elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly for a 5-year term; if a candidate does not attain a two-thirds threshold in the first two ballots, the candidate winning a simple majority vote in the third ballot is elected (eligible for a second term); election last held on 3 to 4 April 2021 (next to be held in 2026); prime minister indirectly elected by the Assembly
Election results: 2021: Vjosa OSMANI-Sadriu elected president in third ballot; Assembly vote - Vjosa OSMANI-Sadriu (Guxo!) 71 votes; Albin KURTI (LVV) elected prime minister; Assembly vote - 67 for, 30 against
2017: Ramush HARADINAJ (AAK) elected prime minister; Assembly vote - 61 for, 1 abstention, 0 against (opposition boycott)
2016: Hashim THACI elected president in third ballot; Assembly vote - Hashim THACI (PDK) 71 votes
Description: unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi i Kosoves/Skupstina Kosova (120 seats; 100 members directly elected by open-list proportional representation vote with 20 seats reserved for ethnic minorities - 10 for Serbs and 10 for other ethnic minorities; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 14 February 2021 (next to be held in 2025)
Election results: percent of vote by party - LVV 50%, PDK 16.9%, LDK 12.7%, AAK 7.1%, Serb List 5.1%, other 8.2%; seats by party - LVV 58, PDK 19, LDK 15, Serb List 10, AAK 8, other 10; composition as of December 2021 - men 79, women 41, percentage women 34.2%
Highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the court president and 18 judges and organized into Appeals Panel of the Kosovo Property Agency and Special Chamber); Constitutional Court (consists of the court president, vice president, and 7 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges nominated by the Kosovo Judicial Council, a 13-member independent body staffed by judges and lay members, and also responsible for overall administration of Kosovo's judicial system; judges appointed by the president of the Republic of Kosovo; judges appointed until mandatory retirement age; Constitutional Court judges nominated by the Kosovo Assembly and appointed by the president of the republic to serve single, 9-year terms
Subordinate courts: Court of Appeals (organized into 4 departments: General, Serious Crime, Commercial Matters, and Administrative Matters); Basic Court (located in 7 municipalities, each with several branches)
Note: in August 2015, the Kosovo Assembly approved a constitutional amendment that established the Kosovo Relocated Specialist Judicial Institution, also referred to as the Kosovo Specialist Chambers or "Special Court"; the court, located at the Hague in the Netherlands, began operating in late 2016 and has jurisdiction to try crimes against humanity, war crimes, and other crimes under Kosovo law that occurred in the 1998-2000 period
Alliance for the Future of Kosovo or AAK [Ramush HARADINAJ]
Ashkali Party for Integration or PAI [Bekim ARIFI]
Civic Initiative for Freedom, Justice, and Survival [Milan DABIC]
Democratic League of Kosovo or LDK [Lumir ABDIXHIKU]
Democratic Party of Kosovo or PDK [Memli KRASNIQI]
New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo or IRDK [Elbert KRASNIQI]
New Democratic Party or NDS [Emilja REDZEPI]
Progressive Movement of Kosovar Roma or LPRK [Erxhan GALJUSI]
Romani Initiative [Gazmend SALIJEVCI]
Self-Determination Movement (LĂ«vizja Vetevendosje or Vetevendosie) or LVV or VV [Albin KURTI]
Serb List or SL [Goran RAKIC]
Social Democratic Union or SDU [Duda BALJE]
Turkish Democratic Party of Kosovo or KDTP [Fikrim DAMKA]
Unique Gorani Party or JGP [Adem HODZA]
Vakat Coalition or VAKAT [Bahrim SABANI]
FIFA, IBRD, IDA, IFC, IMF, IOC, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, OIF (observer)
Centered on a dark blue field is a gold-colored silhouette of Kosovo surmounted by six white, five-pointed stars arrayed in a slight arc; each star represents one of the major ethnic groups of Kosovo: Albanians, Serbs, Turks, Gorani, Roma, and Bosniaks
Note: one of only two national flags that uses a map as a design element; the flag of Cyprus is the other
Six, five-pointed, white stars; national colors: blue, gold, white
Name: Europe
Lyrics/music: no lyrics/Mendi MENGJIQI
Note: adopted 2008; Kosovo chose to exclude lyrics in its anthem so as not to offend the country's minority ethnic groups
Total World Heritage Sites: 1 (cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales: Medieval Monuments in Kosovo
Small-but-growing European economy; non-EU member but unilateral euro user; very high unemployment, especially youth; vulnerable reliance on diaspora tourism services, curtailed by COVID-19 disruptions; unclear public loan portfolio health
$22.333 billion (2022 est.)
$21.226 billion (2021 est.)
$19.166 billion (2020 est.)
Note: data in 2017 dollars
5.22% (2022 est.)
10.75% (2021 est.)
-5.34% (2020 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
$12,700 (2022 est.)
$11,900 (2021 est.)
$10,700 (2020 est.)
Note: data in 2017 dollars
$9.409 billion (2022 est.)
Note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
11.58% (2022 est.)
3.35% (2021 est.)
0.2% (2020 est.)
Note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Agriculture: 11.9% (2017 est.)
Industry: 17.7% (2017 est.)
Services: 70.4% (2017 est.)
Comparison rankings: services 65; industry 165; agriculture 79
Household consumption: 84.3% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 13.6% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 29% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2016 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 27% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -53.8% (2017 est.)
Wheat, corn, berries, potatoes, peppers, fruit; dairy, livestock; fish
Mineral mining, construction materials, base metals, leather, machinery, appliances, foodstuffs and beverages, textiles
2.09% (2022 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
500,300 (2017 est.)
Note: includes those estimated to be employed in the gray economy
30.5% (2017 est.)
27.5% (2016 est.)
Note: Kosovo has a large informal sector that may not be reflected in these data
Total: 48.8% (2020 est.)
Male: 44.9%
Female: 57.3%
17.6% (2015 est.)
Note: % of population with income below national poverty line
29 (2017 est.)
Note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
Lowest 10%: 3.8%
Highest 10%: 24.6% (2017 est.)
Note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population
17.14% of GDP (2022 est.)
18.01% of GDP (2021 est.)
18.61% of GDP (2020 est.)
Note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Revenues: $1.951 billion (2020 est.)
Expenditures: $2.547 billion (2020 est.)
-2.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
21.2% of GDP (2017 est.)
19.4% of GDP (2016 est.)
29% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
-$983.283 million (2022 est.)
-$818.351 million (2021 est.)
-$541.106 million (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
$3.579 billion (2022 est.)
$3.138 billion (2021 est.)
$1.687 billion (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
United States 16%, Albania 15%, North Macedonia 12%, Germany 8%, Italy 8% (2021)
Mattress materials, iron alloys, metal piping, scrap iron, building plastics, mineral water, seating (2021)
$6.661 billion (2022 est.)
$6.128 billion (2021 est.)
$4.187 billion (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Germany 13%, Turkey 13%, China 10%, Serbia 7%, Italy 6% (2021)
Refined petroleum, cars, iron rods, electricity, cigars, packaged medicines (2021)
$1.248 billion (2022 est.)
$1.244 billion (2021 est.)
$1.095 billion (2020 est.)
Note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
$2.388 billion (2019 est.)
$2.409 billion (2018 est.)
Euros (EUR) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
0.951 (2022 est.)
0.845 (2021 est.)
0.877 (2020 est.)
0.893 (2019 est.)
0.847 (2018 est.)
Note: Kosovo, which is neither an EU member state nor a party to a formal EU monetary agreement, uses the euro as its de facto currency
Electrification - total population: 100% (2020)
Installed generating capacity: 1.424 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 4,860,740,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 2.715 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 2.572 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 1.145 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Comparison rankings: imports 56; exports 44; installed generating capacity 127; transmission/distribution losses 104; consumption 125
Fossil fuels: 95.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Solar: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Wind: 1.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Hydroelectricity: 3.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Production: 8.538 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 8.549 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 9,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 20,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 1.564 billion metric tons (2019 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 12,800 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
192 bbl/day (2015 est.)
14,040 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
8.009 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 6.1 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 1.909 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
51.462 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
Total subscriptions: 383,763 (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 25 (2022 est.)
Total subscriptions: 1,777,859 (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 98 (2022 est.)
General assessment: Kosovo has benefited from financial and regulatory assistance as part of the EU pre-accession process; the telecom sector has been liberalized, and legislation has aligned the sector with the EU’s revised regulatory framework; infrastructure development includes WiMax and other municipal wireless internet services; digitalization of TV broadcasting; network upgrades include a 5G roll-out in the coming years (2022 )
Domestic: fixed-line roughly 25 per 100 and mobile-cellular 98 per 100 persons (2022)
International: country code - 383
.xk; note - assigned as a temporary code under UN Security Council resolution 1244/99
Total: 1,756,300 (2021 est.)
Percent of population: 91% (2021 est.)
Number of registered air carriers: 0 (2020)
Z6
4 (2024)
6 (2024)
Total: 437 km (2020)
Total: 2,248 km (2022)
Kosovo Security Force (KSF; Forca e Sigurisë së Kosovës or FSK): Land Force, National Guard (2024)
Note: the Kosovo Police are under the Ministry of Internal Affairs
2% of GDP (2022 est.)
2% of GDP (2021 est.)
1.1% of GDP (2020 est.)
0.8% of GDP (2019 est.)
0.8% of GDP (2018 est.)
Approximately 3,300 KSF personnel, including about 800 reserves (2023)
The KSF is equipped with small arms and light vehicles and has relied on limited amounts of donated equipment from several countries, particularly Turkey and the US (2023)
Any citizen of Kosovo over the age of 18 is eligible to serve in the Kosovo Security Force; upper age for enlisting is 30 for officers, 25 for other ranks, although these may be waived for recruits with key skills considered essential for the KSF
(2024)
The Kosovo Security Force (KSF) was established in 2009 as a small (1,500 personnel), lightly armed disaster response force; the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) was charged with assisting in the development of the KSF and bringing it up to standards designated by NATO; the KSF was certified as fully operational by the North Atlantic Council in 2013, indicating the then 2,200-strong KSF was entirely capable of performing the tasks assigned under its mandate, which included non-military security functions that were not appropriate for the police, plus missions such as search and rescue, explosive ordnance disposal, control and clearance of hazardous materials, firefighting, and other humanitarian assistance tasks; in 2019, Kosovo approved legislation that began a process to transition the KSF by 2028 into a professional military (the Kosovo Armed Forces) led by a General Staff and comprised of a Land Force, a National Guard, a Logistics Command, and a Doctrine and Training Command; it would have a strength of up to 5,000 with about 3,000 reserves; at the same time, the KSF’s mission was expanded to include traditional military functions, such as territorial defense and international peacekeeping; the KSF’s first international mission was the deployment of a small force to Kuwait in 2021
The NATO-led KFOR has operated in the country as a peace support force since 1999; in addition to assisting in the development of the KSF, KFOR is responsible for providing a safe and secure environment and ensuring freedom of movement for all citizens; as of 2024, it numbered about 4,400 troops from 28 countries; Kosovo regards the US as a key ally and security guarantor, and the US has provided considerable support to the KSF, including equipment and training (2024)
Terrorist group(s): Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T
Note: NATO-led Kosovo Force peacekeepers deployed under UN Security Council Resolution 1244 continue to ensure a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all Kosovo citizens; in September 2023, KFOR deployed additional forces in the north of Kosovo and increased patrols along the border with Serbia after Kosovo-Serb paramilitaries attacked Kosovo police near the town of Banjska; some of Kosovo’s ethnic Serb minority, most of whom live in the northern regions, view themselves as part of Serbia, and Serbian municipalities along the northern border have challenged the final status of Kosovo-Serbia boundary; some protests have turned violent
IDPs: 16,000 (primarily ethnic Serbs displaced during the 1998-1999 war fearing reprisals from the majority ethnic-Albanian population; a smaller number of ethnic Serbs, Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians fled their homes in 2004 as a result of violence) (2022)
Note: 9,011 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-August 2023)