Kosovo

Kosovo
Status	Disputed status
Social and Moral Index	79th best
Capital	Pristina
Land Area	10 887km21
Location	Europe, The Balkans
Population
GNI
ISO3166-1 Codes	xk, , 2
Internet Domain	3
Currency	4
Telephone	+5

1. Overview
2. Kosovo National and Social Development
3. Kosovo's Demographics and Migration
4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
5. Kosovo's Health
6. Kosovo's Modernity and Learning
7. National Culture
8. Peace Versus Instability
9. Economic Inequality and Poverty
10. Religion and Beliefs
11. Links

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1. Overview

“The central Balkans were part of the Roman and Byzantine Empires before ethnic Serbs migrated to the territories of modern Kosovo in the 7th century. During the medieval period, Kosovo became the center of a Serbian Empire and saw the construction of many important Serb religious sites, including many architecturally significant Serbian Orthodox monasteries. The defeat of Serbian forces at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 led to five centuries of Ottoman rule during which large numbers of Turks and Albanians moved to Kosovo. By the end of the 19th century, Albanians replaced the Serbs as the dominant ethnic group in Kosovo. Serbia reacquired control over Kosovo from the Ottoman Empire during the First Balkan War of 1912. After World War II, Kosovo became an autonomous province of Serbia in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (S.F.R.Y.) with status almost equivalent to that of a republic under the 1974 S.F.R.Y. constitution. Despite legislative concessions, Albanian nationalism increased in the 1980s, which led to riots and calls for Kosovo's independence. At the same time, Serb nationalist leaders, such as Slobodan MILOSEVIC, exploited Kosovo Serb claims of maltreatment to secure votes from supporters, many of whom viewed Kosovo as their cultural heartland. Under MILOSEVIC's leadership, Serbia instituted a new constitution in 1989 that revoked Kosovo's status as an autonomous province of Serbia. Kosovo's Albanian leaders responded in 1991 by organizing a referendum that declared Kosovo independent. Under MILOSEVIC, Serbia carried out repressive measures against the Kosovar Albanians in the early 1990s as the unofficial Kosovo government, led by Ibrahim RUGOVA, used passive resistance in an attempt to try to gain international assistance and recognition of an independent Kosovo. Albanians dissatisfied with RUGOVA's passive strategy in the 1990s created the Kosovo Liberation Army and launched an insurgency. Starting in 1998, Serbian military, police, and paramilitary forces under MILOSEVIC conducted a brutal counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massive expulsions of ethnic Albanians. Approximately 800,000 Albanians were forced from their homes in Kosovo during this time. International attempts to mediate the conflict failed, and MILOSEVIC's rejection of a proposed settlement led to a three-month NATO military operation against Serbia beginning in March 1999 that forced Serbia to agree to withdraw its military and police forces from Kosovo. UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) placed Kosovo under a transitional administration, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), pending a determination of Kosovo's future status. A UN-led process began in late 2005 to determine Kosovo's final status. The negotiations ran in stages between 2006 and 2007, but ended without agreement between Belgrade and Pristina. On 17 February 2008, the Kosovo Assembly declared Kosovo independent. Since then, over 95 countries have recognized Kosovo, and it has joined the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and is in the process of signing a framework agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB). In October 2008, Serbia sought an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality under international law of Kosovo's declaration of independence. The ICJ released the advisory opinion in July 2010 affirming that Kosovo's declaration of independence did not violate general principles of international law, UN Security Council Resolution 1244, or the Constitutive Framework. The opinion was closely tailored to Kosovo's unique history and circumstances. Serbia continues to reject Kosovo's independence, but the two countries are currently engaged in an EU-facilitated dialogue aimed at normalizing the countries' relations.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₆

“It may be Europe´s newest country, but Kosovo´s long and dramatic history can be witnessed at every turn in elegant Ottoman towns and little-visited mountain vistas. Kosovo is contested territory. Populated predominately by Albanians, it is considered holy ground by minority Serbs. The Kosovar Albanians declared independence in 2008, a move hotly disputed by some and still not universally recognised, leading to tensions between Albanian and Serbian locals.

Far from being the dangerous or depressing place most people imagine, Kosovo is a fascinating land at the heart of the Balkans and one of the last corners of Eastern Europe where tourism has yet to take off.

Barbs of its past are impossible to miss: roads are dotted with memorials to those killed in inter-ethnic tension in 1999, while NATO forces still guard Serbian monasteries. But with independence has come a degree of stability, and Kosovo is now the latest word in getting off the beaten track in the Balkans. Visitors will be rewarded with welcoming smiles, terracotta-roofed old quarters, remote 13th-century domed Orthodox monasteries and poppy-splashed hillside meadows, which they will likely have all to themselves.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₇

2. Kosovo National and Social Development

#human_development

Social & Moral Development Index8
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank8
1	Denmark	27.4
2	Norway	27.6
3	Sweden	30.4
	...
76	Ecuador	81.3
77	Armenia	81.5
78	Belarus	81.6
79	Kosovo	82.3
80	Panama	82.7
81	Colombia	83.2
82	Antigua & Barbuda	83.4
83	China	84.6
	Europe Avg	57.5
	World Avg	89.7
q=198.

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Kosovo's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population:

This country has a fertility rate of 1.51. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₉

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best10
Pos.		202210
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
85=	Sweden	1.52
85=	Hungary	1.52
87	St Kitts & Nevis	1.51
88	Kosovo	1.51
89	Belarus	1.50
90	Netherlands	1.49
91	Uruguay	1.48
92=	Latvia	1.47
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #freethought #gender_equality #human_rights #kosovo #kosovo_freethought #morals #politics #prejudice #religious_tolerance #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)11
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank11
1	Sweden	8.5
2	Denmark	13.5
3	Norway	13.5
	...
64	Mauritius	70.5
65	Paraguay	71.8
66	El Salvador	72.3
67	Kosovo	72.6
68	Montenegro	73.3
69	Andorra	73.6
	Europe Avg	51.0
	World Avg	87.8
q=200.

Kosovo does relatively well in ensuring human rights and freedom, compared to many other countries. Kosovo comes in the best 20 in freethought₁₂. It does better than average in commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₁₃ (but bad for Europe), LGBT equality₁₄ (but bad for Europe), eliminating modern slavery₁₅ (but bad for Europe), supporting press freedom₁₆ (but high for Europe) and in its average Freedom in the World rating (but high for Europe). Kosovo still has work to do. Kosovo does worse than average when it comes to its average Freedom in the World rating. Solid progress is being made in bringing prosecutions against those involved in serious war crimescommitted during the 1998-1999 Kosovo war₁₇.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Kosovo

5. Kosovo's Health

#birth_control #demographics #health #kosovo #overpopulation

Health:

Kosovo does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Kosovo does better than average in its fertility rate₁₀. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the last 40 years. Kosovo is amongst only 41 countries who have seen their fertility rate drop by more than 4 since the 1960s. Its peak fertility rate was 6.36 in 1960.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best10
Pos.		202210
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
85=	Sweden	1.52
85=	Hungary	1.52
87	St Kitts & Nevis	1.51
88	Kosovo	1.51
89	Belarus	1.50
90	Netherlands	1.49
91	Uruguay	1.48
92=	Latvia	1.47
	Europe Avg	1.53
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

6. Kosovo's Modernity and Learning

#education #english #maths #modernity #religion #religiosity #science #secularisation #technology #the_internet

Compared to Europe (2020)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Finland	7.7
2	Switzerland	14.7
3	Denmark	14.8
	...
35	Cyprus	51.1
36	Belarus	55.2
37	Serbia	55.4
38	Kosovo	57.0
39	Moldova	57.2
40	Bosnia & Herzegovina	61.6
41	Monaco	64.5
42	Georgia	66.0
43	Montenegro	66.3
	Europe Avg	40.6
q=49.

Modernity & Learning (2020)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Finland	7.7
2	Taiwan	10.0
3	Switzerland	14.7
	...
55	Belarus	55.2
56	Serbia	55.4
57	St Kitts & Nevis	56.7
58	Kosovo	57.0
59	Moldova	57.2
60	Puerto Rico	57.5
61	Saudi Arabia	58.1
62	Palau	59.3
	World Avg	82.7
q=205.

Modernity and Education:

Maths, Science & Reading Higher is better19
Pos.		2015 Score19
1	Singapore	1655
2	Hong Kong	1598
3	Japan	1586
	...
63	Brazil	1185
64	Peru	1182
65	Lebanon	1129
66	Tunisia	1114
67	Macedonia	1107
68	Kosovo	1087
69	Algeria	1086
70	Dominican Rep.	1018
	Europe Avg	1417
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

Religiosity Lower is better20
Pos.		2018 %20
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
43	Argentina	43
44	Mexico	45
45	Kyrgyzstan	47
46	Kosovo	48
47=	Tajikistan	50
47=	Romania	50
49	Georgia	51
50=	Armenia	53
	Europe Avg	25.8
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

7. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

On the Corruption Index, Kosovo scored on average 33.8 over the 2012-2016 period. Over the 10 years since then, it improved by 7.2 points.

World Giving Index Higher is better21
Pos.		2022 %21
1	Indonesia	68.0
2	Kenya	61.0
3	USA	59.0
	...
45=	Costa Rica	44.0
46	Vietnam	43.0
47=	Iran	43.0
47=	Kosovo	43.0
47=	Bolivia	43.0
47=	Ghana	43.0
51	Sweden	42.0
52=	Colombia	42.0
	Europe Avg	39.0
	World Avg	39.6
q=125.

Corruption Higher is better22
Pos.		2022 Points22
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
81	Solomon Islands	42.0
82=	Kuwait	42.0
82=	Hungary	42.0
84	Kosovo	41.0
85=	Tunisia	40.0
85=	Suriname	40.0
85=	Macedonia	40.0
85=	Maldives	40.0
	Europe Avg	57.61
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Happiness Higher is better23
Pos.		2018 Score23
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
	...
63	Estonia	5.7
64	Paraguay	5.7
65	Peru	5.7
66	Kosovo	5.7
67	Moldova	5.6
68	Turkmenistan	5.6
69	Hungary	5.6
70	Libya	5.6
	Europe Avg	6.06
	World Avg	5.38
q=156.

8. Peace Versus Instability

#extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Global Peace Index Lower is better24
Pos.		2023 Score24
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
69	Paraguay	1.94
70=	Liberia	1.95
70=	Trinidad & Tobago	1.95
70=	Kosovo	1.95
73	Cambodia	1.95
74	Malawi	1.97
75	UAE	1.98
76	Kazakhstan	1.98
	Europe Avg	1.70
	World Avg	2.07
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better25
Pos.		2019 Score25
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
69	Madagascar	1.96
70	Finland	2.03
71	Haiti	2.18
72	Kosovo	2.26
73	Japan	2.29
74	Netherlands	2.35
75	Ecuador	2.46
76	Kuwait	2.49
	Europe Avg	1.62
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

9. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#capitalism #economics #inequality #social_development

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better26
Pos.		2023 %26
1	Slovakia	24.1%27
2	Slovenia	24.3%27
3	Belarus	24.4%28
	...
22=	Bhutan	28.5%29
23	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	28.7%30
24	Croatia	28.9%27
25	Kosovo	29.0%31
26=	Kazakhstan	29.2%27
26=	Hungary	29.2%27
28	Maldives	29.3%32
29	Albania	29.4%28
	Europe Avg	30.7%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

10. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #religiosity #secularisation

Religiosity (2018)20
Pos.		Lower is better %20
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
43	Argentina	43
44	Mexico	45
45	Kyrgyzstan	47
46	Kosovo	48
47=	Tajikistan	50
47=	Romania	50
49	Georgia	51
50=	Armenia	53
50=	USA	53
52	Bosnia & Herzegovina	54
53=	Greece	56
53=	Paraguay	56
55	Lebanon	57
56	Panama	61
57	Venezuela	67
58	Turkey	68
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₃₃:

Christian	11.4%
Muslim	87%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jewish	0.1%
Unaffiliated	1.6%

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 98.8% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 48% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

• "Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states simply: Muslim, Serbian Orthodox, Roman Catholic₃₄.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems