North Macedonia

**No major new government, ILO, or World Bank releases on youth (or male-specific) unemployment in North Macedonia appear in the last 60 days (roughly early May–early July 2026).** Baseline figures remain consistent with 2025 data: total youth unemployment (15-24) around 28.75% for 2025, with male youth unemployment cited in the baseline at 28.9%.[[1]](https://www.statista.com/statistics/812208/youth-unemployment-rate-in-macedonia/?srsltid=AfmBOoqXa_aV_aubNS9qea-VjFjIKfoC4eFw-2ZxsyQPlJjmCxTOHx4o)[[2]](https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/mkd/north-macedonia/youth-unemployment-rate)

State Statistical Office data for Q1 2026 shows overall unemployment at 11.3%, with no detailed youth or gender breakdowns released in the searched period.[[3]](https://www.stat.mk/en/) Broader modeled estimates (World Bank/ILO) and secondary sources continue to reference the prior 28–30% range without updates.[[4]](https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/macedonia/youth_unemployment/)[[2]](https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/mkd/north-macedonia/youth-unemployment-rate) An ILO global trends report (Employment and Social Trends 2026) discusses projected slight declines in youth unemployment but provides no North Macedonia-specific recent figures.[[5]](https://researchrepository.ilo.org/view/pdfCoverPage?instCode=41ILO_INST&filePid=13147301370002676&download=true)

**Notable development: Ethnic Albanian student protests (April–May 2026).** Protests began in Skopje in April 2026, with a significant follow-up on May 18, 2026, involving Albanian students demanding the right to take the bar/judicial exam in the Albanian language. Participants called for the resignation of Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and Justice Minister Igor Filkov; some chants included references to the UÇK (Kosovo Liberation Army). The events involved students from North Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo, along with support from the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI/BDI) party. These occurred amid broader tensions over ethnic quotas and language rights, with prior threats of protests from BDI.[[6]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Albanian_student_protests_in_North_Macedonia)[[7]](https://bti-project.org/en/reports/country-report/MKD)

These protests directly involve young men (university/young professional age group, 18–35), highlight interethnic frictions, and could elevate instability risks in the short term, particularly around Skopje and Albanian-majority areas—representing a potential shift from the baseline fuse score of 54.6/100. No reports of violence, militia activity, or escalation to broader unrest were identified. Other events (e.g., Roma highway blockades) predated the 60-day window.[[8]](https://romaforeurope.org/work/articles/north-macedonias-week-of-chaos)

**No significant new NGO or academic reports specifically on North Macedonia’s youth situation published in the last 60 days (or newly released covering 2025 data in detail).** Relevant earlier 2025–early 2026 publications include the EU Commission’s North Macedonia 2025 Report (November 2025, noting continued Youth Guarantee implementation), Westminster Foundation for Democracy analysis of youth representation in 2025 local elections (March 2026), SCiDEV paper on youth employment (February 2026), BTI 2026 Country Report, and UN North Macedonia 2025 Annual Results Report (April 2026).[[9]](https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/document/download/267b368e-6b55-4a42-bb72-6395593de4da_en?filename=north-macedonia-report-2025.pdf)[[10]](https://www.wfd.org/what-we-do/resources/youth-representation-2025-local-elections-north-macedonia)[[7]](https://bti-project.org/en/reports/country-report/MKD)

**No negative changes to internet/mobile infrastructure (e.g., shutdowns).** Positive trends continue: A1 Macedonia began phased 3G shutdown (starting February 2026 in select regions like Kriva Palanka) to transition to 4G/5G, with no service disruption for compatible devices.[[11]](https://www.telecompaper.com/news/a1-macedonia-starts-phased-shutdown-of-3g-network--1560907) Digital 2026 data shows mobile connections rising (+2.2% to 2.74 million, 151% of population by late 2025), median mobile download speeds up sharply (+58.2%), and a minor dip in internet users.[[12]](https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2026-north-macedonia) A new Electronic Communications Act (2025) supports expanded wireless access.[[13]](https://www.schoenherr.eu/content/north-macedonia-passes-new-electronic-communications-act) No election-related or other shutdowns reported for North Macedonia.[[14]](https://www.accessnow.org/campaign/2026-elections-and-internet-shutdowns-watch/)

**Overall assessment:** Unemployment indicators show continuity with the baseline (no upward pressure evident). The Albanian student protests represent the most relevant recent development for youth instability, introducing ethnic/political tensions among young men that warrant monitoring. No evidence of coups, militia recruitment, currency crises, or major economic shocks in the period. Infrastructure access is stable or improving. Sources primarily include World Bank/ILO data portals, State Statistical Office, Wikipedia summaries of events (cross-referenced with news), BTI Project, and EU/UN reports.

**State Statistical Office (Државен завод за статистика) – MAKStat database**  
- URL: https://www.stat.mk/en/ (database: http://makstat.stat.gov.mk/PXWeb/pxweb/en/MakStat/)  
- API: Yes (PxWeb API for querying tables; also supports direct exports)  
- Update frequency: Quarterly (e.g., labour force/unemployment data) or as released  
- Auth: None/free (open data; cite source)[[1]](https://www.stat.mk/en/about-us/policies-and-strategies/open-data/)

**National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia (NBRM)**  
- URL: https://www.nbrm.mk/ (statistics section)  
- API: No/partial (primarily downloadable tables/reports in Excel/CSV/PDF)  
- Update frequency: Monthly/quarterly (monetary, financial, and some labour-related indicators)  
- Auth: None/free

**Open Data Portal of the Republic of North Macedonia (data.gov.mk / portal.mdt.gov.mk)**  
- URL: https://data.gov.mk/ or https://portal.mdt.gov.mk/  
- API: Yes (government-wide API for automated retrieval)  
- Update frequency: Varies by dataset (includes statistical and economic data from multiple institutions)  
- Auth: None/free

**Reactor – Research in Action (think tank)**  
- URL: https://reactor.org.mk/  
- API: No (reports, studies, and data downloads on youth, social issues, and policy)  
- Update frequency: Ad hoc/project-based  
- Auth: None/free

**Finance Think (think tank)**  
- URL: https://www.financethink.mk/en/  
- API: No (economic analyses, poverty/informal economy estimates, and data publications)  
- Update frequency: Ad hoc  
- Auth: None/free

**Global Voices (regional news/coverage RSS)**  
- URL: https://globalvoices.org/-/world/eastern-central-europe/macedonia/ (RSS feeds available)  
- API: No (RSS feeds for North Macedonia coverage)  
- Update frequency: Ongoing/as published  
- Auth: None/free

**Notes on regional/Europe & Central Asia sources**: North Macedonia data appears in broader platforms like Eurostat (as EU candidate), ILOSTAT, or RCC Western Balkans reports, but these are not North Macedonia-specific. No dedicated public APIs were identified for crisis/poverty tracking beyond the above. Existing sources (World Bank, etc.) already cover many indicators.