North Macedonia

**No major new government, ILO, or World Bank data releases on youth (15-24) or male youth unemployment in North Macedonia appear in the last 60 days (roughly April–early June 2026).** Available figures remain consistent with or close to the baseline of 28.9% (male, national, 2025).[[1]](https://decentworkbalkans.com/facts/north-macedonia-fact-sheet-2025/)[[2]](https://www.statista.com/statistics/812208/youth-unemployment-rate-in-macedonia/?srsltid=AfmBOorWUml9wKkTivNysUT_UmLHp9OvPt8B6gGZfa27_lMPcVlZnN7w)

- Recent modeled/estimated rates include ~28.75–29.4% youth unemployment (total or 2025 figures from Statista, national statistical sources, and EU indicator compilations) and 30.33% (total youth, 2024 modeled ILO estimate).[[2]](https://www.statista.com/statistics/812208/youth-unemployment-rate-in-macedonia/?srsltid=AfmBOorWUml9wKkTivNysUT_UmLHp9OvPt8B6gGZfa27_lMPcVlZnN7w)[[3]](https://www.iz.sk/en/projects/eu-regions/MK00)[[4]](https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/macedonia/youth_unemployment/)
- Broader unemployment trends show gradual decline (overall rate ~11.5–12.4% in 2024–2025 projections/estimates), with youth remaining structurally elevated due to skill mismatches and emigration.[[5]](https://www.focus-economics.com/country-indicator/north-macedonia/unemployment/)[[6]](https://scidevcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Y-O-Model-Youth-Employment-in-North-Macedonia.pdf)
- No specific male-only 15-24 breakdowns newer than the baseline were identified. The Youth Guarantee scheme continues as the main active labor market measure.[[7]](https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/document/download/267b368e-6b55-4a42-bb72-6395593de4da_en?filename=north-macedonia-report-2025.pdf)

**No significant political, security, or economic events in the last ~60 days directly affecting young men (18-35), such as large-scale protests, coup attempts, militia activity, or economic shocks.** Earlier 2025 events (e.g., March 2025 Kochani nightclub fire killing 63, mostly young people/students, sparking youth-led protests demanding accountability) are outside this window and appear to have subsided.[[8]](https://lens.civicus.org/interview/north-macedonia-a-new-generation-of-activists-now-exists-where-none-existed-before/)[[9]](https://www.osac.gov/Country/NorthMacedonia/Content/Search?contentTypes=News)

- Limited recent activity includes peaceful protests or threats tied to ethnic/political issues (e.g., BDI/Albanian opposition responses to Constitutional Court rulings on quotas/language), with no escalation into youth-specific instability.[[10]](https://bti-project.org/en/reports/country-report/MKD)
- 2025 local election analysis (published March 2026) highlights persistent underrepresentation of young people (18–29) in local governance.[[11]](https://www.wfd.org/what-we-do/resources/youth-representation-2025-local-elections-north-macedonia)
- No reports of currency crises, major economic shocks, or targeted recruitment affecting this demographic in the recent period. Emigration of young/skilled workers remains a noted structural issue.[[12]](https://bti-project.org/fileadmin/api/content/en/downloads/reports/country_report_2026_MKD.pdf)

**Notable 2025 NGO/academic or related reports** (some with 2026 publication/analysis dates) on youth issues do not indicate sharp recent deteriorations:

- BTI 2026 Country Report discusses historically high youth unemployment (now lower but still elevated), emigration, and patronage in employment.[[12]](https://bti-project.org/fileadmin/api/content/en/downloads/reports/country_report_2026_MKD.pdf)
- EU Commission 2025 Report (Nov. 2025) covers the Youth Guarantee implementation and references post-Kochani protests over corruption/institutional issues.[[7]](https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/document/download/267b368e-6b55-4a42-bb72-6395593de4da_en?filename=north-macedonia-report-2025.pdf)
- WFD analysis (March 2026) on 2025 local elections notes low youth candidate representation.[[11]](https://www.wfd.org/what-we-do/resources/youth-representation-2025-local-elections-north-macedonia)
- Other papers (e.g., SCiDEV on youth employment models, Feb. 2026) emphasize persistent structural challenges like mismatches.[[6]](https://scidevcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Y-O-Model-Youth-Employment-in-North-Macedonia.pdf)

**No adverse changes to internet/mobile infrastructure** (e.g., shutdowns or coverage losses) in the recent period. Positive developments include near-100% 5G/4G/3G coverage, competitive mobile/fixed broadband speeds, and ongoing digital strategies (National ICT Strategy 2023–2027).[[13]](https://www.ebrd.com/content/dam/ebrd_dxp/assets/pdfs/country-strategies/north-macedonia/north-macedonia-country-strategy-2025-30.pdf)[[14]](https://www.elibrary.imf.org/view/journals/002/2025/101/article-A001-en.xml)

- A brief May 2025 power outage caused temporary internet traffic drops (~60% for ~2 hours), but this predates the window and was not a deliberate shutdown.[[15]](https://blog.cloudflare.com/q2-2025-internet-disruption-summary/)

**Overall assessment**: No developments in the last 60 days appear to significantly shift the instability picture from the provided baseline (youth male unemployment ~28.9% in 2025; fuse score 54.6/100). Unemployment data remains aligned with prior levels, youth political engagement shows continuity (underrepresentation and earlier protest activity), and infrastructure is stable or advancing. Sources are primarily international statistical/modeling bodies (World Bank/ILO via data portals), EU reports, and think tanks; primary national statistical office updates were not newly highlighted in this timeframe. For the most current raw LFS data, check the State Statistical Office of North Macedonia (stat.gov.mk).

**State Statistical Office (SSO / Državen zavod za statistika) of the Republic of North Macedonia**  
- URL: https://www.stat.mk/en/ (main site) and https://www.stat.gov.mk/OtvoreniPodatociApi_en.aspx (open data/API page)  
- API: Yes (PxWeb/SDMX-based open data API for machine-readable access; also supports downloads in Excel, PC-Axis, JSON, etc.)  
- Update frequency: Quarterly (labor force/unemployment data, e.g., active population, youth unemployment); some monthly indicators  
- Auth required: None (public/open data)  

**National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia (NBRM / NBStat)**  
- URL: https://www.nbrm.mk/ (statistics section) and https://nbstat.nbrm.mk/ (data portal)  
- API: Yes (NBStat API for programmatic access to economic/monetary/financial data, including balance of payments and indicators relevant to youth employment/economy)  
- Update frequency: Quarterly or monthly (economic indicators, interest rates, labor-related financial stats)  
- Auth required: None (public; data free to use with source attribution)  

**Open Data Portal of the Republic of North Macedonia (data.gov.mk)**  
- URL: https://portal.mdt.gov.mk/ (or linked via mdt.gov.mk)  
- API: Yes (dedicated API for automated retrieval across 280+ datasets from public institutions, including labor/economic data)  
- Update frequency: Varies by source/dataset (often quarterly or as released by SSO/NBRM)  
- Auth required: None (free/open access)  

**ILOSTAT (Europe & Central Asia regional focus with North Macedonia breakdowns)**  
- URL: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/europe-and-central-asia/ and country profile https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/country-profiles/mkd/  
- API: Partial (bulk downloads, SDMX tools, and data explorer; not a full custom REST API but machine-readable exports and programmatic options)  
- Update frequency: Quarterly/annual (labor force, youth unemployment, NEET rates)  
- Auth required: None (free/open)  

**Balkan Insight (regional news covering North Macedonia)**  
- URL: https://balkaninsight.com/ (North Macedonia sections and feeds)  
- API/RSS: Yes (reliable RSS feeds, e.g., https://balkaninsight.com/category/bi/macedonia/feed/)  
- Update frequency: Daily/ongoing (news on youth, economy, instability)  
- Auth required: None (free RSS)  

**Eurostat (candidate countries including North Macedonia in Europe & Central Asia aggregates)**  
- URL: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/ (search for MK or ECA labor data)  
- API: Yes (SDMX REST API for statistical data)  
- Update frequency: Quarterly/annual (unemployment, labor market indicators with country breakdowns)  
- Auth required: None (free)  

These are primary, non-inference sources focused on direct data releases or feeds. They complement the already-used sources (e.g., World Bank, ACLED) with North Macedonia-specific granularity on labor/youth employment and economic indicators. APIs are generally free/public with no paid tiers noted. Always verify current endpoints and terms on the sites, as implementations can evolve.