The first censuses on the territory of the Republic of Northern Macedonia appear in the 15th century, when the Turkish authorities enumerated only the tax heads and the male population. There are Russian, French, Greek, and other 19th-century census data sources. The first modern census on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia was conducted in 1921. After the Second World War, 8 censuses were conducted in the Republic of Macedonia: 1948, 1953, 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991 and 1994 and 2002. The 1991 census was incomplete and therefore in 1994 a census was conducted again in the same decade. The 1994 census is the first census in the Republic of Macedonia since its independence. The 2002 census is the last conducted census in the Republic of Macedonia. According to data from the 2002 census Total: 2,022,547 inhabitants
According to the ethnic composition they are: Macedonians: 1,297,981 or 64.18%, Albanians: 506,083 or 25.17%, Turks: 77,959 or 3.85%, Roma: 53,879 or 2.66%, Serbs: 38,939 or 1.78%,
Bosniaks 17,018 or 0.84% and more.
According to the field activities of most of the Roma NGO sector, the number of Roma in the country in the past period, the number of Roma is twice as high as what is now the official number. According to the NGO sector, those numbers are as follows:
Skopje, over 69,000, Kumanovo 6,500, Kriva Palanka 650, Kratovo 400, Probistip 50, Stip 5,000, Kocani 3,500, Vinica 3,000, Delchevo 1,000, Pehchevo 400, Berovo 700, Strumica 6,500, Valandovo 500, Gevgelija 1,400, Dojran 155, Veles , Negotino 570, Demir Kapija 15, Kavadarci 1,500, Prilep 12,000, Bitola 5,000, Gradsko 320, Radovish 300, Sveti Nikole 250, Krushevo 0, Tetovo 6,000, Gostivar 3,000, Mavrovo 10, Debar 200, Kicevo 3,000, Ohrid 100, Struga 200 and Resen 150. The total number is 135,490 Roma.
