Bosniaks in North Macedonia



The Bosniaks in North Macedonia (Бошњаци, Bošnjaci / Бошњаци) number 17,018 people according to the 2002 census. The population is largely concentrated in and around the capital Skopje, but also in the municipalities of Veles and Dolneni.

Religion
Bosniaks started settling in North Macedonia after the Congress of Berlin in 1878. Bosniaks in the Republic of North Macedonia are predominantly adherents to Sunni Islam.

History
In 1952, Yugoslavia and Turkey signed a free emigration agreement that allowed for Muslims in Yugoslavia to migrate to Turkey. Some of these individuals from more northern portions of Yugoslavia did not migrate and instead settled in North Macedonia, including 5,276 Bosniaks from Sandžak.

The historical censuses in Yugoslavia recorded "Muslims" (Muslimani), the so-called ethnic Muslims, in the SR Macedonia at the numbers of: 1,248 (0.1%) in 1971; 39,512 (2.1%) in 1981; 35,256 (1.7%) in 1991.

Notable individuals

 * Adis Jahović, member of the North Macedonian national football team
 * Ferid Muhić, academic
 * Cedi Osman, basketball player
 * Elvira Rahić, singer