Abandonment of villages

From 1,789.939 inhabitants registered in 2011, 13 years later the number has dropped to 1,586.659. The number of people living in urban areas has now reached nearly 796, compared to 662 according to the previous census. In 2011, the ratio between urban and rural residents was 38 to 62 percent. With the 2024 census, the ratio is 50.18 percent to 49.82 percent in favor of the city. In rural areas, according to the latest statistics, 791,032 inhabitants live, unlike 1 million 128 thousand, as they were in 2011

Smoke-producing chimneys are rare in the village of Prapashticë. The only shop this village in Pristina, which borders the Mutivoda border crossing, has closed. And this year, due to a lack of students, the village's primary school suffered the same fate.

A bleak future also awaits the nearby village of Gllogovica, where its residents say they will move to the capital due to a lack of prospects.

Ilmi Uka is one of the rare residents you can find in Prapashtica. The 73-year-old, despite the difficulties, has not abandoned his hometown. He recounts how once there were about 100 families living there, while today they can be counted on the fingers.  

"Before, on the eve of the war, the village had 92 inhabited houses and the school had over 100 students, but in 1972 when I went to work, the school had 149 students. That is, 92 inhabited houses on the eve of the war. Even with the advent of the war, the village was displaced and fled from here. As is known, the fascist occupiers dispersed the people, some in Macedonia, some in Albania, where they were able to find shelter, but with the advent of freedom, with the victory of the KLA and our international partners, especially the United States of America, it became possible for people to return to the village... Some 30 percent of the villagers have never returned to their homes. Right now, I'm just giving you one example: This neighborhood of mine, called the Cubaj neighborhood, on the eve of the war had 27 inhabited houses, while now we have two houses. "The village has reached this state," said Ilmi Uka, mayor of the village of Prapashticë.

Uka, who was a teacher and the head of the local community in this area, says that in addition to the lack of investment, the change in lifestyle among young people has also influenced migration. According to him, subsidies for agriculture do not convince young people to stay since, he says, they have other ambitions.

"Let's say that some of the youth will live in the village. They accept that someone wants to live in the village, but that love that you want to return, you have to accompany it with something. You have to accompany it with an economic base, with help from society, with an investment, with a donation, so that people start from scratch to rise. They were missing in the past, although recently some subsidies are given for livestock and some subsidies are given for hectares planted with wheat or cereals, but they are few and people have lost the will. The youth is no longer involved in agriculture. Now we have to accept that it is the time of technology and people no longer want to pull the plow, they want easier, more comfortable jobs. Even the village is no longer an attraction for them... They are living easier in the city. Living in the village means that you are engaged in work all day, both in summer and in winter, because even winter has its own jobs in the village. "You have to keep the animal, feed it, give it water, give it a treat, and people get lazy," he said.

The worrying data from the latest census

The phenomenon of abandonment of rural areas has reached worrying levels. The latest census, in addition to population shrinkage, revealed for the first time that the number of residents in villages is lower than in urban areas.

From 1,789.939 inhabitants registered in 2011, 13 years later the number has dropped to 1,586.659. The number of people living in urban areas has now reached nearly 796 compared to 662 according to the previous census. In 2011, the ratio between urban and rural residents was 38 to 62 percent. With the 2024 census, the ratio is 50.18 percent to 49.82 percent in favor of the city. According to the latest statistics, 791,032 inhabitants live in rural areas, unlike 1 million 128 thousand  how many were there in 2011.

Professor of demography at the University of Pristina, Mimoza Dushi, says that migration differs from municipality to municipality, with some municipalities characterized more by migration abroad. According to her, internal migration is more visible towards centers such as Pristina, Fushë-Kosovo Polje and Ferizaj.

"The settlements that have registered a decrease in the number of people are 29, while 9 have marked an increase. The municipalities that have the largest number of population decreases are Prizren, Podujeva, Gjakova and Rahovec. Of course, (the cause is) the lack of employment, internal and external migration. In this case, we have a greater migration towards Pristina, where it is the capital, where there are the greatest opportunities for employment, the infrastructure is more developed, that is, the elements that attract the population," she said. 

The total population of some municipalities has decreased. The exceptions are Pristina, Ferizaj and Fushë-Kosovo Polje, which have increased.

"Other municipalities that have recorded a decrease in population, which are characterized by external migration, are Suhareka, Malisheva, Vitia and Skenderaj, which lead with a decrease in the number of population. Municipalities that have recorded an increase in the number of population are, of course, Pristina, Ferizaj and Fushë-Kosovo Polje. It is the proximity to Pristina, when we talk about Fushë-Kosovo Polje and Ferizaj. It is the more rapid economic development and infrastructure that has attracted the population. Here, for Pristina, migration from the Municipality of Podujeva has an impact, it is also the proximity, but when it comes to permanent migration, there are better living opportunities, better job opportunities, the welfare of the population is at a higher level. It is the rapid development of infrastructure and the provision of quality services," said Dushi.

Trend global

Dushi says that the trend of migration from rural to urban areas is global. She cites employment and education as influential factors. 

"These are global trends today. We live in an era of globalization, where people are on the move, so people are not necessarily tied to a permanent place of residence on a global level," she stated.

The effects of internal migration appear in various forms. As Dushi warns, the fact that there are more residents in urban areas than in rural ones is expected to reflect in the way the budget is allocated for infrastructure investments and subsidies.

"If the population in a rural settlement is decreasing, it is a sign that there is no more investment in the rural region. There is no investment in schools. So grants are mainly oriented towards urban settlements that meet the requirements of the population according to the characteristics that emerge from the population census. In the future, there will be no grants for small farmers, but there will be grants for large farmers who produce in bulk. The first reflection of the population census is the reflection in municipal finances. The number of inhabitants reflects in all other political, economic, health, educational structures. It changes development policies. Municipalities that have a decrease in the number of inhabitants will have a decrease in funds, they will have difficulty maintaining infrastructure. Funds are reduced, municipal services for existing residents are reduced," she added.

Municipalities are interested in more revenue and not without reason pursue a policy that favors construction, says architect Bekim Ramku. But, the new residents, who have left their hometown for a better life, according to him, are dissatisfied with the new environment. Ramku says that municipalities make plans on paper, but do not implement them.

"One reason why there is migration from rural to urban areas is service, meaning that the population has adequate services: schools, kindergartens, ambulances, hospitals and so on. They are planned on paper. When an urban regulatory plan is made, everywhere in our country, they are planned. The necessary green spaces are also planned. But if you go after the approval of that plan, after the start of construction, you can see that perhaps a park that was intended for a space is no longer a park, but a parking lot for cars. When this happens, normally there should be some rules, as well as heavier penalties, namely financial ones, for the builders and users of those spaces, so that if something is intended to be a green space or a recreational space, it remains so," said Ramku.

New trend

Municipalities like Pristina, in addition to the large presence of residents and businesses, are also characterized by polluted air, noise, and dust.

Under pressure from such conditions, many citizens have chosen suburban areas similar to the village of Prapashticë, for the construction of houses and villas, perhaps even for use during the weekends.

Architect Bekim Ramku also speaks about this trend. He says that there is a growing trend in Kosovo, similar to Western countries, where luxury is not considered living in the city, but in the countryside.

"Since we are a European population and we are in Europe, we must also follow some trends that warn us about what is happening in other European countries. There are some trends that have been happening for decades in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and so on, where we can see that the movement of the rural population, that is, the traditional rural population, who were livestock farmers or people who were involved in fruit and vegetables, have started to move to the cities. We have also seen during the pandemic, how house prices have increased everywhere in the world, but especially in Europe, in rural areas. So it will happen here too. I hope that we will still have villagers who will choose the countryside over the city, mainly because of the quality of life in terms of air, but also in terms of the production of products that we need in our country," he said.

The mayor of the village of Prapashticë, Ilmi Uka, says that the state should provide services and infrastructure to all residents without discrimination. According to him, incentive policies could curb the departure, perhaps even the return of displaced people to the village. 

"To give donations as much as possible and to help the villagers, so that the village becomes attractive for the return of those who have been displaced. This is my request that I have had constantly and always have, because without the village there is no city. The village has always held the city. Now the opposite is happening. The city is holding the village. In order for this not to happen, they have a duty to think every day: one road in the city and one in the village, and not to turn their heads towards the village - because this has led to this displacement. This has made this massive displacement, this emptiness - such a tragedy. This is a tragedy for the village, a tragedy for society", said Uka.

Life in the village has changed a lot, says Uka. According to him, the lack of people and the loneliness make it especially difficult. 

"Life here is difficult, to tell you the truth, because here, this neighborhood was full of people, animals, work, agricultural work, there was traffic, there were areas of people, everything existed, there was a complete vitality, while now it seems empty and life here is difficult, because loneliness consumes you," said Uka.

The school where Uka worked as a teacher for over 40 years has been closed. And due to a lack of students, dozens of other schools in Kosovo, built mainly in the last 20 years, are also threatened with closure. Kosovo has seen a decrease in the number of students by nearly 10 percent in the past 2010 years, from 2020-30. The latest census shows that there are nearly 100 fewer students than there were 13 years ago.  

The administrative instruction on the criteria, establishment and closure of pre-university educational institutions stipulates that a primary school must have at least 60 students, while a lower secondary school from grades 6 to 9 must have at least 160 students. And based on an analysis by the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, compiled in 2023, 193 schools must be closed within five years. At the same time, internal migration in centers such as Pristina and Fushë-Kosovo Polje has overwhelmed some schools, which forces municipal authorities to build new schools.