L’exceptionnelle situation démographique du Kosovo

Abstract

In the summer 1999, Kosovo was emerging from a three-month conflict that followed a period of disruption and violence dating back to the late 1980’s. The last large-scale census had taken place in 1991 and had been largely boycotted by the ethnic Albanians. Similarly, the vital statistics, hitherto of good quality, had been boycotted by the ethnic Albanians since 1992. One had to go back to the census of 1981 for reliable demographic data on Kosovo. To overcome these statistical shortcomings, the UNFPA (United Nations Population Funds) in Kosovo conducted a survey of 40,918 people in 7,343 households between November 1999 and February 2000.This survey determines the major fertility trends : decline of indexes from the birth cohorts of the 1940’s subsequent to the increase in the marriage age and, more recently, to a modest degree of recourse to contraception. More recently, one can notice the downturn in conception during the conflict months as a result of large-scale displacement and the possible separation of spouses that ensued. This survey points out the bad women condition in Kosovo, through a very high male ratio at birth, and also through the little variance between the sexes as regards mortality due to other causes than the conflict, and a maternal mortality above 150 deaths per 100,000 births that is extraordinary high for Europe.This survey gives also an estimation of demographic consequences of the conflict, forced moves : almost 1,400,000 people displaced including over 1,000,000 outside of Kosovo ; or war deaths : approximately 13,000 deaths due to the conflict, i.e. a gross war mortality rate of nearly 9‰ compared with a gross mortality rate due to other causes of some 5‰.

Keywords

• Balkan
• conflict
• demography of conflicts
• fertility transition
• Kosovo
• refugees