Kosovo has a population of around 1.8 million — though this is uncertain given substantial emigration. It has the youngest median age in Europe, around 30. The country lost many people to emigration during the 1990s conflict and its aftermath, and the diaspora — concentrated in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Scandinavia — remains a major economic and cultural force. Remittances from the diaspora are a significant part of the economy; in August, the country visibly fills up as diaspora families return for summer.
Ethnic Albanians make up around 92% of the population. Kosovo Albanian identity is strongly tied to language (Gheg Albanian dialect), to the secular political tradition of the Albanian national movement, and — more loosely — to Islam. Religion is present but relatively moderate in practice; Kosovo is often described as one of the most secular Muslim-majority societies in the world. A small Roman Catholic minority exists in the west.
Kosovo Serbs are around 5–6% of the population, concentrated primarily in the north (around Mitrovica) and in scattered enclaves in the centre and south. The political situation in the north remains unresolved; Kosovo Serbs there largely maintain parallel institutions linked to Belgrade. Relations between communities are complex and contextual — tense in the north, more quietly coexistent elsewhere.
Other minorities include Bosniaks, Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian (a distinct self-identified community separate from Roma), Turks, and Gorani (Slavic Muslims in the Sharr Mountains region).
Kosovars are extremely hospitable toward foreign visitors, particularly from Western countries whose governments supported independence — the US, UK, Germany, and others. The affection toward Americans is sincere and sometimes surprising in its warmth; the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush statues in Pristina are not ironic. This warmth extends to most foreign visitors regardless of origin.
The language of everyday hospitality is Albanian. Learning a few words — faleminderit (thank you), mirë se vini (welcome/hello), po (yes), jo (no) — goes a long way. English is widely spoken among younger people in Pristina and Prizren.