Turkish communities in the Balkans |
State or region | Community | Current status |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bosnian Turks | The 1991 Bosnian census found that there was a minority of 267 Turks,[2] while the census of 2013 gave a number of 1,108.[3] |
Bulgaria | Bulgarian Turks | In the 2011 Bulgarian census, which did not receive a response regarding ethnicity from the total population, 588,318 people, or 8.8% of the self-appointed responders, determined their ethnicity as Turkish;[4] while the latest census which provided answers from the entire population, the 2001 census, recorded 746,664 Turks, or 9.4% of the population.[5] Other estimates suggests that there are 750,000.[6][7] |
Albania | Albanian Turks | In the 2011 census in Albania, more than 800 people registered Turkish as their first language.[8] |
Croatia | Croatian Turks | According to the 2001 Croatian census the Turkish minority numbered 300.[9] More recent estimates have suggested that there are 2,000 Turks in Croatia.[10] |
Rhodes (in Greece) Kos (in Greece) | Dodecanese Turks | Some 5,000 Turks live in the Dodecanese islands of Rhodes and Kos.[11] |
Kosovo | Kosovan Turks[12] | There are approximately 30,000 Kosovar Turks living in Kosovo, mostly in Mamusha, Prizren, and Pristina.[13] |
North Macedonia | Macedonian Turks[14] | The 2002 Macedonian census stated that there were 77,959 Macedonian Turks, forming about 4% of the total population and constituting a majority in Centar Župa and Plasnica.[15] However, academic estimates suggest that they actually number between 170,000 and 200,000.[6][16] Furthermore, about 200,000 Macedonian Turks migrated to Turkey during World War I and World War II due to persecutions and discrimination.[17] |
Serbia | Serbian Turks | There were 647 Serbian Turks living in the country according to the 2011 census.[18] |
Montenegro | Montenegrin Turks | There were 104 Montenegrin Turks according to the 2011 census.[19] The majority left their homes and migrated to Turkey in the 1900s.[20] |
Northern Dobruja (in Romania) | Romanian Turks[21] | There were 28,226 Romanian Turks living in the country according to the 2011 Romanian census.[22] However, academic estimates suggest that the community numbers between 55,000[13][23] and 80,000.[24] |
Western Thrace (in Greece) | Western Thrace Turks | The Greek government refers to the community as "Greek Muslims" or "Hellenic Muslims" and does not specifically mention the ethnicity of the Muslims (including Turks) in Western Thrace.[25] Traditionally, academics have suggested that the Western Thrace Turks number about 120,000–130,000,[25] although more recent estimates suggest that the community numbers 150,000. Between 300,000 and 400,000 immigrated to Turkey since 1923.[27] |