Nearly 5,000 Children in Macedonia Waiting for a Kindergarten Spot
New figures show the country needs roughly 19,000 additional preschool places to meet real demand, a shortage with direct consequences for family budgets and mothers returning to work.
Nearly 5,000 children in Macedonia are currently waiting for a spot in kindergarten, the latest figures show. To meet actual demand, the country needs roughly 19,000 additional places in preschool institutions.
The number reflects a long-standing structural problem — public kindergarten capacity hasn't grown at the same pace as the number of families seeking placements, particularly in larger urban centers where pressure is highest.
More Than Just Waiting
The shortage of kindergarten spots isn't just an administrative inconvenience for parents on waiting lists — it directly affects whether mothers (who are most often affected) can return to work after parental leave, and by extension, household budgets. In families without access to a kindergarten spot, the burden often falls on grandparents, or on pricier private alternatives not everyone can afford.
The problem has been acknowledged repeatedly by both local and central authorities, with occasional announcements of new facility construction and expansion of existing ones, but the pace of construction clearly still lags behind actual need, according to the latest figures.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · August 21, 2026