Kosovo: data sheet

IPA data sheets: Kosovo

Introduction

The data and information presented on this page were collected under the European Commission’s Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) programme.

Since 2008, the European Drugs Agency (EUDA) has worked with EU candidate and potential candidates through projects funded by the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA). In 2023, EUDA launched the IPA8 project, involving six beneficiaries—Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo*, Montenegro, and Serbia. The project's goal is to prepare these countries for active participation in EUDA and the Reitox network upon accession.

Last update: 18 December 2024

* Kosovo: this designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

Kosovo: about the data presented on this page

The national drug observatory (NDO) of Kosovo is based in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and became operational in 2024, when the head of the NDO was nominated. The national drug monitoring system is yet to be established.

The data presented here are reported to the EUDA by the NDO on an annual basis and should conform to the respective EUDA guidelines and protocols. Details on methods and definitions can be found in the EUDA Statistical Bulletin.

Prevalence and patterns of drug use

Drug use in the adult population

The most recent general population survey in Kosovo was conducted in 2014 with the financial support of the IPA4 project. The situation in Kosovo may have changed since 2014, and the data should therefore be interpreted with caution.

Figure 1. Last year prevalence among adults aged 15-64 in Kosovo, in 2014

Drug use in the school population

Information about drug use in the school population is available from the series of ESPAD surveys among 15- to 16-year-old students. The most recent survey was conducted in Kosovo in 2024 and data are being analysed; the most recent data available refer to 2019.

Figure 2. Key prevalence of use results from the ESPAD survey in Kosovo, 2019

Data from all ESPAD rounds can be accessed via the ESPAD Data Portal.

European Web Survey on Drugs

Kosovo participated in the 2021 and 2024 rounds of the European Web Survey on Drugs (EWSD); 2024 data will be available soon. Although web surveys are not representative of the general population, when they are carefully conducted and combined with traditional data collection methods, they can help paint a more detailed, realistic and timely picture of drug use and drug markets in Europe and the European neighbourhood. As such, they are a key ingredient in the EUDA responsiveness to an ever-shifting drug problem.

Figure 3. Substances used in the last 12 months; proportion of EWSD participants (n = 956), Kosovo, 2021

More information is available on the EWSD topic hub page. Further information on findings of the EWSD for Western Balkan countries can be found in the factsheet European Web Survey on Drugs 2021: top level findings in the Western Balkans.

High-risk drug use

The most recent study was conducted in 2016 using combination of methods and programmatic data.

Table 1. High-risk drug use in Kosovo, results of most recent studies
 

Data on high-risk drug use in IPA beneficiaries can be found in the Source data section.

Drug-related harms

Infectious diseases

The monitoring of drug-related infectious diseases among among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Kosovo relies on bio-behavioural surveys supported by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Data on incidence (new cases attributed to injecting drug use) are not available.

Table 2. Prevalence of infectious diseases among people who inject drugs in Kosovo
 

Abbreviation: NSP, needle and syringe programme.

More data on the prevalence of drug-related infectious diseases in IPA beneficiaries can be found in the Source data section.

Hospital emergencies

Data on hospital emergency presentations can provide a unique insight into acute health harms related to drug use. Euro-DEN Plus uses a sentinel centre model to collect data on emergency department presentations with acute drug toxicity. While the data do not necessarily provide a nationally representative picture, as only selected sites are included from participating countries, using a number of sentinel sites in significant locations provides useful information on the types of drug involved in presentations to emergency services, and the trends at these sites. Kosovo does not yet collect data on drug-related hospital emergencies.

Drug-induced deaths

The Institute of Forensic Medicine in Pristina (IFM), holds and maintains the special mortality register (SMR) and reports data to the EUDA on an annual basis. The SMR is not yet fully operational and the reported numbers are likely an underestimation; recent toxicological data are not available. The capacity to detect new psychoactive substances is limited. In 2023, the IFM was damaged by a fire and the reporting has been temporarily suspended.

Figure 4. Trends in drug-induced deaths in Kosovo, general mortality register

More data on drug-induced deaths can be found in the Source data section.

Table 3. Number of drug-induced deaths by toxicology, Kosovo
 

More data on drug-induced deaths can be found in the Source data section.

Responses

Treatment provision

Kosovo does not have a national register for specialised drug treatment, and data on number and characteristics of people entering treatment are not available. The establishment of the register is planned in the new Kosovo Strategy Against Drugs 2024-2028.

Opioid agonist treatment

Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) in Kosovo is available from the NGO Labyrinth and from the healthcare system. Methadone is the main substance used in OAT.

Table 4. Total number of clients in opioid agonist treatment (OAT), Kosovo
 

More data on opioid agonist treatment in the Western Balkans can be found in the Source data section.

Harm reduction provision

Kosovo has one major provider of harm reduction, NGO Labyrinth, that has centres in cities across the country. Sterile injection material may alsoi be purchased in pharmacies. Data reported to the EUDA cover only the syringes distributed by low-threshold facilities free of charge.

Table 5. Needle and syringe provision, Kosovo
 

More data on harm reduction provision in IPA beneficiaries can be found in the Source data section.

Drug markets and crime

Drug law offences

This security indicator collects information on the number of offences or offenders/suspected offenders by type of offence and substance, and describes the characteristics and trends of drug law offences, criminal and non-criminal. The collection of data may be challenging since it can be collected at different stages in the criminal justice system from different sources (e.g. from initial reports submitted by the police, cases of criminal offences submitted to the prosecutor) and information systems on drug law offences and offenders vary considerably between countries, especially as regards recording procedures, definitions and statistical units.

Figure 5. Total numbers of drug law offences and offenders in Kosovo, 2019-2022

More data on drug law offences in IPA partners can be found in the Source data section.

Drug seizures

This security indicator describes the characteristics and trends of drug seizures in order to improve our understanding of drug markets and supply-reduction activities. Data on drug seizures relate to all seizures during the year by all law enforcement agencies, mainly police and customs. All trend data, though, are subject to extraneous influences, such as changes in legislation, changes in police practices. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is the only authority responsible for collecting and providing information on drug seizures, and there are no cases of double-counting between various agencies.

Figure 6. Number of drug seizures in Kosovo, 2019-2022

More data on drug seizures in IPA partners can be found in the Source data section.

Figure 7. Quantity of drugs seized in Kosovo, 2019-2022

More data on drug seizures in IPA partners can be found in the Source data section.

Purity/potency

This security indicator collects drug purity/potency data for some illicit substances including cannabis products, opioids and stimulants. The potency of cannabis products is defined as the delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content, where THC is the primary psychoactive constituent in cannabis. It is expressed in percent of THC. The laboratories and forensic science institutes undertaking quantitative drug determinations for law enforcement are the primary source of information. These facilities collect and register drug purity/potency data and related information.

Figure 8. Retail-level drug purity/potency in Kosovo, 2022

More data on drug purity/potency in IPA partners can be found in the Source data section.

Figure 9. Wholesale-level drug purity/potency in Kosovo, 2022

More data on drug purity/potency in IPA partners can be found in the Source data section.

Drug prices

This security indicator collects data on the prices of all types of drugs at retail, middle-market and wholesale levels. Street prices of cannabis, heroin, cocaine and amphetamine are provided in euro per gram, LSD in euro per unit/dose, and MDMA/ecstasy in euro per tablet. Data on prices come from a range of different sources, the comparability of which is not always known.

Figure 10. Retail-level drug prices (in EUR/gram) in Kosovo, 2022

More data on drug prices in IPA partners can be found in the Source data section.

Figure 11. Wholesale-level drug prices (in EUR/kilogram) in Kosovo, 2022

More data on drug prices in IPA partners can be found in the Source data section.

Links to other sources of information

Relevant EMCDDA/EUDA publications

External data sources

Source data

The data used to generate the infographics and charts on this page may be found below (CSV format). Additional information, metadata and methodological notes may be found in the IPA country data sheets background tables and source data entry in our Data catalogue.

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