News

On 2^nd of December 2025, the Center for Equality and Justice organized the promotion of  the Analysis Costs of Raising Children in North Macedonia: Reality, Challenges and Recommendations (2025). The Analysis prepared by the experts Neda Chalovska-Dimovska, Katerina Shapkova-Kocevska, and Elena Dimushevska.

The analysis raised significant interest regarding the cost of raising a child in the Republic of North Macedonia. As a result, several media outlets wrote about the key recommendations aimed at improving children’s well-being and reducing child poverty, such as:

• Establishing a unified national assessment of the costs for raising a child in the country, and regularly publishing poverty indicators.
• Revising existing legal framework and aligning child allowance according to the child’s age and needs.
• Introducing a universal child allowance as a systemic measure for family social security.
• Defining a “Minimum Child Care Basket” that would cover basic monthly expenses for food, hygiene, health, education, and housing.
• Improving access to preschool care by expanding capacities and providing support to vulnerable families.
• Implementing the concept of free education through unified policies on textbooks, school uniforms, and hygiene materials.
• Subsidizing digital access and technical equipment for students from low-income families.
• Increasing one-off financial assistance for newborns in line with real market costs.

The analysis was developed with financial support from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation – Skopje. The event was held at the Civil Society Resource Center in Skopje.