| Municipality of Saraj | |
| Native Name: | Општина Сарај Komuna e Sarajit |
| Settlement Type: | Rural municipality |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Skopje |
| Image Blank Emblem: | Coat of arms of Saraj Municipality.svg |
| Blank Emblem Type: | Coat of arms |
| Blank Emblem Size: | 150px |
| Seat Type: | Municipal seat |
| Seat: | Skopje |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Blerim Bexheti (DUI) |
| Area Total Km2: | 229.06 |
| Population Total: | 38399 |
| Demographics Type1: | Official Language(s) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | primary |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Macedonian, Albanian |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
Saraj (Macedonian: {{Audio|Mk-Saraj.ogg|Сарај, Albanian: Saraj) is one of the ten municipalities that make up the city of Skopje, the capital of the Republic of North Macedonia.
Saraj borders
In the early 2000s municipal boundaries within Macedonia in some areas were redrawn. During difficult negotiations the governing Macedonian Social Democrats (SDSM) gave in to the request of its Albanian coalition partner that wanted Albanians within Skopje to surpass the 20% population mark by attaching two rural Albanian inhabited municipalities, Saraj and Kondovo. The municipalities attachment to the capital city raised the Albanian population from 15.30% to 20.49%. The change was seen as an important win among Albanians, while Macedonians were concerned with a more visible Albanian presence in Skopje and the increasing fragmentation of the urban population based on ethnicity.[1]
According to the last national census from 2021, Saraj has 38,399 inhabitants.[2]
Ethnic groups in the municipality include:
| 2002 | 2021 | ||||
| Number | % | Number | % | ||
| TOTAL | 35,408 | 100 | 38,399 | 100 | |
| Albanians | 32,408 | 91.53 | 34,586 | 90.07 | |
| Macedonians | 1,377 | 3.89 | 1,005 | 2.62 | |
| Turks | ... | ... | 28 | 0.07 | |
| Roma | ... | ... | 255 | 0.66 | |
| Bosniaks | 1,120 | 3.16 | 1,043 | 2.72 | |
| others | ... | ... | 16 | 0.04 | |
| Persons for whom data are taken from administrative sources | n/a | n/a | 1,450 | 3.78 | |
There are 23 inhabited places in this municipality.
| Inhabited Places | Total | Macedonians | Albanians | Turks | Roma | Vlachs | Serbs | Bosnians | Others | |
| Saraj Municipality | 38,399 | 1,005 | 34,586 | 28 | 255 | - | - | 1,043 | 1,466 | |
| Arnakija | 1.163 | 5 | 1.086 | - | - | - | - | - | 71 | |
| Bojane | 2.132 | 1 | 2.070 | - | - | - | - | - | 60 | |
| Bukoviḱ | 1.842 | - | 1.769 | - | - | - | - | - | 73 | |
| Čajlane | 639 | - | 602 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 37 | |
| Dolno Svilare | 2.172 | - | 2.128 | - | - | - | - | - | 46 | |
| Dvorce | 145 | - | 141 | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | |
| Glumovo | 2.152 | 1 | 2.060 | - | - | - | - | 32 | 59 | |
| Gorno Svilare | 845 | - | 830 | - | - | - | - | - | 15 | |
| Grčec | 36 | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | 33 | |
| Kondovo | 3.626 | 18 | 3.353 | 9 | - | - | 2 | 66 | 177 | |
| Kopanica | 1.790 | - | 1.761 | - | - | - | - | - | 29 | |
| Krušopek | 2.017 | 4 | 1.977 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 35 | |
| Laskarci | 1.169 | - | 1.127 | - | - | - | - | - | 42 | |
| Ljubin | 2.426 | 5 | 1.493 | 5 | 1 | - | - | 859 | 64 | |
| Matka | 466 | 156 | 248 | - | - | - | 1 | 5 | 55 | |
| Paničari | 130 | - | 107 | - | - | - | - | - | 23 | |
| Raduša | 1.533 | - | 1.447 | - | - | - | - | - | 86 | |
| Raoviḱ | 79 | - | 40 | - | - | - | - | - | 39 | |
| Rašče | 2.835 | 1 | 2.760 | - | - | - | - | - | 74 | |
| Rudnik Raduša | 179 | - | 156 | - | - | - | - | - | 23 | |
| Saraj | 6.265 | 307 | 5.379 | 11 | 167 | - | 4 | 73 | 324 | |
| Semenište | 798 | 2 | 754 | 9 | - | - | - | 5 | 37 | |
| Šiševo | 3.958 | 505 | 3.294 | 2 | 87 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 61 |
