Albanian households collectively spent 319.1 billion Albanian lek (approximately 2.7 billion euros at the 2022 average exchange rate) on food throughout the past year, showing a slight dip compared to the figures from 2021. This occurred amidst a period when food prices were hitting record highs.

Within the food category, the inflation rate surged to an average of 12% in the past year, according to the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), indicating that Albanian families needed to allocate at least 12% more of their budget for the same quantity of food items they consumed in 2021. However, INSTAT’s Budget Survey revealed an unexpected trend, as the net food expenditures of Albanian households decreased.

Data sourced from food imports and wholesalers highlighted a significant decline in the consumption of essential items such as bread, oil, and sugar throughout the past year. This decline was attributed to a sudden surge in young Albanians seeking asylum in the UK and various European countries.

Official statistics from Eurostat and the United Kingdom indicated that approximately 32,000 Albanian citizens sought asylum in the previous year, with over 80% of them falling within the young age bracket.

Concurrently, imports of specific products like cereals, sugar, and most food commodities experienced double-digit reductions in 2022.

Wholesalers pointed out that this decline was primarily linked to the significant emigration of young Albanians, as this demographic group constitutes a major consumer base for items like flour and confectionery.

The drop in the import of cereals, oil, and sugar persisted into the first quarter of 2022, although it was somewhat offset by the upturn in tourist numbers.

Emigration has triggered structural changes in Albanian families, with many experiencing a reduction in the number of members due to emigration. Consequently, this shift has led to alterations in their food spending patterns and overall expenditure structure.

Even as food prices reached historic highs, their share of the total family budget decreased over the course of the previous year. INSTAT reported that in 2022, an average of 39.7% of monthly budgets was allocated to food, down from the 41.3% observed in 2021.

In 2022, the average monthly consumption expenditure for a family composed of approximately 3.7 members was estimated at 88,367 Albanian lek.

Collectively, Albanian families spent around 67 billion Albanian lek per month on consumption across 758,973 households.

The group encompassing “Food and non-alcoholic beverages”, with an average monthly expenditure of 35,083 lek, accounted for 39.7% of the family budget.

Subcategories with the largest shares of food expenses included “meat and by-products” at 18.9%, followed by “bread and cereals” at 16.9%, and “milk, dairy products, and eggs” at 12.9%.