The majority of Albania’s 9 out of 12 counties are currently experiencing a decline in population due to both internal migration and a decrease in births, in addition to external emigration.
The Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) reported that in 2022, internal migration within Albania has a significant impact on the population of administrative units.
In 2022, at the county level, only Tirana, Durrës, and Vlora had a net positive internal migration (more arrivals than departures), with 7,366 for Tirana, 1,182 for Durrës, and 239 for Vlora, respectively.
According to official INSTAT data, all other counties (Berat, Dibër, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokastër, Korça, Kukës, Lezhë, Shkodër) experienced a net negative internal migration during 2022.
In particular, the counties of Dibër and Elbasan had -1,822 and -1,283, respectively.
Another indicator, the gross coefficient of net internal migration, shows the impact of internal migration on the population of specific counties. Tirana, Durrës, and Vlora were the only counties with a positive gross coefficient of net internal migration, with an addition of 8.0 for Tirana, 4.1 for Durrës, and 1.3 for Vlora (individuals per thousand residents), respectively.
The counties of Dibër and Gjirokastër had the lowest levels of the gross coefficient of net internal migration, with -16.9 and -12.1, followed by the Kukës county with -10.4 (individuals per thousand residents), respectively.
In 2022, the municipality with the highest net internal migration was Tirana, with a value of 6,004 more arrivals than departures, while the municipality with the lowest net internal migration was Dibër, with 744 more departures than arrivals.
Albania’s population has been decreasing since 2001, although not all counties have followed this trend.
The average population of Albania decreased from 2,811,666 residents in 2021 to 2,777,689 residents in 2022. In 2022, the county with the largest average population in Albania was Tirana with 922,386 residents, followed by the Durrës county with 290,561 residents. At the same time, the two counties with the smallest average population in 2022 were Gjirokastër and Kukës, with 54,296 and 72,133 residents, respectively.
During 2022, only the population of the Tirana county increased, while all other counties had a negative population growth rate.
The Tirana county had the highest level of average population growth during 2022, as it increased by 0.7% compared to 2021. On the other hand, the county with the lowest rate of average population growth was Gjirokastër, with -4.2% in 2022.
