After a significant increase in fatalities in the years 2020-2021 and the first part of 2022, the year we left behind marked a notable decrease in Albania.

According to data published by the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), in 2023, there were around 20 thousand deaths recorded, which is the lowest level in 12 years, since 2011. Compared to 2022, the number of deaths has decreased by 16%.

In comparison to 2021, when the highest level of deaths in the history of Albania was recorded due to the aftermath of the pandemic, the number of deaths has decreased by 34%, or around 10 thousand fewer fatalities.

From the second quarter of 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic spread in the country, the number of deaths increased rapidly. In 2020, there were 27.6 thousand fatalities, compared to the average of 21.8 thousand between 2016-2019, with an increase of 26.7%. In 2022, their number increased again, peaking at 30.5 thousand, or 40% more than the average of 2016-2019.

In 2022, fatalities were nearly 24 thousand, again higher than the pre-pandemic average (10% more), as a result of the pandemic wave that was still present in the first part of the country.

The significant decline in deaths in 2023, according to doctors, is explained by the fact that during the pandemic period, the loss of lives and chronically ill patients accelerated. For the period 2020-2022, there were about 16 thousand additional deaths compared to the average of 2016-2019, mainly due to the pandemic aftermath, a large portion of which were elderly, who otherwise could have lived for several more years.

On the other hand, in 2023, there were no severe cases of influenza circulating, causing the fatal consequences of viruses, which are stronger in the cold months of the year, to be lower.