The population of Albania has started to accelerate its decline rates in recent years, but males are decreasing at higher rates than females according to comparable data from the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT).
As of January 1, 2023, there were officially 71.6 thousand fewer males nationwide than in 2018, a decrease of 5%. During the same period, there were 36.8 thousand fewer females, a decrease of 2.6%.
Albania has a gender ratio at birth that favors males. On average, 105 boys are born for every 100 girls, but higher male emigration and lower life expectancy compared to females are reducing men, according to the data.
According to regions, the largest decline in male population from 2018 to 2022 was in the Gjirokastër region with 18%, compared to the national average of 5%, while Berat ranks second with a 15% decline.
Double-digit declines in male population were also seen in Dibër with 12%, Elbasan with 11%, Fier with 10%, Korçë with 12%, while only Tirana saw an increase in the number of males by 4% during 2018-2023.
On the other hand, the female population saw a strong decline in the Gjirokastër, Berat, and Dibër regions by 12%, 10%, and 11% respectively.
In regions, the male population is declining more sharply due to internal and external emigration and lower life expectancy than in Tirana.
There is still a trend of migration from regions towards Tirana, while emigration abroad has continued at high rates in recent years.
Most of the country’s regions, 9 out of 12 in total, are suffering from population decline due to both internal migration and outward migration and a decrease in births. 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 Vlorë had a net positive internal migration (more arrivals than departures). According to official INSTAT data, all other counties (Berat, Dibër, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokastër, Korçë, Kukës, Lezhë, Shkodër) experienced net negative internal migration during 2022.
The country’s population has been in a declining trend for three decades, but the working-age population (15-64 years) is shrinking at faster rates.
According to INSTAT data, as of January 1, 2023, the general population of the country declined by 1.1% compared to 2022, while the working-age population decreased by 1.8%.
The working-age population decreased by about 101 thousand individuals compared to 2019, before the pandemic. Currently, the working-age population is 1,864,062 individuals compared to 1,974,207 in 2019, or 101 thousand fewer.
