The structure of the Albanian family has changed. The 2023 census revealed that couples are either married or cohabiting, but have no children. This figure has increased by 152% compared to the 2011 Census.

“The young families have realized that the birth and welfare according to the standards is higher and makes them proud. Second, they think of migrating and then planning to have a child”, said Entele Binjaku.

Married or cohabiting families without children were 264,882, an increase of 152% from the 2011 Census. The number of families between the two censuses increased by about 33,000 or 4.5%, but the number of couples without children has increased significantly due to high migration of young people during the last decade.

According to the census, the most frequent family nuclei consisted of married or cohabiting couples with children, 52.2%, followed by married or cohabiting couples without children, 37.5%, while single parents with children accounted for only 10.3 % of them.

“The way young people see life is related to affirmation at work, consolidation of economic status, which leads to postponing the birth of the first child”, said sociologist Entela Binjaku.

The migration of the last decade also significantly reduced the number of family members. In the 2023 Census, the average household size is 3.2 members, compared to 3.9 members per household in the 2011 Census and 4.2 members in 2001.