A local government unit in Albania, in this case the Municipality, administers around 70,000 residents, referring to the civil registry (4.2 million residents).
The population administered by Albanian municipalities is among the highest in Europe and the Balkan region, according to a comparative study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The average size of local units varies significantly from country to country. In 2019-2020, the average size of municipalities among OECD member states was 10,254 residents, with 26% having fewer than 2,000 residents and 41% having fewer than 5,000 residents. In ten OECD countries, 80% of local units had fewer than 5,000 residents.
In the Western Balkans, local units tend to have larger populations. In 2021, the average size of municipalities was around 27,500 residents. In Bosnia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, municipalities administer fewer than 30,000 residents on average, while in Albania, it’s more than 70,000 residents.
OECD recommends that Western Balkan countries should have used France or Austria as a reference for local governance, where units administer fewer residents.
States often undertake territorial reforms to respond to demographic, socio-economic, or fiscal consolidation pressures. Albania underwent such a process in 2015, concentrating local government in 61 municipalities, consolidating over 370 communes nationwide.
The processes of merging municipalities have taken place in several European and OECD member countries. Mergers are often seen as a threat to local identity and historical heritage, explaining resistance in many countries (e.g., France, Slovakia).
In the Western Balkans, Kosovo, Montenegro, and North Macedonia have only the communal level in local government. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia have a second level between municipalities and central government, the prefectures. At the second level, Albania has 12 counties, and Bosnia has cantons.
In the European context, Western Balkan municipalities are generally large in terms of average population.
OECD points out that the local governments of the Western Balkans resemble the type of large local governance of EU Member States, such as Ireland, Portugal, or Sweden, rather than being ranked among the small-scale local governance, such as Austria or France.
