TIRANA, Sept. 11 – Albanians living abroad sent home more than 340 million euros in the first half of 2021, the highest level recorded since 2012, according to data published by Albania’s central bank.
It also marks an increase of 25 percent compared to H1 2020, the height of the pandemic lockdowns, and a 2.2 percent increase compared to the first half of 2019.
Long a financial lifeline for many families in Albania, remittance numbers have gone up and down with migration numbers. Their level saw its peak in 2008, then declined, but it has seen an increase since 2014.
Traditional host countries Italy and Greece continue to be the main remittance sources, but Monitor, an Albanian business magazine, reports that Germany and the United Kingdom are now the fastest rising sources, with Germany in particular hosting more recent arrivals.
