Albania’s population shrank by 429,000, census results show
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- The record decrease between two censuses is a result of mass emigration and lowering of birth rates, experts say.
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TIRANA, June 28, 2024 - Albania’s population shrank by almost 14 percent in 12 years, losing about 429,000 residents, according to the country's official 2023 census, the results of which were just released.
The census conductor, the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), said the number of residents of Albania is now down to 2.4 million from 2.8 in 2011, with the decline largely due to emigration but also due to low fertility resulting in lower growth.
Compared to 1989, Albania has lost a quarter of its population.
Albania’s political opposition and its demographic expert have raised questions on the numbers published by INSTAT, arguing they overestimate the resident population to soften the political blow to the government, under whose watch Albania has lost a larger portion of the population than some countries at war.
According to the census results, emigration has maintained a similar trend as in the 2001-2011 period, with an average of 50,000 people leaving each year, totaling 600,000 Albanians over the past twelve years.
However, the same data show that by 2023, about 108,000 people have returned, nearly 26,000 of them last year alone.
The natural increase in population is muted, with a progressive decline in births. Preliminary data for 2023 indicate 24,000 births and 22,000 deaths. Compared to 2011, births have decreased by almost 30 percent, and over 50 percent compared to 2001.
This phenomenon, along with emigration and increased life expectancy, is leading to an aging population.
The median age last year was 42.5 years, according to the census, up by 7 years compared to 2011. Census data show that one in five residents is over 65 years old, whereas this ratio was 1 in 9 in the 2011 census.
The census data also provided an overview of internal migratory movements, which have led to nearly one-third of the population concentrating in the Tirana region, with a 1.2 percent increase compared to twelve years ago.
The capital's municipality alone counts nearly 600,000 residents. The second highest population percentage is in Fier with 10 percent, followed by Elbasan with 9.7 percent. Meanwhile, Kukës and Gjirokastra have the lowest percentages, with 2.6 and 2.5 percent, respectively.
Compared to 2011, there has been a reversal in the male-to-female ratio. Females now constitute 50.4 percent of the population. They also have a significant advantage over males in terms of higher education. More than half of the women have completed higher education, compared to only 33 percent of men.
On religion, Suni Muslims are for the first time no longer more than half the population, with 45 percent declaring themselves in the group or 1.1 million.
They are followed by Roman Catholics are the second largest group with over 200,000 adherents, followed by Orthodox Christians with 176,000. Next were the 116,000 Bektashis. Ten percent of the population did not respond to the question regarding religious belief, and 4 percent declared themselves atheists.
Director of INSTAT Elsa Dhuli said that the census is a snapshot referring to Oct. 17, 2023. According to her, significant developments have occurred in the country's demographics over the last three decades.
Censuses have provided valuable data for drafting better policies in all fields, such as education, healthcare, economy, and sustainable development.
There are 755,950 families with an average size of 3.2 members per family, living in 1,082,529 regular dwellings, according to the data.
The census was delayed due to challenges such as the earthquake, the pandemic and finding workers in every geographic unit of the country, according to INSTAT.
"We applied technology and faced challenges in collecting information in the field. We worked seriously. Ensuring that data is protected was a challenge. We used a digitized geo-spatial system, and the methodologies were harmonized with standards," Dhuli said.
In the 30 years of transition, only two census registrations have been conducted, in 2001 and in 2011.
The massive emigration that started in the early 1990s reduced the country's population by 158,000 people from 1989 to 2001, a reduction of 5 percent. Emigration was high during this period, but the country still experienced high birth rates. The last census in 2011 was based on free declaration and included questions on international migration, resulting in a population of 3,023,734 inhabitants.
In the 2011 census, the population further reduced to 2,831,741 inhabitants, or -6.3 percent less than the 2001 registration.
