TIRANA, Dec. 17 – “In 2019, according to indirect estimates, the number of the new diaspora is estimated to be about 1.64 million abroad, or about 36 percent of the total Albanian population,” states a recent study by the Albanian Institute of Statistics.
The study, titled ‘Albanian Diaspora 2019’ notes that the so-called “old diaspora” consists of immigrants who emigrated before 1944, considered very early in the diaspora, as well as those “who left during 1945-1990.”
The “new diaspora” consists of immigrants who emigrated after the 1990s and coincides with the great wave of migration following the fall of communism. The old diaspora has settled mainly in the US and some Western European countries, while the new diaspora has settled in Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, France etc. and less so in the countries of the old diaspora.
The study estimates that between 1990 and 1994, the number of Albanian immigrants to Greece, Italy and the US increased each year by approximately 30 percent from the previous year.
But these rates fell to about 11 percent between 1995 and 1999, estimates the study “Albanian Diaspora 2019.”
“After 2000, the rate of increase in the number of Albanian immigrants in Greece declines rapidly and reaches negative levels between 2010 and 2019. According to United Nations data, the total number of Albanian immigrants in Greece is decreasing. During the period 2015 – 2019, even in the case of Italy and the US, the annual growth rate of the number of emigrants has been steadily reduced, reaching about 3 percent.”
On the other hand, according to the study, the number of Albanian immigrants in Germany has changed at rates different than those of Italy, Greece and the US.
“During 1990 – 1994, that number grew by about 10 percent a year. Thereafter the annual growth rate decreased steadily, reaching about 1 percent over the period 2010 – 2014. Only after 2015 it reached an annual rate of about 35 percent, making this country Albanians’ main destination. This has made the share of Albanian immigrants in Germany, in the total number of emigrants, quadruple from 1.3 percent to 4.2 percent.”
External migration and its effects on the population
External migration and internal movements have had a large and annual impact on Albania’s population.
The data show that the resident population of all regions of the country is significantly smaller than the population registered in the civil registry. Gjirokastra and Vlora are the only two counties where the resident population is less than half of the registered population, with 41.1 percent and 49.0 percent, respectively.
On the other hand, for other regions this ratio varies from 54.4 percent in Berat to 79.3 percent in Tirana.
“Albania continues and will continue to experience population outflows, as population projections suggest. In this way, the population of Albania is heading towards an aging process as a result of decreased fertility and increased life expectancy and moreover emigration which continues to remain active and includes a relatively young population,” according to the study.
The study claims that in 2018, in Albania’s median total population, young people 0-14 years old make up 17.5 percent, the working age population 15-64 years old make up 69.8 percent and the population over 65 years old constitutes 12.8 percent of the total population.
“Immigration involves a relatively young and working age population and this is true for both sexes. Unlike years ago where immigration was dominated by young males who mostly emigrated for employment reasons, the last decade migration has taken on a different shape the trend of family immigration, where family reunions are noticed,” the study concludes.
