TIRANA, Sept. 23 – The number of trucks in Albania has seen a sharp decline in the past four years, unveiling the difficulty Albania’s transport sector has been undergoing during these years of economic slowdown and the contraction of the construction sector.
Data published by the country’s state statistical institute, INSTAT, shows the number of trucks and road tractors dropped to 68,442 in 2014, down from 84,314 in 2010, registering an 18 percent decline.
The number of buses and mini-buses also dropped from 7,032 in 2010 to 6,048 in 2014.
By contrast, the number of personal cars increased from about 295,000 in 2010 to 378,000 in 2014. Albania increased its motor vehicle number per 1,000 inhabitants to 143 in 2014, up from 112 in 2010, says INSTAT.
Albania’s transport industry contracted by around one-third during the past three years when the Albanian economy grew between 1 to 2 percent, the lowest growth rates since more than a decade, the according to data published by INSTAT. The transport sector contracted by 17 percent in 2014 after shrinking by a total of 16 percent in 2013 and 2012.
All air, maritime and railway transport have been suffering in the past three years due to the slowdown of the Albanian economy and internal problems.
The slowdown in the transport sector is also indicated by the progress of fuel imports. Fuel imports, which meet the overwhelming majority of the country’s needs rose to 481,775 tonnes in 2014, up 4.8 percent compared to 2013, but down 0.5 percent compared to the peak level of 484,392 tonnes in 2010.
