17 November 2008 Tirana — “At least 32% of Albanians said that they needed to bribe a government official in the last year”, a survey conducted by Gallup Inc found. The figure for the rest of the Balkans was less than 10%.
Albanians believed that their country would be welcomed by the EU as a new member state. The European Union, in fact, was seen to be having a strong impact: the majority of Albanians trusted the EU institutions and 83% believed that EU membership would be good for Albania. Bribery towards government officials and civil servants was reported as being by far the highest in the region with one-third of respondents having to pay a bribe in the year prior to the survey. Only 29% believed that the government was doing everything it could to fight organized crime. Albanians seemed to be the most mobile of the region’s people with over two-fifths of respondents stating that they had a family member working or studying abroad. Over one-third of Albanians said they wanted to move away from the country, according to the new Gallup Balkan Monitor report
One Albanian in three bribed a government official last year
Change font size:
Latest from News
Dirty Money in the Skyline: Albania’s Tower Boom and the Laundering of Criminal Wealth
Change font size: - + Reset From towers to “new pyramids”: how money from organized crime, international drug trafficking and entrenched corruption is reshaping Tirana while leaving behind empty buildings, distorted prices
Albania Slips Into Electoral Autocracy
Change font size: - + Reset V Dem places Albania in a category dominated by African states, with Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina the only Western Balkan countries in the same group.
Albania Draws a Red Line on Iran
Change font size: - + Reset Parliament’s decision to label Tehran a state sponsor of terrorism formalizes a break years in the making and reflects a broad Albanian consensus that Iran has
US Targets Iran Linked Cyber Network as Albania Emerges as Key Victim
Change font size: - + Reset Tirana Times, March 17, 2026 – The United States has moved to dismantle a cyber network linked to Iran’s intelligence apparatus, seizing four domains used for
Albania’s AI Facade Cracks While Neighbors Win EU Funds
Change font size: - + Reset Tirana Times, February 10, 2026 – Serbia and North Macedonia have secured concrete European Union funding to integrate into Europe’s emerging artificial intelligence infrastructure, while Albania—despite