Albania has a high level of emigration among its educated population in the years 2023-2024, and much lower returns compared to 38 countries in the region, as reported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

The calculations of the EBRD in the recently published transition report show that about 23% of the educated from Albania have already emigrated.

Bosnia and the Palestinian Authority are ranked worse than Albania, and Tajikistan is at a similar level.

The data show that other countries in transition have lower rates of brain drain and high returns.

The data also show that, out of over 23% of educated Albanians who had emigrated in 2023-2024, only 2-3% of them returned.

The study shows that the country is losing more professionals than it is attracting. Compared to other economies, Albania is positioned in the group of countries with high emigration of educated people, at levels much higher than the economies of developing Europe, except for Bosnia, which, among other things, suffers from inter-ethnic conflicts and a lack of political stability.

Meanwhile, the level of return of professionals remains minimal, much lower than even other small countries of Southeast Europe. In this way, Albania is failing to be an attractive destination for international talent, while it is constantly losing professionals to more developed countries.

Albania has a very large difference between the “exit” and “inflow” of talents, one of the highest disproportions among the EBRD economies.

Other domestic studies have shown that Albanian professionals leave mainly for better job opportunities and much higher salaries in EU countries, a more stable career market, and more advanced conditions for research, innovation, and specialization.

Meanwhile, Albania remains less attractive to foreign professionals due to its small market, low competitive salaries, limited opportunities in the technology and research sectors, as well as an institutional and economic climate that is still considered fragile.

Demographic developments with the brain drain are creating a vicious circle in the country that further pushes emigration. The more professionals leave, the more difficult it becomes to modernize the economy and increase productivity.

On the other hand, the lack of an advanced economy results in even fewer talents from abroad and encourages the departure of those who remain or are trained in the country.