Albania and Kosovo have again been ranked by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the poorest countries in Europe in 2023, based on per capita income, which is measured by calculating purchasing power, a real indicator of how much money is worth to the inhabitants of a country. the country. 

GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP), is gross domestic product converted to international dollars using purchasing power parity rates. 

An international dollar has the same purchasing power over GDP as the US dollar in the United States. 

According to the updated data of the IMF in the Global Economic Outlook 2023, and processed by "Monitor", Albania ranks last in Europe with a per capita income of 19 thousand international dollars. 

Kosovo ranks after Albania, which has this indicator even lower, at 15.6 thousand international dollars. 

Bosnia and Herzegovina has a slightly higher per capita income than Albania, at 19.6 thousand international dollars, North Macedonia 21.1 thousand, Serbia with 25.4 and Montenegro continues to be at the top of the region, with 27.6 thousand international dollars. 

The European average is almost 50,000, while Albania's per capita income, measured according to purchasing power, is almost half that of Eastern Europe. 

The forecasts of the International Monetary Fund extend to 2028, where once again both Albania and Kosovo are estimated to remain the poorest in Europe. 

Even in the other direct indicator, that of the Gross Domestic Product per capita, which for Albania has reached 7 thousand dollars, we are again assessed by the latest IMF for 2023, together with Kosovo, which is at the level of 5,600 dollars. 

Other data published by Eurostat earlier (where Kosovo is not included) show that Albania has lagged behind in the so-called convergence process, which means growing at faster rates than the developed countries of Europe in order to catch the average of Europe for a certain period of time. 

The growth of recent years, although at levels similar to countries in the region, has not managed to increase the well-being of citizens, becoming a factor for the high rates of immigration. 

According to Eurostat, in 2021, our country had a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, expressed in purchasing power parity, equal to 32% of the European Union average. 

In the other indicator, that of Individual Consumption per Breath (AIC) which measures consumption according to purchasing power parity and the price level, Albania ranks last, with 39% of the European Union average, the same as last year and much more lower than the average of 48% of candidate countries (excluding Turkey). 

While for the indicator of income per capita, the difference with the countries of the region is not very high, in the indicator of individual consumption it deepens, reflecting the low ability of the purchasing power of Albanian citizens for the income they have, related to relatively low prices high in the country. 

(Source: Monitor)