Population aging, high emigration rates and the effects of Covid-19 have led to a decline in the population of Albania in 2021. 

INSTAT reported that the population of Albania on January 1, 2022 is 2,793,592 inhabitants, experiencing a decrease of 1.3%, compared to January 1, 2021. This is the fifth consecutive year with a contraction in the number of inhabitants. 

During 2021 the natural increase of the population (birth-death) was -3,296 inhabitants, marking for the first time a negative natural increase. During 2021, a significant increase in emigration was observed, while the number of returnees remains low. 

INSTAT reported that the number of immigrants in 2021 was 9,195 persons and the number of emigrants was 42,048 persons. The number of departures, according to INSTAT graphs, was the highest since 2019 and 2014. 

Net migration (the difference between immigrants and emigrants) increased in absolute value, compared to a year ago: from -16,684 to -32,853 inhabitants in 2021. 

The average age of the population was also increasing. According to INSTAT, On January 1, 2022, the median age of the population is 38.2 years, up from 37.6 on January 1, 2021. 

On January 1, 2022, the youth dependency ratio (the ratio of the population 0-14 years old to the population 15-64 years old) decreased compared to January 1, 2021: from 24.2% to 24.0%, while the ratio of elderly (ratio of population 65+ to population 15-64 years old) increased: from 22.3% to 23.1% over the same period. 

The gender ratio of the total population on January 1, 2022 has decreased compared to January 1, 2021: from 99.3 to 98.6 males per 100 females. 

The gender ratio at birth increased, reaching 107.5 in 2021, from 106.6 in 2020. 

During 2021, 27,284 babies were born, a decrease of 2.8%, compared to the previous year. The number of deaths in 2021 was 30,580 people, having an increase of 10.8%, compared to a year ago. Deaths increased significantly due to the health consequences of Covid-19 (Monitor note). 

In 2021 the number of immigrants was 42,048 people and the number of immigrants was 9,195 people. 

 On January 1, 2022 Tirana occupies about 32.9% of the total population, continuing to be one of the most populous regions of the country, followed by Durrës and Fier with 10.4% and 10.0% respectively. As for the other counties, five of them occupy respectively from 2% to 5% of the total population. 

Population estimates on January 1, 2022 show that only one region of the country marks population growth, compared to a year ago, while the other eleven counties marked population decline. The increase was recorded in Tirana (+ 0.8%). 

In contrast, the largest population declines were recorded in the regions: Gjirokastra (-4.7%), Berat (-3.7%) and Diber (-3.6%). 

The region with the highest youth dependency ratio is Kukes (33.5%), which also results as the region with the highest elderly dependency ratio (26.2%), followed by the Lezha region me (26.1%) .

Source: Monitor