Marriage rates have fallen dramatically in most part of Albania during the last couple of years as austerity, generational crisis and apathy towards the institution deter record numbers of young people from tying the knot.

The number of weddings has fallen to nearly historical lows, especially in the biggest country, the capital Tirana. 
 

The last data of the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) revealed that in 2021 a total of 19.7 thousand marriages were concluded throughout the country. Although compared to the pandemic year, celebrations have increased by 12.7%, while in 2020 their number dropped significantly due to restrictions, marriages remain lower compared to before the pandemic. 

According to INSTAT, the number of crown ties in 2021 was 12% lower than in 2019 and 15% lower than in 2018. Except for the year of the pandemic, 2021 is the period with the lowest marriages since the 1990s. (See chart: Number of total marriages, 1990-2021). The change in lifestyle, characterized by the increase in the age of marriage (3-5 years more than in the early 90s), the gradual aging of the population and the high emigration of young people are considered to be the main factors that have influenced this tendency. 

According to INSTAT, the median age of the population (the age that divides the population into two equal parts) was 38.2 years old at the beginning of 2022, a significant increase compared to the beginning of the 90s, when this indicator was less than 30 years old. In 2021, the average age at marriage for men was 31.2 years (3 years more than at the beginning of the 90s), while the average age at marriage for women was 27.7 years (almost 5 years more than at the beginning of the 90s). See chart: Average age of marriage by gender 

In 2021, the county with the highest average age at marriage for men was that of Gjirokastra, with 33.6 years, while the county with the lowest average age at marriage for men was Durrës, with 30.5 years. In the same year, the county with the highest average age at marriage for women was Lezha, with 28.9 years, while the county with the lowest average age at marriage for women was Durrës, with 27.1 years. 

Fewer people get married in Tirana. Although Tirana is the only city, along with Durrës, that has an increase in population due to internal migration, the young people who live in the capital prefer to live alone. 

According to INSTAT, in the capital in 2021 there were 5.8 marriages per 1,000 inhabitants, out of 7, which is the coefficient for the whole year.  After Tirana, the lowest number of marriages are Vlora (6.1), Korça (6.2), Gjirokastra (6.7), which have an indicator below the national average. 

The record of marriages is held by Lezha (10.4), followed by Berati and Dibra with 8.1. 

(Source: Monitor)