For at least three years, Albania has been losing the regional race for wage growth, while the government emphasizes only the good performance of the economic growth indicator, which has actually come more from public administration and net taxes than from real sectors, with the exception of real estate construction.

The government’s strategy to promote the growth of the average wage through public administration does not seem to have worked, as the region is moving faster in improving the employment income of its citizens.

Even in 2025, the average gross monthly wage received by employees in Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina was 30-50% higher than that of Albanians, according to data compiled by “Monitor”, based on statistics from the respective countries. The only exception is Kosovo, which still has a lower wage than Albania, although it has not yet published data for 2025.

According to INSTAT, in 2025, the average gross monthly salary in Albania reached Lek 84 thousand, with an increase of 10.3% compared to the average in 2024. Converted into euros, the average monthly salary in 2025 was around Euro 860. Despite all the “help” that the exchange rate has given, the salary in the country remains the lowest in the region, excluding Kosovo.

The highest salary in the region in 2025 was in Serbia, with around 151 thousand Serbian dinars, or Euro 1290 gross per month.