The biggest immigration survey, conducted last year by INSTAT, on about 20.000 families across the country, found that, during the period 2011-2019, 13% of the population or over 360 thousand people fled Albania.

Tirana, is ranked first having the largest emigration of families, while Shkodra, Fieri, Durres, have the largest population losses. Kukes has the highest rates of population outflow, abroad and within the country. 53% of the refugees have secondary or higher education. Nearly 60% of refugees cite poverty as the main reason of migration.

Albania is experiencing alarming developments in population loss, due to high emigration. Even after three decades of system change, emigration flows are high, putting the country's development prospects at a dead end.

Official figures show that during 2011-2019 over 360.000 people left the country, or 13% of the resident population in 2011.

The survey has revealed a frightening fact in the past decade, as the phenomenon has expanded to the emigration of the whole family. During the last 10 years, 6.6% of families have left the country, a total of 49,500, while in the years 2001-2011, 4.4% of family units had left.

In the total number of families displaced abroad, Tirana has the largest number, where it is reported that 10.3% of the total county have left, while the counties with the largest population losses are Kukesi and Tropoja in the North, Durres and Elbasan in center and Fieri in the South.

The survey found that economic conditions, including poverty, unemployment and underemployment, low income from employment, difficult living conditions, limited social protection and debts are the main factors for Albanian emigrants.

In addition to these basic factors, another impetus is the future of children.

In addition to these, there are other factors, such as deficiencies and low quality of health care services, housing, conflicts and physical security that cause ongoing psychological stress, including the low quality of education.

For some subgroups (eg Roma and Egyptians), an additional factor is discrimination. The vast majority of people who emigrate are young, while 14% of them had higher education. The departure of men was 200% higher than that of women.