Several surveys and methodologies conducted by INSTAT and various non-governmental organizations show a worsening of the phenomenon of immigration in the third decade since the fall of the communist regime. 

One of them, which measures immigration and diaspora, shows that from 2011 to 2020, about 600.000 people left the country.

INSTAT uses indirect methods to conduct an estimate on the number of immigrants, which is based on data from two consecutive censuses, although there are difficulties or limitations. 

The census of population and housing in Albania gives an estimate of the stock of migration within the period between census, which is usually conducted every 10 years and contains only a small number of questions, which can not count all migration events such as families of moving, temporary and circulating seasonal migration. 

The indirect method used by INSTAT was the comparison of the two populations, that of the resident population and the civil registry showed that the number of emigrants living abroad reached 1.6 million people in 2020 compared to 1.08 million that were from the census results of 2011, or about 600.000 more people. 

According to INSTAT data, from 2001 to 2011, 481.000 people emigrated, but during the third decade 2011-2020, the number of emigrants increased by 25%. 

The growing trend of emigration was driven by the economic crisis of 2008 and the abolition of visas with the European Union in December 2010. Over the last decade, immigration has expanded from isolated individuals to the departure of the entire family. Many families sought economic asylum after 2015, a phenomenon that continues to occur. 

This figure is almost twice as high as that of a recent INSTAT survey, which found that during the years 2011-2019 more than 360.000 people left the country, or 13% of the resident population in 2011. 

A recent study by professors Ilir Gëdeshi and Russell King shows that emigration has affected all segments of Albanian society, from the elites to the poorest and most marginalized groups and has attracted people from all regions of the country. 

According to them, after three decades migration still continues to occur, although its nature has changed - less a migration due to poverty, despair and protest, as it was during the 90s, and more, today. , a structural feature of Albanian society and demographics, especially among young people, the most educated segments of the population.

Countries that aim to include their diaspora in the development of the country, not only their number is enough but very important is their profile, both demographic and social and economic. INSTAT recommends that they need to have information on their concentration, educational status and employment. These characteristics will mostly help the government to more clearly understand the professional and economic potential that the diaspora has. The construction of the immigrant register, an initiative already undertaken by the Ministry of Interior, will help a lot in this regard. Efforts will be made by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs to collect quality data from the Diplomatic Representations. 

Another INSTAT survey, in collaboration with donors in about 20,000 households last year (April-July 2019) has revealed a frightening fact in the past decade, as the phenomenon has expanded to the emigration of the entire 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 households had left. 

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 the 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. 

The emigration of the last decade has included a considerable part of the middle class also in terms of educational formation. According to the survey data, of those who left, 54% of them had a high school diploma, vocational or general education, or a higher education degree. Almost 14% of emigrants during the period 2011-2019 have completed higher education.

(Source: Monitor)