In the first years of the transition until 1994-1995, about 77.000 students were enrolled in the first grade per year. But from year to year this number has fallen rapidly due to high immigration and declining birth rates. 

This school year, only 29,000 children are expected to start first grade, 2.6 times less than two decades ago and about 4% lower than a year ago. Education experts claimed that this number would have been even lower if the Ministry of Education had not lowered the age criteria for entering first grade. The decline is seen to be stronger for secondary schools. According to the data of the Ministry of Education referring to the preliminary results, about 28 thousand students were registered in the 10th grade in the academic year 2022-2023 from about 31 thousand last academic year with a decrease of almost 9 percent. The biggest drop in this age group is, among other things, dedicated to the high emigration of young minors. 

The official data of INSTAT show that there were 278.000 students enrolled in 9-year education in 2021 with an annual decrease of 3 percent, while in 10 years the decrease was 34 percent. According to INSTAT last academic year, about 103 thousand students were enrolled in secondary education with an annual decrease of 4.1 percent and 31 percent less than in 2020. The final results of the registrations are expected to be processed at the end of September due to of registrations with several rounds in e-Albania this year. 

In total, in 2021 there were about 383,000 students enrolled in pre-university education, according to INSTAT, almost half compared to 1991, when the figure was about 687,000.

The pre-university education system is being severely affected by high immigration flows at young ages. In 2021, the highest level of net departures from the country in a decade was recorded, with almost 33 thousand people fleeing without return. The pace of flight accelerated significantly after the curb in the pandemic period in 2020. 

The population of Albania began to decrease since 1990, as a result of a mass emigration. INSTAT estimates that during the years 2011-2021, an average of 42,000 people immigrated every year. According to INSTAT surveys, the main reasons for emigration are related to better opportunities for work, education and health care. The age group of the population 0-14 years has decreased from 21.6% in 2011 to 16.3% in 2022. 

In addition to emigration, the educational system in the districts has also been severely affected by internal migration. The displacement of the population in the Central Region has reduced the number of students in the districts and increased the number of collective classes, which affects the quality of learning. 

Official data show that on January 1, 2022, about a third of the population lives in the county of Tirana, the most populated county in Albania, followed by the counties of Durres and Fier, with about 10 percent of the population each. The district of Gjirokastra has the lowest percentage of the population, with about 2.0% of the total population, followed by the district of Kukes, which has 2.6% of the total population. Only the district of Tirana has recorded an increase in population for the period 2021-2022. 

(Source: Monitor)