Albania has entered a new phase of the demographic crisis. The latest INSTAT data show that the country’s population has dropped to 2.33 million inhabitants on January 1, 2026, losing over 28 thousand inhabitants in just one year. While births continue to be higher than deaths, emigration continues to empty the country at rates that cannot be compensated by natural increase.

According to official data, the population of Albania decreased by 1.16% during the year 2025, where 22,541 births and 21,394 deaths were recorded, which brought a natural increase of only 1,147 persons.

However, this positive balance has been completely “swallowed” by immigration. Net migration was negative with 28,531 people, which means that so many more people left Albania than returned or settled in the country. Practically, for every Albanian who is added to the population by birth, about 25 others are lost through emigration.

An analysis of the data by age groups shows that the population decline affects almost the entire young generation, starting from babies to the 30-34 age group, reflecting the impact of emigration and the movement of young people to other countries in search of better life opportunities and employment.

The panorama of older age groups is different. The number of people aged 65-69 increased by 2.5%, while the age group of 70-74 increased by 6%.

Meanwhile, with these indicators, the average age of the population has increased from 44.3 to 45 years./euronews.al

Source: prizrenpost