Albania

total: 632,000 (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 22 (2023 est.)

over 65 TV stations, including several that broadcast nationally and are sometimes available to neighboring countries; many viewers have access to Italian and Greek TV via terrestrial reception; TV stations have begun a government-mandated conversion from analog to digital broadcast; cable TV service is available; 2 public radio networks and roughly 78 private radio stations; several international broadcasters are available (2024)

.al

percent of population: 83% (2023 est.)

total subscriptions: 165,000 (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 6 (2024 est.)

total subscriptions: 2.49 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 89 (2024 est.)

milk, maize, tomatoes, watermelons, potatoes, wheat, grapes, onions, cucumbers/gherkins, olives (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

revenues: $6.636 billion (2023 est.) expenditures: $6.966 billion (2023 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

-$646.107 million (2024 est.) -$281.7 million (2023 est.) -$1.117 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

$5.363 billion (2023 est.) note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

upper-middle-income Balkan economy; EU accession candidate; growth bolstered by tourism, agriculture, mining, construction, and private consumption; fiscal consolidation through revenue collection and tax compliance enhancements to address public debt; challenges include weak governance, corruption, and high emigration rates

leke (ALL) per US dollar - 93.123 (2024 est.) 100.645 (2023 est.) 113.042 (2022 est.) 103.52 (2021 est.) 108.65 (2020 est.)

$9.848 billion (2024 est.) $9.099 billion (2023 est.) $7.057 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

garments, footwear, electricity, crude petroleum, iron alloys (2023) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Italy 41%, Greece 10%, Germany 5%, Spain 5%, Serbia 4% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

$27.178 billion (2024 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

household consumption: 70.2% (2023 est.) government consumption: 12% (2023 est.) investment in fixed capital: 24% (2023 est.) investment in inventories: -1.1% (2023 est.) exports of goods and services: 38.7% (2023 est.) imports of goods and services: -43.8% (2023 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

agriculture: 15.5% (2024 est.) industry: 22.4% (2024 est.) services: 48.9% (2024 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

29.4 (2020 est.) note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

lowest 10%: 3.4% (2020 est.) highest 10%: 22.8% (2020 est.) note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

$11.697 billion (2024 est.) $10.374 billion (2023 est.) $9.016 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

cars, refined petroleum, garments, packaged medicine, iron bars (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Italy 22%, China 11%, Turkey 9%, Germany 7%, Greece 6% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

-0.2% (2024 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

food; footwear, apparel and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower

2.2% (2024 est.) 4.8% (2023 est.) 6.7% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

1.37 million (2024 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

22% (2020 est.) note: % of population with income below national poverty line

81.9% of GDP (2021 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP

$51.36 billion (2024 est.) $49.403 billion (2023 est.) $47.532 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

4% (2024 est.) 3.9% (2023 est.) 4.8% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

$18,900 (2024 est.) $18,000 (2023 est.) $17,100 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

8.4% of GDP (2024 est.) 8.6% of GDP (2023 est.) 9.2% of GDP (2022 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

$6.516 billion (2024 est.) $6.455 billion (2023 est.) $5.266 billion (2022 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

17.8% (of GDP) (2023 est.) note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

10.3% (2024 est.) 10.2% (2023 est.) 10.2% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

total: 25.1% (2024 est.) male: 23.9% (2024 est.) female: 26.9% (2024 est.) note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

production: 473,000 metric tons (2023 est.) consumption: 255,000 metric tons (2023 est.) exports: 345,000 metric tons (2023 est.) imports: 180,000 metric tons (2023 est.) proven reserves: 522 million metric tons (2023 est.)

installed generating capacity: 2.857 million kW (2023 est.) consumption: 7.49 billion kWh (2023 est.) exports: 2.2 billion kWh (2023 est.) imports: 1.922 billion kWh (2023 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 1.238 billion kWh (2023 est.)

electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)

solar: 3.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) hydroelectricity: 96.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

27.407 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

production: 49.977 million cubic meters (2023 est.) consumption: 49.977 million cubic meters (2023 est.) proven reserves: 5.692 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

total petroleum production: 14,000 bbl/day (2023 est.) refined petroleum consumption: 21,000 bbl/day (2023 est.) crude oil estimated reserves: 150 million barrels (2021 est.)

3.392 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from coal and metallurgical coke: 566,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 2.734 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from consumed natural gas: 93,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter

deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents; air pollution from industrial and power plants; loss of biodiversity

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

agricultural land: 38.1% (2023 est.) arable land: 21.6% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 3.2% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 13.4% (2023 est.) forest: 34.3% (2023 est.) other: 27.5% (2023 est.)

16.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

30.2 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

municipal: 221 million cubic meters (2022) industrial: 11 million cubic meters (2022) agricultural: 565 million cubic meters (2022)

urban population: 64.6% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.29% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually: 1.087 million tons (2024 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 20.5% (2022 est.)

total : 28,748 sq km land: 27,398 sq km water: 1,350 sq km

slightly smaller than Maryland

mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter

362 km

highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m mean elevation: 708 m

41 00 N, 20 00 E

strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)

1,907 sq km (2022)

total: 691 km border countries (4): Greece 212 km; Kosovo 112 km; North Macedonia 181 km; Montenegro 186 km

agricultural land: 38.1% (2023 est.) arable land: 21.6% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 3.2% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 13.4% (2023 est.) forest: 34.3% (2023 est.) other: 27.5% (2023 est.)

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece to the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north

fresh water lake(s): Lake Scutari (shared with Montenegro) - 400 sq km note - largest lake in the Balkans

Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km)

Europe

territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought

petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower, arable land

a fairly even distribution, with somewhat higher concentrations of people in the western and central parts of the country

mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast

12 counties ( qarqe , singular - qark ); Berat, Diber, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Korce, Kukes, Lezhe, Shkoder, Tirane (Tirana), Vlore

name: Tirana (Tirane) geographic coordinates: 41 19 N, 19 49 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October etymology: the name "Tirana" first appears in a 1418 Venetian document; the origin of the name is unclear

citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Albania dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

history: several previous; latest approved by the Assembly 21 October 1998, adopted by referendum 22 November 1998, promulgated 28 November 1998 amendment process: proposed by at least one-fifth of the Assembly membership; passage requires at least a two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly; referendum required only if approved by two-thirds of the Assembly; amendments approved by referendum effective upon declaration by the president of the republic

conventional long form: Republic of Albania conventional short form: Albania local long form: Republika e Shqiperise local short form: Shqiperia former: People's Socialist Republic of Albania etymology: name may be derived from the pre-Celtic word alb , meaning "hill," or from the Indo-European root word albh , meaning "white;" the local name "Shqiperia" is derived from the Albanian word shqiponje ("eagle") and is popularly interpreted to mean "Land of the Eagles"

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charg d Affaires Nancy VANHORN (since August 2024) embassy: Rruga Stavro Vinjau, No. 14, Tirana mailing address: 9510 Tirana Place, Washington DC 20521-9510 telephone: [355] 4 2247-285 FAX: [355] 4 2232-222 email address and website: ACSTirana@state.gov https://al.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission: Ambassador Ervin BUSHATI (since 15 September 2023) chancery: 2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 223-4942 FAX: [1] (202) 628-7342 email address and website: embassy.washington@mfa.gov.al http://www.ambasadat.gov.al/usa/en consulate(s) general: New York

chief of state: President Bajram BEGAJ (since 24 July 2022) head of government: Prime Minister Edi RAMA (since 10 September 2013) cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, nominated by the president, and approved by the Assembly election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by the Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); a candidate needs three-fifths majority vote of the Assembly in 1 of 3 rounds or a simple majority in 2 additional rounds to become president; prime minister appointed by the president on the proposal of the majority party or coalition of parties in the Assembly most recent election date: held in 4 rounds on 16, 23, and 30 May and 4 June 2022 election results: 2022: Bajram BEGAJ elected president in the fourth round; Assembly vote - 78-4, opposition parties boycotted 2017: Ilir META elected president in the fourth round; Assembly vote - 87-2 expected date of next election: 2027

description: red with a black two-headed eagle in the center meaning: Albanians traditionally see themselves as descendants of the eagle; they refer to themselves as "Shqiptare," which translates as "sons of the eagle" history: the design is said to originate with 15th-century Albanian hero Georgi Kastrioti SKANDERBEG, who led a successful uprising against the Ottoman Turks

parliamentary republic

28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire)

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

BSEC, CD, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EITI (compliant country), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO note : Albania is an EU candidate country and must complete accession criteria before being granted full membership

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 19 judges, including the chief justice); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges, including the chairman) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the High Judicial Council with the consent of the president to serve single 9-year terms; Supreme Court chairman is elected for a single 3-year term by the court members; appointments of Constitutional Court judges are rotated among the president, Parliament, and Supreme Court from a list of pre-qualified candidates (each institution selects 3 judges), to serve single 9-year terms; candidates are pre-qualified by a randomly selected body of experienced judges and prosecutors; Constitutional Court chairman is elected by the court members for a single, renewable 3-year term subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; specialized courts: Court for Corruption and Organized Crime, Appeals Court for Corruption and Organized Crime (responsible for corruption, organized crime, and crimes of high officials)

civil law system except in the northern rural areas where customary law known as the "Code of Leke" is still present

legislature name: Albanian Parliament legislative structure: unicameral chamber name: Parliament (Kuvendi) number of seats: 140 (all directly elected) electoral system: proportional representation scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 4 years most recent election date: 5/11/2025 parties elected and seats per party: Socialist Party of Albania (PS) (83); Democratic Party - Alliance for a Greater Albania (PD-ASHM) (50); Other (7) percentage of women in chamber: 35% expected date of next election: May 2029

title: "Hymni i Flamurit" (Hymn to the Flag) lyrics/music: Aleksander Stavre DRENOVA/Ciprian PORUMBESCU history: adopted 1912; only the first two stanzas of the original poem are used, with the second stanza as a chorus

adopted in 1998 and features the national symbol, the double-headed black eagle, in the national colors of red and black; red represents the courage and strength of the Albanian people, and the golden border represents the country s wealth; the helmet above the eagle is modeled on the helmet of Skanderbeg, a 15 th -century Albanian military hero who led a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire; the goat on top of the helmet represents defiance and resistance

red, black

total World Heritage Sites: 4 (2 cultural, 1 natural, 1 mixed) selected World Heritage Site locales: Butrint (c); Historic Berat and Gjirokast r (c); Primeval Beech Forests (n); Lake Ohrid Region (m)

Independence Day, 28 November (1912), also known as Flag Day

black double-headed eagle

Alliance for Change (electoral coalition led by PD) Democratic Party or PD Party for Justice, Integration and Unity or PDIU (part of the Alliance for Change) Social Democratic Party or PSD Freedom Party of Albania or PL (formerly the Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI) Socialist Party or PS

18 years of age; universal

After declaring independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, Albania experienced a period of political upheaval that led to a short-lived monarchy, which ended in 1939 when Italy conquered the country. Germany then occupied Albania in 1943, and communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960) and then with China (until 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. Government-endorsed pyramid schemes in 1997 led to economic collapse and civil disorder, which only ended when UN peacekeeping troops intervened. In 1999, some 450,000 ethnic Albanians fled from Kosovo to Albania to escape the war with the Serbs. Albania joined NATO in 2009 and became an official candidate for EU membership in 2014.

the Albanian Armed Forces (AAF) are responsible for defending the country s independence, sovereignty, and territory, assisting with internal security, providing disaster and humanitarian relief, and participating in international peacekeeping missions; the AAF is a small, lightly armed force that has been undergoing a modernization effort to improve its ability to fulfill NATO missions; the AAF has contributed small numbers of forces to several NATO missions since Albania joined NATO in 2009, including peacekeeping/stability missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Iraq, and multinational battlegroups in Bulgaria and Latvia; it has also contributed to EU and UN missions (2025)

Republic of Albania Armed Forces (Forcat e Armatosura t Republik s s Shqip ris (FARSH); aka Albanian Armed Forces (AAF)): Land Forces, Naval Force (includes Coast Guard), Air Forces Ministry of Interior: Guard of the Republic, State Police (includes the Border and Migration Police) (2025) note: the State Police are primarily responsible for internal security, including counterterrorism, while the Guard of the Republic protects senior state officials, foreign dignitaries, and certain state properties

approximately 7,500 active-duty military personnel (2025)

250 Kosovo (NATO/KFOR) (2025)

the military is in the process of modernizing by replacing its inventory of Soviet-era weapons with NATO standard armaments; in recent years, acquisitions have included equipment from France, Israel, Italy, Turkey and the US (2025)

2% of GDP (2025 est.) 1.7% of GDP (2024 est.) 1.7% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.2% of GDP (2022 est.) 1.2% of GDP (2021 est.)

18-30 for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription abolished 2010 (2025) note: as of 2024, women comprised about 15% of the military's full-time personnel

0-14 years: 18% (male 292,296/female 267,052) 15-64 years: 66.9% (male 1,023,515/female 1,055,388) 65 years and over: 15.1% (2024 est.) (male 215,252/female 253,597)

total: 4.4 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) beer: 1.75 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) wine: 1.15 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) spirits: 1.43 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) other alcohols: 0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

8.71 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

women married by age 15: 1.4% (2018) women married by age 18: 11.8% (2018) men married by age 18: 1.2% (2018)

1.5% (2017 est.)

65.7% (2018 est.)

7.9 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total dependency ratio: 49 (2025 est.) youth dependency ratio: 24.1 (2025 est.) elderly dependency ratio: 24.9 (2025 est.) potential support ratio: 4 (2025 est.)

urban: 95.7% of population (2022 est.) rural: 94.1% of population (2022 est.) total: 95.1% of population (2022 est.) urban: 4.3% of population (2022 est.) rural: 5.9% of population (2022 est.) total: 4.9% of population (2022 est.)

3.1% of GDP (2023 est.) 10.9% national budget (2023 est.)

Albanian 82.6%, Greek 0.9%, other 1% (including Vlach, Romani, Macedonian, Montenegrin, and Egyptian), unspecified 15.5% (2011 est.) note: data represent population by ethnic and cultural affiliation

0.52 (2025 est.)

7.3% of GDP (2021) 9.2% of national budget (2022 est.)

2.9 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

total: 10.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.) male: 11.3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.2 deaths/1,000 live births

Albanian 98.8% (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek 0.5%, other 0.6% (including Macedonian, Romani, Vlach, Turkish, Italian, and Serbo-Croatian), unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.) major-language sample(s): Libri i fakteve boterore, burimi i pazevendesueshem per informacione elementare (Albanian) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

total population: 79.9 years (2024 est.) male: 77.3 years female: 82.8 years

total population: 97.7% (2023 est.) male: 98.2% (2023 est.) female: 97.2% (2023 est.)

520,000 TIRANA (capital) (2023)

7 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

total: 37.9 years (2025 est.) male: 34.8 years female: 37.8 years

26.6 years (2020 est.)

noun: Albanian(s) adjective: Albanian

-11.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

21.7% (2016)

1.88 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

total: 2,551,837 (2025 est.) male: 1,229,151 female: 1,322,686

a fairly even distribution, with somewhat higher concentrations of people in the western and central parts of the country

-1.06% (2025 est.)

Muslim 56.7%, Roman Catholic 10%, Orthodox 6.8%, atheist 2.5%, Bektashi (a Sufi order) 2.1%, other 5.7%, unspecified 16.2% (2011 est.) note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice

urban: 99.8% of population (2022 est.) rural: 100% of population (2022 est.) total: 99.9% of population (2022 est.) urban: 0.2% of population (2022 est.) rural: 0% of population (2022 est.) total: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)

total: 15 years (2023 est.) male: 14 years (2023 est.) female: 15 years (2023 est.)

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total: 21.4% (2025 est.) male: 37% (2025 est.) female: 6.2% (2025 est.)

1.09 children born/woman (2025 est.)

urban population: 64.6% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.29% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

refugees: 9,381 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 2,203 (2024 est.)

3 (2025)

ZA

9 (2025)

total: 69 (2023) by type: general cargo 46, oil tanker 1, other 22

total ports: 3 (2024) large: 0 medium: 0 small: 1 very small: 2 ports with oil terminals: 0 key ports: Durres, Shengjin, Vlores

total: 424 km (2017) 2021-All the trains in the country suspended