Communications: Broadband - fixed subscriptions: subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
22 (2023 est.)
Communications: Broadband - fixed subscriptions: total
632,000 (2023 est.)
Communications: Broadcast media
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)
Communications: Internet country code
.al
Communications: Internet users: percent of population
85.86% (2024 est.)
Communications: Telephones - fixed lines: subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
6 (2024 est.)
Communications: Telephones - fixed lines: total subscriptions
165,000 (2024 est.)
Communications: Telephones - mobile cellular: subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
89 (2024 est.)
Communications: Telephones - mobile cellular: total subscriptions
2.49 million (2024 est.)
Economy: Agricultural products
milk, maize, tomatoes, watermelons, potatoes, wheat, grapes, onions, cucumbers/gherkins, olives (2023)
Economy: Budget: expenditures
$6.966 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Budget: revenues
$6.636 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2013
-$1.185 billion (2013 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2014
-$1.425 billion (2014 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2015
-$979.8 million (2015 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2016
-$900.4 million (2016 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2017
-$982.2 million (2017 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2018
-$1.016 billion (2018 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2019
-$1.219 billion (2019 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2020
-$1.315 billion (2020 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2021
-$1.387 billion (2021 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2022
-$1.117 billion (2022 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2023
-$281.7 million (2023 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2024
-$646.107 million (2024 est.)
Economy: Debt - external: Debt - external 2022
$10.420 billion (2022 est.)
Economy: Debt - external: Debt - external 2023
$5.363 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates
93.1233 (2024 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Currency
leke (ALL) per US dollar -
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2013
105.669 (2013 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2014
105.480 (2014 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2015
125.962 (2015 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2016
124.142 (2016 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2017
119.100 (2017 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2018
107.989 (2018 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2019
109.851 (2019 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2020
108.650 (2020 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2021
103.520 (2021 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2022
113.042 (2022 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2023
100.645 (2023 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2024
93.1233 (2024 est.)
Economy: Exports - commodities
garments, footwear, electricity, crude petroleum, iron alloys (2023)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2011
$3.769 billion (2011 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2014
$3.732 billion (2014 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2015
$3.105 billion (2015 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2016
$3.437 billion (2016 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2017
$4.110 billion (2017 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2018
$4.785 billion (2018 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2019
$4.821 billion (2019 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2020
$3.436 billion (2020 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2021
$5.614 billion (2021 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2022
$7.057 billion (2022 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2023
$9.099 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2024
$9.848 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by end use: exports of goods and services
38.7% (2023 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by end use: government consumption
12% (2023 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by end use: household consumption
70.2% (2023 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by end use: imports of goods and services
-43.8% (2023 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by end use: investment in fixed capital
24% (2023 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by end use: investment in inventories
-1.1% (2023 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by sector of origin: agriculture
15.5% (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by sector of origin: industry
22.4% (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by sector of origin: services
48.9% (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP - per capita (PPP)
$26,702 (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP (official exchange rate)
$27.178 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP (purchasing power parity) - real
$63.473 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2015
32.8 (2015 est.)
Economy: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2016
33.7 (2016 est.)
Economy: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2017
33.1 (2017 est.)
Economy: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2018
30.1 (2018 est.)
Economy: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2019
30.1 (2019 est.)
Economy: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2020
29.4 (2020 est.)
Economy: Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%
22.8% (2020 est.)
Economy: Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%
3.4% (2020 est.)
Economy: Imports - commodities
cars, refined petroleum, garments, packaged medicine, iron bars (2023)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2010
$5.792 billion (2010 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2015
$5.071 billion (2015 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2016
$5.436 billion (2016 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2017
$6.070 billion (2017 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2018
$6.856 billion (2018 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2019
$6.927 billion (2019 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2020
$5.636 billion (2020 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2021
$8.017 billion (2021 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2022
$9.016 billion (2022 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2023
$10.374 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2024
$11.697 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: Industrial production growth rate
-0.2% (2024 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2015
1.90% (2015 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2016
1.28% (2016 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017
1.99% (2017 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018
2.03% (2018 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019
1.41% (2019 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020
1.62% (2020 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021
2.04% (2021 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022
6.73% (2022 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023
4.76% (2023 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024
2.22% (2024 est.)
Economy: Labor force
1.37 million (2024 est.)
Economy: Population below poverty line
19.70% (2022 est.)
Economy: Public debt: Public debt 2013
70.47% (2013 est.)
Economy: Public debt: Public debt 2014
72.94% (2014 est.)
Economy: Public debt: Public debt 2016
79.88% (2016 est.)
Economy: Public debt: Public debt 2017
74.52% (2017 est.)
Economy: Public debt: Public debt 2018
63.63% (2018 est.)
Economy: Public debt: Public debt 2019
74.81% (2019 est.)
Economy: Public debt: Public debt 2020
83.45% (2020 est.)
Economy: Public debt: Public debt 2021
81.92% (2021 est.)
Economy: Public debt: Public debt 2022
58.52% (2022 est.)
Economy: Public debt: Public debt 2023
53.03% (2023 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2014
$32.697 billion (2014 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2015
$33.831 billion (2015 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2016
$35.113 billion (2016 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2017
$37.369 billion (2017 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019
$42.220 billion (2019 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020
$41.183 billion (2020 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021
$45.346 billion (2021 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022
$47.532 billion (2022 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023
$49.403 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024
$51.36 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2015
2.23% (2015 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2016
3.91% (2016 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2017
3.28% (2017 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2018
3.67% (2018 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2019
2.06% (2019 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2020
-3.31% (2020 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2021
8.97% (2021 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2022
4.83% (2022 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2023
4.02% (2023 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2024
4.05% (2024 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2014
$11,788 (2014 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2015
$12,387 (2015 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2016
$13,056 (2016 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2017
$14,111 (2017 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2019
$16,442 (2019 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2020
$16,288 (2020 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2021
$18,213 (2021 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2022
$22,138 (2022 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2023
$18,000 (2023 est.)
Economy: Remittances: Remittances 2013
$1.282 billion (2013 est.)
Economy: Remittances: Remittances 2014
$1.421 billion (2014 est.)
Economy: Remittances: Remittances 2015
$1.291 billion (2015 est.)
Economy: Remittances: Remittances 2020
$1.466 billion (2020 est.)
Economy: Remittances: Remittances 2021
$1.718 billion (2021 est.)
Economy: Remittances: Remittances 2022
9.2% of GDP (2022 est.)
Economy: Remittances: Remittances 2023
8.6% of GDP (2023 est.)
Economy: Remittances: Remittances 2024
8.4% of GDP (2024 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2015
$3.139 billion (2015 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2016
$3.109 billion (2016 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2017
$3.589 billion (2017 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2018
$3.894 billion (2018 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2019
$3.764 billion (2019 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2020
$4.817 billion (2020 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021
$5.635 billion (2021 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022
$5.266 billion (2022 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023
$6.455 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2024
$6.516 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: Taxes and other revenues
17.8% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Economy: Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2019
11.47% (2019 est.)
Economy: Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2020
11.64% (2020 est.)
Economy: Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2021
11.47% (2021 est.)
Economy: Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2022
10.79% (2022 est.)
Economy: Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2023
10.67% (2023 est.)
Economy: Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2024
10.69% (2024 est.)
Economy: Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): female
26.9% (2024 est.)
Economy: Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): male
23.9% (2024 est.)
Economy: Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): total
25.1% (2024 est.)
Energy: Coal: consumption
255,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Energy: Coal: exports
345,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Energy: Coal: imports
180,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Energy: Coal: production
473,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Energy: Coal: proven reserves
522 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity access: electrification - total population
100% (2022 est.)
Energy: Electricity generation sources: hydroelectricity
96.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity generation sources: solar
3.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity: consumption
7.49 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity: exports
2.2 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity: imports
1.922 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity: installed generating capacity
2.857 million kW (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity: transmission/distribution losses
1.238 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Energy: Energy consumption per capita: Total energy consumption per capita 2023
27.407 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
Energy: Natural gas: consumption
49.977 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
Energy: Natural gas: production
49.977 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
Energy: Natural gas: proven reserves
5.692 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Energy: Petroleum: crude oil estimated reserves
150 million barrels (2021 est.)
Energy: Petroleum: refined petroleum consumption
21,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Energy: Petroleum: total petroleum production
14,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Environment: Carbon dioxide emissions: from coal and metallurgical coke
566,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Environment: Carbon dioxide emissions: from consumed natural gas
93,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Environment: Carbon dioxide emissions: from petroleum and other liquids
2.734 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Environment: Carbon dioxide emissions: total emissions
3.392 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Environment: Climate
mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter
Environment: Environmental issues
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents; air pollution from industrial and power plants; loss of biodiversity
Environment: International environmental agreements: 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
Environment: International environmental agreements: signed, but not ratified
none of the selected agreements
Environment: Land use: agricultural land
38.1% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 21.6% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 3.2% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 13.4% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: forest
34.3% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: other
27.5% (2023 est.)
Environment: Particulate matter emissions
16.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Environment: Total renewable water resources
30.2 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Environment: Total water withdrawal: agricultural
565 million cubic meters (2022)
Environment: Total water withdrawal: industrial
11 million cubic meters (2022)
Environment: Total water withdrawal: municipal
221 million cubic meters (2022)
Environment: Urbanization: rate of urbanization
1.29% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Environment: Urbanization: urban population
58.55% (2024 est.)
Environment: Waste and recycling: municipal solid waste generated annually
1.087 million tons (2024 est.)
Environment: Waste and recycling: percent of municipal solid waste recycled
20.5% (2022 est.)
Geography: Area - comparative
slightly smaller than Maryland
Geography: Area: land
27,398 sq km
Geography: Area: water
1,350 sq km
Geography: Coastline
362 km
Geography: Elevation: highest point
Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m
Geography: Elevation: lowest point
Adriatic Sea 0 m
Geography: Elevation: mean elevation
708 m
Geography: Geographic coordinates
41 00 N, 20 00 E
Geography: Geography - note
strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)
Geography: Irrigated land
1,907 sq km (2022)
Geography: Land boundaries: border countries
Greece 212 km; Kosovo 112 km; North Macedonia 181 km; Montenegro 186 km
Geography: Land boundaries: total
691 km
Geography: Land use: agricultural land
38.1% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 21.6% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 3.2% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 13.4% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: forest
34.3% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: other
27.5% (2023 est.)
Geography: Major lakes (area sq km): fresh water lake(s)
Lake Scutari (shared with Montenegro) - 400 sq km note - largest lake in the Balkans
Geography: Major watersheds (area sq km): Atlantic Ocean drainage
(Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km)
Geography: Map references
Europe
Geography: Maritime claims: continental shelf
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Geography: Maritime claims: territorial sea
12 nm
Geography: Natural hazards
destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought
Geography: Population distribution
a fairly even distribution, with somewhat higher concentrations of people in the western and central parts of the country
Geography: Terrain
mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast
Government: Administrative divisions
12 counties ( qarqe , singular - qark ); Berat, Diber, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Korce, Kukes, Lezhe, Shkoder, Tirane (Tirana), Vlore
Government: Capital: daylight saving time
+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Government: Capital: etymology
the name "Tirana" first appears in a 1418 Venetian document; the origin of the name is unclear
Government: Capital: geographic coordinates
41 19 N, 19 49 E
Government: Capital: time difference
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Government: Citizenship: citizenship by birth
no
Government: Citizenship: citizenship by descent only
at least one parent must be a citizen of Albania
Government: Citizenship: dual citizenship recognized
yes
Government: Citizenship: residency requirement for naturalization
5 years
Government: Constitution: 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
Government: Constitution: history
several previous; latest approved by the Assembly 21 October 1998, adopted by referendum 22 November 1998, promulgated 28 November 1998
Government: Country name: conventional short form
Albania
Government: Country name: 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"
Government: Country name: former
People's Socialist Republic of Albania
Government: Country name: local long form
Republika e Shqiperise
Government: Country name: local short form
Shqiperia
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission
Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Nancy VANHORN (since August 2024)
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: email address and website
ACSTirana@state.gov https://al.usembassy.gov/
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy
Rruga Stavro Vinjau, No. 14, Tirana
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: FAX
[355] 4 2232-222
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: mailing address
9510 Tirana Place, Washington DC 20521-9510
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: telephone
[355] 4 2247-285
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US: chancery
2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission
Ambassador Ervin BUSHATI (since 15 September 2023)
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US: consulate(s) general
New York
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US: email address and website
embassy.washington@mfa.gov.al http://www.ambasadat.gov.al/usa/en
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US: FAX
[1] (202) 628-7342
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US: telephone
[1] (202) 223-4942
Government: Executive branch: cabinet
Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, nominated by the president, and approved by the Assembly
Government: Executive branch: chief of state
President Bajram BEGAJ (since 24 July 2022)
Government: Executive branch: 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
Government: Executive branch: 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
Government: Executive branch: expected date of next election
2027
Government: Executive branch: head of government
Prime Minister Edi RAMA (since 10 September 2013)
Government: Executive branch: most recent election date
held in 4 rounds on 16, 23, and 30 May and 4 June 2022
Government: Flag
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
Government: International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Government: International organization participation
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
Government: Judicial branch: highest court(s)
Supreme Court (consists of 19 judges, including the chief justice); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges, including the chairman)
Government: Judicial branch: 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
Government: Judicial branch: 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)
Government: Legal system
civil law system except in the northern rural areas where customary law known as the "Code of Leke" is still present
Government: Legislative branch: chamber name
Parliament (Kuvendi)
Government: Legislative branch: electoral system
proportional representation
Government: Legislative branch: expected date of next election
May 2029
Government: Legislative branch: legislative structure
unicameral
Government: Legislative branch: legislature name
Albanian Parliament
Government: Legislative branch: most recent election date
5/11/2025
Government: Legislative branch: number of seats
140 (all directly elected)
Government: Legislative branch: parties elected and seats per party
Socialist Party of Albania (PS) (83); Democratic Party - Alliance for a Greater Albania (PD-ASHM) (50); Other (7)
Government: Legislative branch: percentage of women in chamber
35%
Government: Legislative branch: scope of elections
full renewal
Government: Legislative branch: term in office
4 years
Government: National anthem(s): history
adopted 1912; only the first two stanzas of the original poem are used, with the second stanza as a chorus
Government: National anthem(s): lyrics/music
Aleksander Stavre DRENOVA/Ciprian PORUMBESCU
Government: National coat of arms
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 15th-century Albanian military hero who led a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire; the goat on top of the helmet represents defiance and resistance
Government: National color(s)
red, black
Government: National heritage: selected World Heritage Site locales
Butrint (c); Historic Berat and Gjirokastër (c); Primeval Beech Forests (n); Lake Ohrid Region (m)
Government: National heritage: total World Heritage Sites
4 (2 cultural, 1 natural, 1 mixed)
Government: National holiday
Independence Day, 28 November (1912), also known as Flag Day
Government: National symbol(s)
black double-headed eagle
Government: Political parties
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
Government: Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Introduction: Background
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.
Military and Security: Military - note
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)
Military and Security: Military and security forces
Republic of Albania Armed Forces (Forcat e Armatosura të Republikës së Shqipërisë (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)
Military and Security: Military and security service personnel strengths
approximately 7,500 active-duty military personnel (2025)
Military and Security: Military deployments
250 Kosovo (NATO/KFOR) (2025)
Military and Security: Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
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)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2015
1.16% (2015 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2016
1.10% (2016 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2017
1.11% (2017 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2018
1.16% (2018 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2019
1.28% (2019 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2020
1.30% (2020 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2021
1.24% (2021 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2022
1.21% (2022 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2023
1.74% (2023 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2024
2.04% (2024 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2025
2% of GDP (2025 est.)
Military and Security: Military service age and obligation
18-30 for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription abolished 2010 (2025)
People and Society: Age structure: 0-14 years
18% (male 292,296/female 267,052)
People and Society: Age structure: 15-64 years
66.9% (male 1,023,515/female 1,055,388)
People and Society: Age structure: 65 years and over
15.1% (2024 est.) (male 215,252/female 253,597)
People and Society: Alcohol consumption per capita: beer
1.75 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
People and Society: Alcohol consumption per capita: other alcohols
0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
People and Society: Alcohol consumption per capita: spirits
1.43 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
People and Society: Alcohol consumption per capita: total
4.4 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
People and Society: Alcohol consumption per capita: wine
1.15 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
People and Society: Birth rate
8.71 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
People and Society: Child marriage: men married by age 18
1.2% (2018)
People and Society: Child marriage: women married by age 15
1.4% (2018)
People and Society: Child marriage: women married by age 18
11.8% (2018)
People and Society: Children under the age of 5 years underweight
1.5% (2017 est.)
People and Society: Current health expenditure
7.05% (2023 est.)
People and Society: Currently married women (ages 15-49)
65.7% (2018 est.)
People and Society: Death rate
7.9 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
People and Society: Dependency ratios: elderly dependency ratio
24.9 (2025 est.)
People and Society: Dependency ratios: potential support ratio
4 (2025 est.)
People and Society: Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio
49 (2025 est.)
People and Society: Dependency ratios: youth dependency ratio
24.1 (2025 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: improved: rural
rural: 94.1% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: improved: total
total: 95.1% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: improved: urban
urban: 95.7% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: unimproved: rural
rural: 5.9% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: unimproved: total
total: 4.9% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: unimproved: urban
urban: 4.3% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Education expenditure: Education expenditure (% GDP)
3.1% of GDP (2023 est.)
People and Society: Education expenditure: Education expenditure (% national budget)
10.9% national budget (2023 est.)
People and Society: Education expenditures
3.09% (2023 est.)
People and Society: Ethnic groups
Albanian 82.6%, Greek 0.9%, other 1% (including Vlach, Romani, Macedonian, Montenegrin, and Egyptian), unspecified 15.5% (2011 est.)
People and Society: Gross reproduction rate
0.52 (2025 est.)
People and Society: Health expenditure: Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
7.3% of GDP (2021)
People and Society: Health expenditure: Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
9.2% of national budget (2022 est.)
People and Society: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
0.10% (2024 est.)
People and Society: Hospital bed density
2.9 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
People and Society: Infant mortality rate: female
9.2 deaths/1,000 live births
People and Society: Infant mortality rate: male
11.3 deaths/1,000 live births
People and Society: Infant mortality rate: total
8.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
People and Society: Languages: Languages
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.)
People and Society: Languages: major-language sample(s)
Libri i fakteve boterore, burimi i pazevendesueshem per informacione elementare (Albanian) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
People and Society: Life expectancy at birth: female
81.6 years (2024 est.)
People and Society: Life expectancy at birth: male
77.9 years (2024 est.)
People and Society: Literacy: female
97.2% (2023 est.)
People and Society: Literacy: male
98.2% (2023 est.)
People and Society: Literacy: total population
97.68% (2023 est.)
People and Society: Major urban areas - population
520,000 TIRANA (capital) (2023)
People and Society: Maternal mortality ratio
7 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
People and Society: Median age: female
37.8 years
People and Society: Median age: male
34.8 years
People and Society: Mother's mean age at first birth
26.6 years (2020 est.)
People and Society: Nationality: adjective
Albanian
People and Society: Net migration rate
-11.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
People and Society: Obesity - adult prevalence rate
21.7% (2016)
People and Society: Physician density
1.88 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
People and Society: Population
2,377,128 (2024 est.)
People and Society: Population distribution
a fairly even distribution, with somewhat higher concentrations of people in the western and central parts of the country
People and Society: Population growth rate
-1.06% (2025 est.)
People and Society: Population: female
1,322,686
People and Society: Population: male
1,229,151
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: improved: rural
rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: improved: total
total: 99.9% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: improved: urban
urban: 99.8% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: unimproved: rural
rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: unimproved: total
total: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: unimproved: urban
urban: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): female
15 years (2023 est.)
People and Society: School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): male
14 years (2023 est.)
People and Society: School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): total
15 years (2023 est.)
People and Society: Sex ratio: 0-14 years
1.09 male(s)/female
People and Society: Sex ratio: 15-64 years
0.97 male(s)/female
People and Society: Sex ratio: 65 years and over
0.85 male(s)/female
People and Society: Sex ratio: at birth
1.06 male(s)/female
People and Society: Sex ratio: total population
0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
People and Society: Tobacco use: female
6.2% (2025 est.)
People and Society: Tobacco use: male
37% (2025 est.)
People and Society: Tobacco use: total
21.4% (2025 est.)
People and Society: Total fertility rate
1.34 children born/woman (2024 est.)
People and Society: Urbanization: rate of urbanization
1.29% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
People and Society: Urbanization: urban population
58.55% (2024 est.)
Terrorism: Terrorist group(s)
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)
Transnational Issues: Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees
9,381 (2024 est.)
Transnational Issues: Refugees and internally displaced persons: stateless persons
2,203 (2024 est.)
Transportation: Airports
3 (2025)
Transportation: Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
ZA
Transportation: Heliports
9 (2025)
Transportation: Merchant marine: by type
general cargo 46, oil tanker 1, other 22
Transportation: Merchant marine: total
69 (2023)
Transportation: Ports: key ports
Durres, Shengjin, Vlores
Transportation: Ports: large
0
Transportation: Ports: medium
0
Transportation: Ports: ports with oil terminals
0
Transportation: Ports: small
1
Transportation: Ports: total ports
3 (2024)
Transportation: Ports: very small
2
Transportation: Railways: total
424 km (2017)
Warning: Some information might be outdated or incorrect, please check statistics before using(most of the economical stats are correct, its mostly the Population stats that are incorrect). Some dates are listed but some are missed, if you have any issues please report it to the Github at github.com.