Strong emigration after the pandemic, at least 164 thousand more Albanians have left than have returned

 

An alarming figure of more than 166.4 thousand Albanians appears to have left the country during the post-pandemic years from January 1, 2021 to 2026, demonstrating further deepening of the demographic crisis and emigration in Albania's already smaller and older population.

The unusual departure from the country shows that economic and capital policies, instead of encouraging returns, further stimulate departures even now, 35 years after the fall of communism.

The latest official data from INSTAT on net migration for the period 2011–2026 show that, when global movement restrictions were eased in 2021, there was a strong increase in net migration to minus 32,853 people, a trend which remained almost unchanged during 2022 with minus 32,497 people leaving.

This unstoppable flow culminated in 2024, a period in which the largest historical loss of this decade was recorded with a negative balance of minus 43,761 people, also due to revisions from the Population Census where the two-year indicator was summed up in one year.

In the following two years, 2025-2026, over 57.3 thousand people left, or over 28 thousand people per year. Compared to the resident population, the figures remain extremely high and prove that the demographic hemorrhage is not stopping.

The departure has become consistently aggressive after the pandemic, unlike the fluctuations in previous years. The data show that after hitting its first negative peak in 2014 with minus 21,785 people, net emigration had begun to slow down, reaching the lowest level of losses in 2016 with only minus 9,473 people.

Although in 2017 and 2018 the losses stabilized around the quota of minus 15 thousand people, 2019 heralded a new wave of departures with over 23 thousand people leaving, which was temporarily interrupted only by the total isolation of the 2020 pandemic year, where the balance closed at minus 16,684 people.

However, what followed the year of isolation turned out to be a veritable exodus, where the desire of different segments of the population to build a new life abroad was reflected in the record figures of the last five years, turning emigration into the most important socio-economic challenge for the country's future.

The latest reports from international institutions, such as the World Bank, confirm that the Western Balkans is facing this phenomenon, but Albania remains the country most affected in the region by this phenomenon, ranking first in terms of the intensity of departures with no sign of improvement.

Immediately after it comes Kosovo, which recorded a high wave of departures after visa liberalization, but which over the last year has shown a tendency towards stabilization and a slight decrease in negative figures.

The large difference between salaries in Albania and EU countries remains the main motive for departures. Albania had an average gross monthly salary of 10.3 thousand euros per year, compared to 66.7 thousand euros in Germany, where many professionals are leaving, or 36.6 thousand euros in Italy.

Although nominal wages in the country have increased, the rising cost of living and inflation of recent years have eroded purchasing power, making families feel economically insecure.

Also, many qualified young people and professionals (such as doctors, nurses, engineers, and IT specialists) leave because the local market offers limited opportunities for professional development and salaries that do not correspond to their investment in education.

The perceived quality of public services is playing a key role. Young families often choose to emigrate to provide their children with a better quality education system and access to a safer and more reliable healthcare system.

There is a general sense of pessimism regarding the improvement of democracy and social conditions in the country, thus turning emigration into a long-term project to ensure a more sustainable future./ Monitor