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In Albania, the Muslim population drops below 50% for the first time in centuries

Politiko 2024-07-24 12:02:29

In Albania, the Muslim population drops below 50% for the first time in

The 2023 census in Albania has revealed that Muslims no longer make up the majority of citizens in the country for the first time in more than 200 years.

As Express UK writes , this apparent change in the demographic composition of the European country indicates a historical moment in Albania's religious scene, which has remained turbulent for decades.

Based on the latest census figures, Albania's Muslim population has fallen to 45.7%, pushing it well below the country's majority. The Orthodox Christian community, however, has seen growth in recent years and now makes up almost a quarter of the population.

According to the census, Albania as a whole has also seen a 15% decline in population over the past decade, which is largely due to mass emigration and declining births. Experts have blamed this change on the lack of opportunities for young people in the Eastern European country, which has led individuals to seek work abroad, reports Turkiye Today.

If you trace Albania's history back to its roots, it first started as a Catholic country due to the Roman occupation and gained its status as a Muslim country after the Ottoman conquest of the 15th century. However, due to the country's geography and close relations with Greece - many Albanians are also Greek-speaking due to the opportunities in their neighboring country - there has been a steady flow of practicing Orthodox Christians in recent years.

Albania's twentieth-century history contributes greatly to its religious makeup, it was a communist state after World War II, meaning that citizens were prohibited from practicing religion for nearly fifty years before its transition to democracy following the elections of 1992. After NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, about half a million ethnic Albanian refugees poured into Kosovo, adding additional strain and burden to Albania's fragile economy.

Over the next ten years, Albania saw significant economic growth, but still remains one of the poorest countries in Europe outside the former Soviet Union, the BBC reports. This is believed to be due to high levels of unemployment and infrastructural corruption that deters foreign investment in the country.

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