From Finiqi to Has, how the machine divides economic development among 61 municipalities

To assess economic growth, in the absence of official data, economists often look at the performance of the number of cars per household or resident.

Updated 2023 Census data by municipality across the country shows that only 38.6 percent of households nationwide owned at least one car. Behind this average lies a large gap between municipalities.

From the data in the graph below, Vora is the most motorized municipality, with 62% of households owning a car when the 2023 Census was conducted.

Second in the ranking comes the Municipality of Shijak, where 58% of families had a car, followed by the Municipality of Kruja with 55%, Saranda with 53.7%, Has with 53.2%. Then come Durrës, Kamza and Tirana where 51-52% of families had at least one car.

On the other hand, the Municipality of Memaliaj ranks last for the lowest number of vehicles per household. Only 21% of households in this municipality had a car at the time the survey was conducted.

Followed by the Municipality of Pustec with 21.7%, Gramshi with 24%, Skrapar 26%, etc. Even the Municipality of Pogradec with developed tourism had only 27% of households with a vehicle in 2023.

The higher number of households with vehicles in the municipalities of the center of the country is related to several factors, of economy, demographics and infrastructure. The areas of Vorë, Shijak, Durrës, Kamzë and Tirana benefit from the combination of higher incomes and the density of road infrastructure.

Some municipalities such as Saranda, Kruja, and Gjirokastra have economies closely linked to services and tourism, contributing to improved living standards and increased car ownership.

Several other regions such as Hasi and Vau i Dejës benefit from trade and migration flows with Kosovo and Montenegro.

Municipalities with low vehicle density are characterized by rugged mountainous terrain and lack of roads, such as Skrapari, Poliçan, and Fushë-Arrës. Many of the municipalities with low car density per household have incomes below the national average.

The demographic factor also plays an important role. Southern municipalities, with their aging populations, are not inclined to use cars, unlike the municipalities of Kukës, Tropoja, and Has, which still have a younger population that encourages more vehicle use.

The map of car ownership in Albania is a direct reflection of the inequalities of income, infrastructure, and local economic structure and population.

While the central corridor and tourist centers have half of the households owning cars, a large portion of the mountainous municipalities in the south of the country remain below 30%.

These data suggest an improvement in the balance of public investments in infrastructure, transport and economic development to make mobility more equitable for all Albanian families./ Monitor