Shkodra, with the highest population contraction after the Census

The country's population decline has accelerated over the past three years. With the exception of Tirana, which continues to be the center of gravity of internal migration, the population has declined in all other regions.

The 2023 census recorded 2.4 million inhabitants. A year later, in 2024, the population fell to 2.39 million people, while the forecast for 2025 drops to 2.36 million people.

The cumulative loss from the 2023 Census to 2025 is about 38,800 inhabitants. The decline does not seem drastic in absolute figures, but the pace of contraction has accelerated to 1.2% in 2025, almost three times more than in 2024 with -0.5%.

Of the country's 12 regions, Tirana is the only one with slight growth. Its population increased from 758,513 in the 2023 Census to 759,981 in 2025, a modest increase of about 1,500 people.

This symbolic growth is enough to consolidate the capital as a demographic haven, as the rest of the country is in decline.

Tirana's population is growing due to the abandonment of rural areas and internal migration to Tirana, which also balances the loss that the capital itself has from international emigration.

In the North, Shkodra shrank by almost 5,000 residents in two years, suffering the largest relative decline of over 3%.

A similar picture emerges in Kukës, Dibër and Lezha, where the population reduction ranges from 2.4% to 3%.

The north of the country is experiencing a later cycle of emigration as a result of uneven regional development.

Gjirokastra, Korça and Fier experienced comparable declines of 2.5-3%, influenced by traditional emigration and the aging of the local population.

In regions like Elbasan and Vlora, the pace of contraction is somewhat slower, but still unstoppable.

Data shows that in Tirana, pressures for public services and infrastructure are further increasing, while regions are facing school closures and increasing inequalities.

If measures are not taken to distribute investments outside the capital, the social and economic gap will further deepen, making today's figures seem like only the first page of a prolonged cycle of aging and emigration./ Monitor