INSTAT: Albanian women are aging faster than men, median age exceeds 45 years

The Albanian woman is on average 2 years older than the Albanian man.

According to INSTAT data, the median age of men in Albania in 2024 is 43.1 years, while for women it is 45.4 years. The difference is 2.3 years.

If Albania was once known as one of the youngest countries in Europe, today the picture is changing rapidly. The population is aging, birth rates are falling and emigration continues to empty the younger age groups. In this demographic transformation, women are emerging as the group that is aging the fastest. According to INSTAT, the median age of women has reached 45.4 years, crossing the 45-year threshold for the first time.

According to INSTAT's "Women and Men 2025" report, the median age of women in the country has reached 45.4 years, while that of men is 43.1 years. This means that half of women in Albania are over the age of 45, while half are under this age.

The difference is not related to the fact that women are giving birth less or leaving the country less, but mainly to their higher life expectancy. Albanian women live longer on average than men and as a result make up the majority of advanced age groups.

This phenomenon is becoming increasingly evident as the younger generations are shrinking due to declining birth rates and continued emigration. The data also shows that within a year, the median age of women increased by 0.7 years.

At the same time, Albania's population continues to decline. At the end of 2024, the country had 2.36 million inhabitants, 1.2% less than a year earlier.

The number of women fell by 1%, while that of men by 1.3%. Although women continue to make up slightly more than half of the population, their structure is gradually shifting towards older ages.

Another factor that is accelerating aging is immigration.

During 2024, net migration was negative for both women and men, but the number of emigrations remains high. When mainly young people of working age leave and births fall from year to year, the weight of older age groups in the population automatically increases.

For the economy, this translates into concrete challenges. An older population means fewer people in the labor market, more pressure on the pension scheme, increased demand for health services and long-term care.

For women, the impact is even greater, as they live longer and consequently spend more years in retirement or in need of social and health services.

If the current trend continues, Albania could face within a few decades a population structure where the third age groups will have an increasingly greater weight, while the younger generations will be increasingly fewer. And as INSTAT figures show, this aging is being felt more strongly among women than men./ Monitor