Noise "suffocates" cities, Vlora leads at night, Tirana and Saranda follow

All 13 cities monitored in Albania exceeded the noise reference limit during the day in 2025, while in 11 of them the levels remained above the norm even at night. Only Lezha and Përmet recorded night-time averages below the 45 decibel limit, indicating that noise pollution has become a widespread problem in urban centers and not just in the largest cities.

Tirana had the highest average level during the day, at 63.07 dB, against the 55 dB norm used in the report. Vlora was a close second at 63 dB, while at night it was the noisiest city, with an average of 53.56 dB, or 8.56 dB above the 45 dB limit.

In Tirana, the nighttime average reached 53.05 dB. This means that the two main cities are above the norm not only during hours of economic activity and heavy traffic, but also in the period from 23:00 to 06:00, when the allowed level is lower.

The National Environment Agency's monitoring was conducted over a 24-hour measurement period. The daytime level was calculated for the interval 06:00–23:00, while the night-time level was calculated for the interval 23:00–06:00. The report identifies road traffic as the main source of noise in the country, while premises contribute to noise pollution both during the day and at night.

Vlora the noisiest at night

In Vlora, all four monitored stations resulted above the norm both during the day and at night. The highest level during the day was recorded in Uji i Ftohtë, with 64.51 dB, while the most problematic point at night was “Xhamia”, with 55.37 dB.

This point resulted in 10.37 dB above the night limit. The report expresses the exceedance at 23.04%. Also at Hotel Bologna, Hyrja e Qytetit and Uji i Ctohtë, nighttime levels moved from 53.43 to 53.85 dB, remaining significantly above the norm.

Vlora's average reached 63 dB during the day and 53.56 dB at night. The city came in second after Tirana during the day, but first for average noise levels at night.

In Tirana, there was no station within the norm.
The situation is particularly problematic in Tirana, where all 15 monitored stations exceeded the norm both during the day and at night.

The highest level was recorded at Pharmacy 10, with 64.73 dB during the day and 56.23 dB at night. According to the report, the exceedance at this point was 17.69% during the day and 24.9% at night.

Even the station with the lowest level during the day, Dinamo Stadium, recorded 61.66 dB, or 6.66 dB above the limit. At night, the lowest values ​​were measured at Selvia and the Palace of Congresses, with 50.1 dB each, but these points also remained 5.1 dB above the norm.

High levels were also recorded near the Train Station, Lapraka, the Police Department and the Edit Durham School. This shows that the exceedances in the capital are not concentrated only at one intersection or specific area, but extend across the entire network of monitored points.

Saranda and Fieri near Tirana and Vlora levels
After Tirana and Vlora, the highest average levels during the day were recorded in Saranda, with 62.87 dB, and in Fier, with 61.67 dB. At night, Saranda reached 52.94 dB and Fieri 52.31 dB.

In Saranda, all four monitored stations were above the norm in both periods. The point near the Municipality recorded 63.71 dB during the day and 55.13 dB at night. The report estimates the night-time level at this point to be 22.5% above the norm.

Gjirokastra, Korça, Berat and Pogradec also resulted significantly above the reference limits. The nighttime average was 49.98 dB in Gjirokastra, 49.5 dB in Berat, 48.9 dB in Korça and 47.64 dB in Pogradec.

Shkodra above the norm by only 0.32 dB at night
At the bottom of the ranking, Shkodra recorded an average of 45.32 dB at night, only 0.32 dB above the limit. Lushnja resulted with 46.23 dB, Kukës with 47.1 dB and Pogradec with 47.64 dB.

Only Lezha, with 44.16 dB, and Përmet, with 44.29 dB, stayed within the nighttime average. However, these two cities also exceeded the limit during the day. Lezha recorded 56.24 dB and Përmet 55.15 dB, just 0.15 dB above the norm.

In Përmet, the exceedance during the day was not evident at both points. The station near the bridge at the entrance to the city recorded 54.07 dB, while the point near the Municipality reached 56.23 dB. At night, both points remained below the limit, with 43.89 and 44.69 dB, respectively.

The National Environment Agency attributes the high level of noise mainly to road traffic. The high dependence on automobile transport, in conditions where the railway system is poorly developed, concentrates the movement of passengers and goods on urban roads./ekofin.al