TIRANA, June 2 /ATA/ – Albania’s population declined by 1.16% in 2025, driven largely by continued emigration and an ageing population, with Tirana remaining the only district to record population growth, official data showed on Tuesday.
According to the National Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), Albania’s resident population stood at 2,335,930 on Jan. 1, 2026, down from a year earlier.
The decline was primarily the result of negative net migration, which reduced the population by 28,531 people during 2025. Natural population growth remained positive, however, with births exceeding deaths by 1,147.
INSTAT recorded 22,541 births and 21,394 deaths during the year.
Tirana was the only district to post population growth, with its population rising by 0.7%, reinforcing the concentration of residents in and around the capital.
The sharpest declines were recorded in the northern districts of Kukës and Shkodër, where the population fell by 2.59% and 2.56%, respectively.
Tirana remained Albania’s most populous district, accounting for 32.8% of the country’s total population. It was followed by Fier, Elbasan and Durrës.
The data also pointed to a continuing ageing trend. The median age of the population rose to 45 years as of Jan. 1, 2026, from 44.3 a year earlier.
The dependency ratio – measuring the number of economically dependent people relative to the working-age population – increased to 59.4% from 57.1% a year earlier, indicating a growing burden on the labour force.
Albania’s overall gender ratio stood at 97.6 males per 100 females, while the sex ratio at birth remained broadly unchanged at 107.9 boys for every 100 girls born in 2025.
/j.p/u.sh/
