TIRANA, Aug. 18 /ATA/ – Albania’s economy grew 3.71% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, outpacing the European Union average and ranking among the fastest-growing economies in the region, Finance Minister Petrit Malaj said on Tuesday.
Malaj said Albania and Kosova were leading economic growth in the Western Balkans, with Albania’s expansion well above the EU average of 0.7% in the same period.
He attributed the performance to continued economic policies supporting investment, business activity, employment and consumption, and said he expected growth to accelerate in coming quarters, supported by tourism, investment and priority sectors.
Albania’s first-quarter growth compared with 3.69% in Montenegro, 3.20% in Serbia, 3.1% in North Macedonia and 1.9% in Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to the figures cited by Malaj.
The Western Balkans recorded average growth of 3.30% in the first quarter, putting Albania 0.41 percentage points above the regional average and 3.01 percentage points above the EU average.
“Albania and Kosova are leading the pace of growth in the region, while Albania is rapidly narrowing the gap with Europe,” Malaj said.
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