Albania's population is shrinking at much higher rates, almost two to three times more than in other countries in the Region, according to updated data from Eurostat on the population of candidate countries.
In 2025, Albania's official population was 2,363,314 inhabitants with a contraction of about 27,628 people within one year, while in relative terms the decline was –1.2%, the highest rate in the region.
According to Eurostat data in the table below, the population decline in Bosnia and Herzegovina is -0.3%, that of North Macedonia is -0.2%, that of Serbia is -0.6% and that of Montenegro is -0.1%.
In the other 4 candidate countries of the Western Balkans, the population fell by an average of 0.3%, while in Albania it fell almost 4 times more, by 1.1%.
The difference shows that demographic phenomena, especially continued emigration and declining fertility, are affecting our country more than other Western Balkan countries with candidate status for EU membership.
In recent years, the population decline has accelerated due to the shrinking youth population, which is rapidly reducing birth rates from year to year.
The sharp decline in the under-30 age group is largely due to high emigration, which continues to be among the highest in Europe. Albanians, especially young people and professionals, are leaving for higher wages, better working conditions and more stable career opportunities in EU countries. This trend has increased following the liberalization of the European labor market and the recruitment schemes of countries like Germany, which have high demands for labor.
Internal data show that the population aged 15-29, which represents the group of young people active in migration, shrank by 45 percent between 2011 and 2025.
Albania also has the lowest birth rate in its transition history with a fertility rate of around 1.2 children per woman of childbearing age, well below replacement level and among the lowest in Europe. Many young couples postpone starting a family due to economic insecurity, high costs of raising children and emigration of partners.
In the coming decade, the number of deaths is expected to be higher than the number of births and will create a natural deficit that will only deepen if preventive measures are not taken./ Monitor
