About 33% of Albanians consider emigrating temporarily or permanently within the next ten years, while 10% of them intend to leave within the year. These were the results of a survey conducted in November 2024 by the Austrian Central Bank in the Central, Southeastern and Eastern European countries (CESEE) (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Albania, Bosnia, North Macedonia and Serbia).
The survey, which aimed to assess the use of the euro in these countries, also included questions about emigration. The results showed that Albania remains the country with the highest percentage of citizens with emigration intentions in the region. The “Euro e OeNB 2024” survey shows that, although the desire to emigrate is declining in most countries in the region, Albania continues to remain among the countries with the highest percentage of the population intending to leave.
Around 10% of Albanians express the intention to emigrate within the next 12 months, ranking Albania among the countries with the highest rate of potential migration, along with North Macedonia (11%). They are followed by Serbia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria and Poland, where the figures fluctuate between 2% and 5%. Hungary and the Czech Republic have the lowest percentages, below 2%.
Overall, the desire to emigrate has been declining in the region, but Albania remains an exception. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, 7% of citizens in the surveyed countries declared that they intended to leave within a year. In 2021, during the pandemic, this figure fell to 5%, while in 2024 it dropped further to 4.5%. This trend is seen as positive for most CESEE countries, as mass emigration has deepened demographic problems and brought difficulties to the labor market. In Albania, the trend has not changed much. In addition to short-term emigration intentions, the survey data shows that 33% of Albanians consider emigrating temporarily or permanently within the next ten years to be possible. This is the highest level in the region, while in the Czech Republic and Hungary this figure is only 7%.
Most people state that they want to emigrate for employment-related reasons, around 46% on average across all countries surveyed. The second most important reason is seeking better living conditions abroad.
The 2024 data also shows that Albania has a very high percentage of citizens who have previously lived abroad. According to the report, 28% of the Albanian population declares having had a period of emigration, ranking our country among the most affected in the region.
The average for CESEE countries is 14%, while Hungary has the lowest percentage at just 7%. In most other countries, the percentage of people who have lived abroad ranges from 11% to 16%.
The study shows that short-term stays, i.e. less than a year, are the most common and account for about 35% of all cases. However, Albania appears closer to countries with longer stays. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, about 50% of returnees have stayed more than three years abroad. After Bosnia, Bulgaria, Albania and Serbia rank, where about 40% of returnees have had a long-term emigration./ MONITOR
