More than a quarter of young Albanians are in their 30s without any completed trade, vocational or higher education and, moreover, are not in any kind of job.
This trend, which has remained stubborn over the last two decades, is the clearest reflection that governments and society have failed to educate and train young people to at least be self-reliant.
Found in this situation, the majority of young Albanians in the 15–29 age group see emigration as the main solution for their lives.
Despite efforts, the country's education system is failing to connect with the needs of the labor market and the quality of learning has declined. Fluctuations in education and employment have disoriented youth, who, instead of reacting and demanding accountability, are choosing to leave.
In 13 years, young people shrink by 45%
INSTAT data shows that in 2024 there were only 405,000 young people aged 15–29 across the country, or 45 percent fewer than in the 2011 census.
The decline in the young population is more related to high emigration, which has reached pandemic proportions in this age group, than to lower birth rates. The number of young people between the two censuses 2011–2023 has fallen three times more than the total population.
In education, data for 2024–2025 show that the number of pupils and students continues to shrink. Enrollments in the pre-university system have fallen, especially in 9-year education, while universities are also facing fewer applications and more dropouts.
Official INSTAT data show that for the period 2020–2025, the total number of students enrolled at all levels has decreased by around 61 thousand, which constitutes a contraction of 10%. Meanwhile, during the decade from 2015 to January 1, 2025, the number of students in pre-university education decreased by over 31%, or 112 thousand fewer.
This demographic contraction is causing the country to have fewer and fewer young people entering the education system, fewer students graduating, and less qualified workforce for the future.
However, even those who graduate face significant challenges in the labor market. Youth employment remains problematic, with unemployment rates hovering around 22% for those aged 15–29. Another worrying phenomenon is unemployment among university graduates.
Despite years of study and family investments, about 15% of young people with higher education are unemployed. This is because universities produce more specialists in fields such as law, economics and management, while the market requires technical, engineering, craft professions, tourism and technology profiles. This mismatch increases underemployment and forces young people to either work outside their profile or seek opportunities abroad.
Albania leads by a wide margin the list of 45 countries with the highest percentage of immigrants in relation to the population in 2023. According to estimates by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), for every thousand inhabitants in Albania, 22.1 were immigrants in the 38 OECD countries, an indicator that places Albania far ahead of other countries such as Romania (12.7 immigrants per 1,000 inhabitants), Bulgaria (11.9) or Cuba (10.6).
This high level of emigration means that almost one in four Albanians has emigrated abroad, reflecting the extraordinary magnitude of the demographic shift that has affected our country over the past decade. The majority of these emigrants, over 80%, are young. The high level of emigration is perhaps a reflection of the social and economic dissatisfaction of the younger generation.
Albania has entered a period of strong emigration since the 1990s, a phenomenon that instead of easing, only strengthens. Every year a large number of young people, mainly qualified, leave, creating a huge loss of human capital.
According to recent reports and assessments, Albania is among the countries in Europe with the highest rate of youth emigration in relation to the population. The population of young people aged 0–29 has halved in less than two decades, a dramatic decline with a profound impact on the economy and social structure of the country. The main cause remains the lack of perspective, low salaries, few professional development opportunities, distrust in institutions and the future.
1 in 4 young people are idle
Young people in Albania who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) represent one of the country's biggest social challenges today. In 2024, over 22% of young people aged 15–29 were neither in employment, education or training.
In the 15–24 age group, the NEET rate reaches 21.3 percent. In the 25–29 age group, the situation worsens significantly, the NEET rate rises to 31.1 percent, and the percentage of young people who are completely inactive increases significantly, especially among women.
Half of young people with low education are NEET by the age of 29, and most of them are inactive, not simply unemployed. Around a fifth of all NEETs with low education still declare that they are looking for work, but the vast majority, 40 to 50 percent, have abandoned any connection to the labor market or education. Although the early school leaving rate has fallen from 17.4% in 2021 to 13.5% in 2023, the supply of uneducated young people remains high.
In Shkodra, the NEET rate is 22%, the lowest among the compared regions. Tirana shows a higher level nationwide at around 27%.
All regions are characterized by a widespread problem of long-term unemployment. Around 69 to 75 percent of young job seekers have been unemployed for more than six months, indicating a deep disengagement from the labor market and a high risk of falling into inactivity.
Universities mired in corruption
Qëndresa Cyvetare has analyzed that during the years 2021–2025, according to the prosecutions, 50 lecturers of public universities have been accused of corruption. From the analysis, the corruption cases involving academic staff of public universities are distributed in several cities. In Shkodra, 13 lecturers (5 with investigations discontinued, 3 sent for trial and 5 others still under investigation), in Elbasan 9 lecturers were involved (1 in trial, 1 with a decision not to start and 7 under investigation, the case passed to SPAK).
In 2025, SPAK completed investigations against 27 officials of the Agricultural University of Tirana (part of the academic and administrative staff).
About 9 out of 10 students (89.98%) acknowledge the existence of corruption in the eight public universities surveyed. High levels of perception (96%) were reported at the Agricultural University of Tirana, the University of Medicine and the “Fan S. Noli” University in Korça, while the lowest levels, although still concerning, were reported at the “Aleksandër Xhuvani” University in Elbasan (77.5%).
Personal experience is most prevalent at the University of Medicine in Tirana (26.25%) and the University of Shkodra “Luigj Gurakuqi” (25%).
Payment for grades is perceived as most widespread at the Agricultural University of Tirana (59.62%) and the “Fan S. Noli” University of Korça (56.15%), while it is lowest at the University of Shkodra “Luigj Gurakuqi” (35.33%). The obligation to purchase books is dominated by the University of Shkodra (32.34%).
A cycle of weakness has been created in the country that is discouraging young people. Education is not producing the skills the economy requires, the economy is not producing enough jobs with acceptable conditions for young people. The lack of economic and social prospects pushes young people towards emigration.
The departure of young people further shrinks the base of the young population, reduces the number of pupils and students, weakens the labor market and affects the quality of economic development. As a result of these developments, Albania risks entering a long spiral of population aging, labor shortages and the inability to develop a competitive economy without youth.
In this reality, the question is no longer “are young people leaving?” but “how to create a climate that retains, employs, and develops them.” The challenge appears to be structural and requires reform in vocational and university education, employment policies linked to priority sectors, and concrete programs that stop or slow down emigration.
If these processes do not change, Albania will face a future where youth will be less and less present and economic development will be unstable./ Monitor
