More than one in three Albanian families has at least one migrant member, making emigration a daily reality for thousands of families in the country. According to the 2024 Migration Survey, 37 percent of families have either a member currently living outside Albania, or a relative who has lived abroad and returned. In 5 percent of cases, families have more than one migrant member, indicating that emigration is not an isolated episode, but a continuous cycle.
Migration does not affect the entire territory equally. The prefecture of Berat results in the highest migration rate, where about 69 percent of families have experienced the departure of a member. In Vlora and Lezha, one in two families also reports having migrants in the family. While Berat and Vlora have the most returned migrants, Lezha leads in terms of families with members currently abroad. In contrast, Gjirokastra, Kukës and Dibra record lower levels of migration, mainly linked to isolation and poverty. Tirana, as an economic center, also has a relatively lower percentage of families with migrants, reflecting greater employment opportunities in the country.
The profile of migrants varies by destination. Migrants heading to Western and Northern Europe and the USA generally have higher levels of education. The USA is the destination with the most educated migrants, with almost a third of Albanians over 25 having completed higher education. On the other hand, Greece remains the destination with the highest concentration of migrants with low education, indicating a clear division of migration according to skills and opportunities.
Albanian migration remains largely a male-dominated phenomenon. Around three-quarters of current migrants are men, while a similar trend is observed among returning migrants. Gender imbalances are particularly pronounced in the United Kingdom, Greece and Germany, while only among highly educated migrants is a more equal gender distribution observed.
Data show that departure occurs mainly at a young age. Nearly 80 percent of migrants have left Albania before the age of 35, while return occurs later in life, often after long periods abroad. Some migrants also return after retirement, although on average they return younger than the non-migrant population.
Although incomes abroad remain higher than in Albania, financial reality does not always meet expectations. Migrants tend to overestimate the earnings and savings they can achieve, while high monthly expenses significantly limit the ability to save. Over a quarter of return migrants report that they failed to save money during the emigration period, while current migrants achieve modest savings on average.
Even remittances, one of the main sources of income for Albanian families, continue to be sent mainly through informal channels, remaining outside the financial system. This makes migration not only a story of departure, but also an untapped opportunity for the country's economic development. /Euronews Albania/
