Albania - AL - ALB - ALB - Europe

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires David WISNER (since August 2023)

embassy: Rruga Stavro Vinjau, No. 14, Tirana

mailing address: 9510 Tirana Place, Washington DC  20521-9510

telephone: [355] 4 2247-285

FAX: [355] 4 2232-222

email address and website:
ACSTirana@state.gov

https://al.usembassy.gov/

0-14 years: 17.9% (male 290,624/female 264,536)

15-64 years: 67.53% (male 1,030,436/female 1,064,217)

65 years and over: 14.57% (2023 est.) (male 207,960/female 243,848)

41 00 N, 20 00 E

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

9 (2024)

destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought

slightly smaller than Maryland

18-27 (up to 32 in some cases) for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription abolished 2010 (2023)

note: as of 2023, women comprised about 15% of the military's full-time personnel, including 20% of the officers

After declaring independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, Albania experienced a period of political upheaval that led to a short-lived monarchy, which ended in 1939 when Italy conquered the country. Germany then occupied Albania in 1943, and communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960) and then with China (until 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. 

Government-endorsed pyramid schemes in 1997 led to economic collapse and civil disorder, which only ended when UN peacekeeping troops intervened. In 1999, some 450,000 ethnic Albanians fled from Kosovo to Albania to escape the war with the Serbs. Albania joined NATO in 2009 and became an official candidate for EU membership in 2014. 

deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents; air pollution from industrial and power plants; loss of biodiversity due to lack of resources for sound environmental management

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

14.3% (2012 est.)

lowest 10%: 4.1%

highest 10%: 19.6% (2015 est.)

leather footwear and parts, electricity, crude petroleum, iron alloys, clothing, insulated wiring (2021)

note: Albanian cannabis production remains a significant illicit trade export

Italy 45%, Spain 8%, Germany 6%, Greece 5%, France 4%, China 4% (2019)

12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Berat, Diber, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Korce, Kukes, Lezhe, Shkoder, Tirane (Tirana), Vlore

milk, maize, tomatoes, potatoes, watermelons, wheat, grapes, cucumbers, onions, apples

Republic of Albania Armed Forces (Forcat e Armatosura të Republikës së Shqipërisë (FARSH); aka Albanian Armed Forces): Land Forces, Naval Force (includes Coast Guard), Air Forces

Ministry of Interior: Guard of the Republic, State Police (includes the Border and Migration Police) (2023)

note: the State Police are primarily responsible for internal security, including counterterrorism, while the Guard of the Republic protects senior state officials, foreign dignitaries, and certain state properties

revenues: $4.19 billion (2019 est.)

expenditures: $4.489 billion (2019 est.)

name: Tirana (Tirane)

geographic coordinates: 41 19 N, 19 49 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology: the name Tirana first appears in a 1418 Venetian document; the origin of the name is unclear, but may derive from Tirkan Fortress, whose ruins survive on the slopes of Dajti mountain and which overlooks the city

refined petroleum, cars, tanned hides, packaged medical supplies, footwear parts (2019)

mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter

362 km

history: several previous; latest approved by the Assembly 21 October 1998, adopted by referendum 22 November 1998, promulgated 28 November 1998

amendments: proposed by at least one-fifth of the Assembly membership; passage requires at least a two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly; referendum required only if approved by two-thirds of the Assembly; amendments approved by referendum effective upon declaration by the president of the republic; amended several times, last in 2020

leke (ALL) per US dollar -

Exchange rates:
103.52 (2021 est.)
108.65 (2020 est.)
109.851 (2019 est.)
107.989 (2018 est.)
119.1 (2017 est.)

chief of state: President Bajram BEGAJ (since 24 July 2022)

head of government: Prime Minister Edi RAMA (since 10 September 2013); Deputy Prime Minister Arben AHMETAJ (since 18 September 2021)

cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, nominated by the president, and approved by the Assembly

elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by the Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); a candidate needs three-fifths majority vote of the Assembly in 1 of 3 rounds or a simple majority in 2 additional rounds to become president; election last held in 4 rounds on 16, 23, and 30 May and 4 June 2022 (next election to be held in 2027); prime minister appointed by the president on the proposal of the majority party or coalition of parties in the Assembly

election results:
2022: Bajram BEGAJ elected president in the fourth round; Assembly vote - 78-4, opposition parties boycotted

2017: Ilir META elected president in the fourth round; Assembly vote - 87-2

calendar year

red with a black two-headed eagle in the center; the design is claimed to be that of 15th-century hero Georgi Kastrioti SKANDERBEG, who led a successful uprising against the Ottoman Turks that resulted in a short-lived independence for some Albanian regions (1443-78); an unsubstantiated explanation for the eagle symbol is the tradition that Albanians see themselves as descendants of the eagle; they refer to themselves as "Shqiptare," which translates as "sons of the eagle"

28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire)

food; footwear, apparel and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 19 judges, including the chief justice); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges, including the chairman)

judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the High Judicial Council with the consent of the president to serve single 9-year terms; Supreme Court chairman is elected for a single 3-year term by the court members; appointments of Constitutional Court judges are rotated among the president, Parliament, and Supreme Court from a list of pre-qualified candidates (each institution selects 3 judges), to serve single 9-year terms; candidates are pre-qualified by a randomly selected body of experienced judges and prosecutors; Constitutional Court chairman is elected by the court members for a single, renewable 3-year term

subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; specialized courts: Court for Corruption and Organized Crime, Appeals Court for Corruption and Organized Crime (responsible for corruption, organized crime, and crimes of high officials)

total: 691 km

border countries: Greece 212 km; Kosovo 112 km; North Macedonia 181 km; Montenegro 186 km

agricultural land: 42.8% (2018 est.)

arable land: 22.3% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 3% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 17.4% (2018 est.)

forest: 28.8% (2018 est.)

other: 28.2% (2018 est.)

civil law system except in the northern rural areas where customary law known as the "Code of Leke" is still present

description: unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by open party-list proportional representation vote using the D'Hondt method; members serve 4-year terms)

elections: last held on 25 April 2021 (next to be held in 2025)

election results:
percent of vote by party/coalition - PS 48.7%, PD-Alliance for Change 39.4%, LSI 6.8%, PSD 2.3%, other 2.8%; seats by party/coalition - PS 74, PD-Alliance for Change 59, LSI 4, PSD 3; composition as of August 2023 - men 90, women 50, percent of women 35.7%

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 98.4%

male: 98.7%

female: 98.2% (2021)

territorial sea: 12 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

BSEC, CD, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EITI (compliant country), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

note: Albania is an EU candidate country whose satisfactory completion of accession criteria is required before being granted full EU membership

Independence Day, 28 November (1912), also known as Flag Day

noun: Albanian(s)

adjective: Albanian

petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower, arable land

strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)

future hopeful EU member state; oil and gas exporter but investing toward a “blue economy”; COVID-19 and earthquake economic disruptions and declines; experiencing high debt and account balances; strengthening private sector growth and public sector trust

498 km gas (a majority of the network is in disrepair and parts of it are missing), 249 km oil (2015)

Alliance for Change (electoral coalition led by PD)
Democratic Party or PD [Lulzim BASHA]
Party for Justice, Integration and Unity or PDIU [Shpetim IDRIZI] (part of the Alliance for Change))
Social Democratic Party or PSD [Tom DOSHI]
Freedom Party of Albania or PL [Ilir META] (formerly the Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI)
Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA]

major seaport(s): Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore

18 years of age; universal

general assessment: Albania’s small telecom market has experienced some significant changes in recent years;  upgrades were made to the fixed-line infrastructure to support broadband services; fixed-line telephony use and penetration in Albania is declining steadily as subscribers migrate to mobile solutions; the mobile sector is well provided with LTE networks, while operators have invested in 5G; some of these efforts have been made in conjunction with neighboring Kosovo, with the intention of a seamless 5G corridor along the highway connecting the two countries; the country has long sought accession to the European Union (EU) which has benefited its telecoms sector through closer scrutiny of its regulatory regime and through the injection of funding to help modernize infrastructure (2021)

domestic: fixed-line approximately 7 per 100, teledensity continues to decline due to heavy use of mobile-cellular telephone services; mobile-cellular telephone use is widespread and generally effective, 92 per 100 for mobile-cellular (2021)

international: country code - 355; submarine cables for the Adria 1 and Italy-Albania provide connectivity to Italy, Croatia, and Greece; a combination submarine cable and land fiber-optic system, provides additional connectivity to Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Turkey; international traffic carried by fiber-optic cable and, when necessary, by microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece (2019)

mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast

parliamentary republic

conventional long form: Republic of Albania

conventional short form: Albania

local long form: Republika e Shqiperise

local short form: Shqiperia

former: People's Socialist Republic of Albania

etymology: the English-language country name seems to be derived from the ancient Illyrian tribe of the Albani; the native name "Shqiperia" is derived from the Albanian word "Shqiponje" ("Eagle") and is popularly interpreted to mean "Land of the Eagles"

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece to the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north

Europe

1,820 sq km (2020)

chief of mission: Ambassador Ervin BUSHATI (since 15 September 2023)

chancery: 2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 223-4942

FAX: [1] (202) 628-7342

email address and website:
embassy.washington@mfa.gov.al

http://www.ambasadat.gov.al/usa/en

consulate(s) general: New York

.al

refugees (country of origin): 47,247 (Ukraine) (as of 30 January 2024)

stateless persons: 1,948 (2022)

note: 47,306 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-February 2024)

$15.273 billion (2019 est.)

Moody's rating: B1 (2021)

Standard & Poors rating: B+ (2020)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

30.2 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

total: 14 years

male: 13 years

female: 15 years (2020)

urban population: 64.6% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.29% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Albania has more than 65 TV stations, including several that broadcast nationally; Albanian TV broadcasts are also available to Albanian-speaking populations in neighboring countries; many viewers have access to Italian and Greek TV broadcasts via terrestrial reception; Albania's TV stations have begun a government-mandated conversion from analog to digital broadcast; the government has pledged to provide analog-to-digital converters to low-income families affected by this decision; cable TV service is available; 2 public radio networks and roughly 78 private radio stations; several international broadcasters are available (2019)

improved: urban: 97.3% of population

rural: 96.4% of population

total: 97% of population

unimproved: urban: 2.7% of population

rural: 3.6% of population

total: 3% of population (2020 est.)

name: "Hymni i Flamurit" (Hymn to the Flag)

lyrics/music: Aleksander Stavre DRENOVA/Ciprian PORUMBESCU

note: adopted 1912

520,000 TIRANA (capital) (2023)

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

1.88 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

2.9 beds/1,000 population (2013)

black double-headed eagle; national colors: red, black

26.6 years (2020 est.)

46% (2017/18)

household consumption: 78.1% (2017 est.)

government consumption: 11.5% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital: 25.2% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories: 0.2% (2017 est.)

exports of goods and services: 31.5% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services: -46.6% (2017 est.)

total dependency ratio: 48.2

youth dependency ratio: 24.1

elderly dependency ratio: 24.1

potential support ratio: 4.2 (2021 est.)

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Albania

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

a fairly even distribution, with somewhat higher concentrations of people in the western and central parts of the country

electrification - total population: 100% (2020)

number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 5

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 303,137 (2018)

ZA

improved: urban: 99.8% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 99.9% of population

unimproved: urban: 0.2% of population

rural: 0.5% of population

total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)

Albanian 82.6%, Greek 0.9%, other 1% (including Vlach, Romani, Macedonian, Montenegrin, and Egyptian), unspecified 15.5% (2011 est.)

note: data represent population by ethnic and cultural affiliation

Muslim 56.7%, Roman Catholic 10%, Orthodox 6.8%, atheist 2.5%, Bektashi (a Sufi order) 2.1%, other 5.7%, unspecified 16.2% (2011 est.)

note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice

Albanian 98.8% (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek 0.5%, other 0.6% (including Macedonian, Romani, Vlach, Turkish, Italian, and Serbo-Croatian), unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)

major-language sample(s):
Libri i fakteve boterore, burimi i pazevendesueshem per informacione elementare (Albanian)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Italy 28%, Greece 12%, China 11%, Turkey 9%, Germany 5% (2019)

highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m

lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m

mean elevation: 708 m

6.7% of GDP (2018)

the Albanian Armed Forces (AAF) are responsible for defending the country’s independence, sovereignty, and territory, assisting with internal security, providing disaster and humanitarian relief, and participating in international peacekeeping missions; the AAF has contributed small numbers of forces to several NATO missions since Albania joined NATO in 2009, including peacekeeping/stability missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Iraq, and multinational battlegroups in Bulgaria and Latvia; it has also contributed to EU and UN missions; the AAF is a small, lightly armed force that has been undergoing a modernization effort to improve its ability to fulfill NATO missions, including training and equipment purchases; the primary ground combat units include a few light infantry battalions (or battle groups), including one trained and certified for NATO missions, and a special operations regiment; the Naval Force and Coast Guard operate a small force of patrol boats while the Air Force has a small inventory of helicopters (2023)

approximately 7,000 total active-duty personnel (5,000 Army; 1,500 Navy; 500 Air Force) (2023)

since joining NATO, the military has been in the process of modernizing by retiring its inventory of Soviet-era weapons and replacing them with Western equipment, including donated and secondhand purchases  (2023)

Terrorist group(s): Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)

note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix T

particulate matter emissions: 16.28 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions: 4.54 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions: 2.55 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal: 230 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial: 20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural: 550 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually: 1,142,964 tons (2015 est.)

total World Heritage Sites: 4 (2 cultural, 1 natural, 1 mixed)

selected World Heritage Site locales: Butrint (c); Historic Berat and Gjirokastër (c); Primeval Beech Forests (n); Lake Ohrid Region (m)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km)

fresh water lake(s): Lake Scutari (shared with Montenegro) - 400 sq km
note - largest lake in the Balkans

women married by age 15: 1.4%

women married by age 18: 11.8%

men married by age 18: 1.2% (2018 est.)

production: 9,000 metric tons (2020 est.)

consumption: 119,000 metric tons (2020 est.)

exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports: 110,000 metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves: 522 million metric tons (2019 est.)

fossil fuels: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

solar: 0.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

hydroelectricity: 99.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

production: 42.05 million cubic meters (2019 est.)

consumption: 42.05 million cubic meters (2019 est.)

exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

proven reserves: 5.692 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

total petroleum production: 16,100 bbl/day (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption: 26,400 bbl/day (2019 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate exports: 10,500 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves: 150 million barrels (2021 est.)

0.75 (2023 est.)

67.2% (2023 est.)

9.41% of GDP (2021 est.)
9.69% of GDP (2020 est.)
9.56% of GDP (2019 est.)

1.378 million (2021 est.)

total: 27.8% (2021 est.)

male: 28%

female: 27.6%

-3.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

total: 35.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 34.3 years

female: 37.2 years

$9.311 billion (2019 est.)
$9.547 billion (2018 est.)

8 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

$5.635 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
$4.817 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$3.764 billion (31 December 2019 est.)

41 km (2011) (on the Bojana River)

26,660 bbl/day (2015 est.)

84.06% of GDP (2020 est.)
75.7% of GDP (2019 est.)
64.57% of GDP (2018 est.)

1.55 children born/woman (2023 est.)

1.7% of GDP (2023 est.)
1.2% of GDP (2022)
1.2% of GDP (2021)
1.3% of GDP (2020)
1.5% of GDP (2019)

11.82% (2021 est.)
13.33% (2020 est.)
11.47% (2019 est.)

note: these official rates may not include those working at near-subsistence farming

3,101,621 (2023 est.)

-2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

total: 2.291 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 79% (2021 est.)

3.794 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from coal and metallurgical coke: 235,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids: 3.482 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from consumed natural gas: 78,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

total: 28,748 sq km

land: 27,398 sq km

water: 1,350 sq km

17.02% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

$40.822 billion (2021 est.)
$37.619 billion (2020 est.)
$38.976 billion (2019 est.)

note: data are in 2017 dollars

total: 3,581 km (2022)

3 (2024)

total: 10.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

male: 11.6 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 9.5 deaths/1,000 live births

total subscriptions: 2,635,466 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 92 (2021 est.)

30.8 (2019 est.)

2.04% (2021 est.)
1.62% (2020 est.)
1.41% (2019 est.)

3,250 bbl/day (2015 est.)

-$1.37 billion (2021 est.)
-$1.315 billion (2020 est.)
-$1.219 billion (2019 est.)

$14,500 (2021 est.)
$13,300 (2020 est.)
$13,700 (2019 est.)

note: data are in 2017 dollars

total: 508,937 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18 (2020 est.)

total: 22.4% (2020 est.)

male: 38.8% (2020 est.)

female: 6% (2020 est.)

21.7% (2016)

38.442 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

7.4 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

12.5 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

installed generating capacity: 2.531 million kW (2020 est.)

consumption: 6,527,980,000 kWh (2019 est.)

exports: 963 million kWh (2020 est.)

imports: 3.239 billion kWh (2020 est.)

transmission/distribution losses: 1.054 billion kWh (2019 est.)

total: 69 (2023)

by type: general cargo 46, oil tanker 1, other 22

1.5% (2017/18)

$8.004 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$5.671 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$6.926 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$5.612 billion (2021 est.)
$3.461 billion (2020 est.)
$4.822 billion (2019 est.)

note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.

total subscriptions: 177,152 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7 (2021 est.)

5,638 bbl/day (2015 est.)

total: 4.4 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer: 1.75 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine: 1.15 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits: 1.43 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols: 0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total population: 79.7 years (2023 est.)

male: 77 years

female: 82.6 years

8.52% (2021 est.)
-3.48% (2020 est.)
2.09% (2019 est.)

16% (2021 est.)

total: 424 km (2017)

2021-All the trains in the country suspended

agriculture: 21.7% (2017 est.)

industry: 24.2% (2017 est.)

services: 54.1% (2017 est.)

0.18% of GDP (2018 est.)

0.03% of GDP (2018 est.)

3.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

0.19% (2023 est.)