Facts about Albania

Facts about Albania

1. Traffic lights: In 1995, drivers in the city of Shkodra refused to pay a newly introduced traffic light tax because there were no traffic lights in the city

2. Yes and no: When Albanians nod, it means ‘no’ and when they shake their heads, it means ‘yes’ – i.e. the body language for yes and no is reversed in Albania (compared to most other countries)

3. Prohibition of religion: All mosques and churches in Albania were closed in 1967 and all religious ceremonies were banned. In November 1990, religious practices became legal in private matters

4. Bunkers: There are around 750,000 concrete bunkers scattered throughout Albania. Around 700,000 of these were built during the nearly 40-year regime of communist dictator Enver Hoxa (1944 – 1985) in preparation for an invasion that never came.

5. Mother Teresa: Although Mother Teresa was born in Skopje in 1910 (in present-day Macedonia), she is considered to be Albanian, as both her parents were Albanian. Tirana International Airport (the airport in Albania’s capital) is named after Mother Teresa

Fact: Enver Hoxha was an Albanian communist leader who banned religion during his 40-year regime
Attribution: Wikipedia.org

Fact: Enver Hoxha was in power in Albania for almost 40 years and banned all religion, which has left its mark on the country today; the unofficial national motto is: “the Albanian religion is Albanism”

 

6. Nobel Prizes: The only two Albanians to ever receive Nobel Prizes were Mother Teresa and Ferid Murad. Ferid Murad is half Albanian and half American, and won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1998

7. McDonald’s: Albania, Armenia and Vatican City are the only European countries without a McDonald’s

8. OL: Albania has never won an Olympic Games medal

9. Self-defense during an attack: King Zog of Albania (1928-1939) is the only national leader in recent history to have defended himself with a firearm during an assassination attempt

10. Independence: When the Treaty of London was signed on May 30, 1913, the First Balkan War ended and Albania was recognized as an independent state

Fact: There are many bunkers in Albania
Attribution: Les Haines + Dennis Jarvis + Starsap – Flickr.com

Fact: For almost 40 years, Albania was a very isolated country due to the communist dictatorship under Enver Hoxha. The country’s 750,000 bunkers are a relic of that era

Geographic facts

  • Location: Southeast Europe. Between Greece in the south and Montenegro and Kosovo in the north. Coastline facing the Adriatic and Ionian Seas
  • Country borders: Greece (282 km), Macedonia (151 km), Montenegro (172 km) and Kosovo (112 km)
  • Coastline: 362 km
  • Climate: Mild temperate. Cool, cloudy, rainy winters and warm, clear, dry summers. Inland areas are generally cooler and rainier than coastal areas
  • Landscape: Primarily mountainous landscape with hills. Small plains along the coast
  • Lowest point: 0 m (Adriatic Sea)
  • Highest point: 2,764 m (Maja e Korabit/Golem Korab)
  • Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber and hydropower
  • Largest city: Tirana
  • Capital city: Tirana
  • Total area (square kilometers): n/a
  • Land areas (km2): n/a
  • Urban areas (km2): n/a
  • Agricultural land (km2): n/a
  • Agricultural area (% of total area): n/a
  • Forest area (% of land area): n/a
  • Plant species (higher), endangered: n/a
  • CO2 emissions (metric tons per capita): n/a

Demographic facts

Population

  • Population density (people per km2 total area): 102,62 (2021)
  • Population of largest city: 520.059,00 (2023)
  • Population growth (annual %): -1,15 (2023)
  • Population, total: 2.745.972,00 (2023)
  • Population growth in urban areas (annual %): 64,60 (2023)
  • Population in urban areas (% of total population): 0,10 (2023)
  • Population in rural areas (% of total population): 35,40 (2023)
  • Population growth in rural areas (annual %): -3,39 (2023)
  • Etniske grupper: 82.6% Albanians, 0.9% Greeks, 1% others (incl. Vlachs, Roma [Gypsies], Macedonians, Montenegrins and Egyptians), 15.5% unspecified
  • Sprog: 98.8% Albanian (the official language), 0.5% Greek, 0.7% others (incl. Macedonian, Roma, Vlach, Turkish, Italian and Serbo-Croatian)
  • Religioner: 56.7% Muslim, 10% Roman Catholic, 6.8% Orthodox, 2.5% atheist, 2.1% Bektashi, 5.7% other, 16.2% unspecified
  • Net immigration: -8.000,00 (2023)

Birth and death rates

  • Fertility rate, total (births per woman): 1,38 (2022)
  • Birth rate, gross (per 1,000 inhabitants): 10,12 (2022)
  • Teenage mothers (% of women aged 15-19 who have had children or are pregnant): 3,50 (2018)
  • Death rate, gross (per 1,000 people): 11,19 (2022)
  • Life expectancy at birth, women (years): 79,47 (2022)
  • Life expectancy at birth, men (years): 74,50 (2022)
  • Life expectancy at birth, all (years): 76,83 (2022)
  • Mortality caused by traffic accidents (per 100,000 inhabitants): 11,70 (2019)
  • Mortality, women (per 1,000 adult women): 60,36 (2022)
  • Mortality, male (per 1,000 adult males): 118,03 (2022)
  • Suicide rate, women (per 100,000 women): 2,70 (2019)
  • Mortality, infant (per 1,000 live births): 8,40 (2022)

Work, income and education

  • Wage earners, total (% of total labor force): 47,18 (2022)
  • Income share of the highest 10%: 22,80 (2020)
  • Income share of the lowest 10%: 3,40 (2020)
  • Unemployment, total (% of total labor force): 11,47 (2019)
  • Labor force, total: 1.387.831,00 (2023)
  • Workforce with basic education (% of the workforce): 55,18 (2019)
  • Labor force with medium education (% of labor force): 62,60 (2019)
  • Number of poor cf. national poverty limits (% of the population): 22,00 (2020)
  • Proportion of the population with moderate or severe food insecurity (%): 30,20 (2021)
  • School enrolments, primary school (gross %): 93,71 (2023)
  • Youth unemployment, all young people (% of total labor force aged 15 - 24): 26,98 (2019)
  • Young people not in education, employment or training, total (% of all young people): 25,82 (2019)
  • Literacy/literacy, total adults (% of population over 15): 98,50 (2022)

    Spending

  • Household (and NPIS) consumption expenditure (US$): 36.181.450.029,48 (2023)
  • Electricity consumption (kWh per inhabitant): 2.309,37 (2014)
  • Inhabitants using the Internet (% of the population): 83,14 (2023)
  • Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people): 97,89 (2022)
  • Number of smokers, total (over 15 years): 22,40 (2020)
  • Alcohol consumption per capita (litres of pure alcohol, expected estimates, +15 years): 4,47 (2020)

Business and tourism

  • Employers, total (% of total labor force): 3,01 (2022)
  • New companies (number of registrations): 3.365,00 (2022)
  • New businesses (new registrations per 1,000 inhabitants aged 15 - 64): 1,80 (2022)
  • Listed companies, total: 272.982,81 (2022)
  • Business conditions (0 = lowest grade to 100 = highest grade): 423,00 (2009)
  • International tourism, number of arrivals: 2.658.000,00 (2020)
  • International tourism, number of departures: 2.907.000,00 (2020)
  • Railway lines (total route kilometers): 423,00 (2009)
  • Railways, number of passengers transported (million passenger-kilometres): 0,81 (2021)

Health

  • Hospital beds (per 1,000 inhabitants): 2,91 (2020)
  • Suicide rate, men (per 100,000 men): 5,90 (2019)
  • Nurses and midwives (per 1,000 inhabitants): 5,83 (2020)
  • Doctors (per 1,000 inhabitants): 1,88 (2020)
  • Prevalence of HIV, total (% of population aged 15 - 49): 131,75 (2022)

Facts Albania's economy

GDP and GNI

  • BNP (US$): 1,35 (2023)
  • GDP growth (annual %): 67,75 (2019)
  • GDP per capita (US$): 22.977.677.860,80 (2023)
  • GDP, KPP (US$): 3,44 (2023)
  • BNI (US$): 8.367,78 (2023)
  • GNI growth (annual %): 58.750.963.483,22 (2023)
  • Gross savings (% of GDP): 22.674.870.567,84 (2023)

Inflation, interest rates and consumer prices

  • Deposit rate (%): 9,14 (2021)
  • Lending rate (%): 6,73 (2022)
  • Inflation, consumer prices (annual %): 21,16 (2023)
  • Consumer Price Index (2010 = 100): 131,75 (2022)

Trade and production

  • Trade (% of GDP): 113,59 (2022)
  • Vareeksport (US$): 5,90 (2023)
  • Vareimport (US$): 1.355.650.143,57 (2023)
  • Food exports (% of merchandise exports): 8,77 (2022)
  • Food imports (% of goods imports): 11,66 (2022)
  • Food Production Index (2004 - 2006 = 100): 105,40 (2022)
  • Index of animal production (2004 - 2006 = 100): 18,80 (2019)

Industry

  • Industry (including construction), value added (% of GDP): 9,17 (2021)
  • Industry (including construction), value added (US$): 17,76 (2023)
  • Industry, value added (% of GDP): 6,35 (2023)
  • Industry, value added (US$): 83,74 (2022)

Military

  • Armed forces, total: 8.000,00 (2020)
  • Military expenditure (% of GDP): 4.324.000.000,00 (2023)
  • Military Expenditure (US$): 8.613.000.000,00 (2023)

Others

  • Current health expenditure (% of GDP): 9,14 (2021)
  • Labor tax and contribution (% of company profit): 4.861.195.290,38 (2023)
  • Development Assistance (ODA) received per capita (US$): 1,58 (2022)
  • Social contributions (% of income): 288.724.229,26 (2022)