| variable | 1980-1989 | 1990-1999 | 2000-2007 | 2008-2009 | 2010-2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| real gdp growth | 1.34 | 1.95 | 6.09 | 3.55 | 1.86 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.2 |
| CPI % | -0.2 | 44.4 | 3.09 | 2.9 | 1.91 | 4.8 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 3.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.24 | 16.91 | 14.5 | 13.9 | 14.23 | 9.5 | 8.8 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| Debt/GDP % | - | 68.85 | 58.25 | 58.7 | 69.33 | 58.0 | 54.5 | 52.6 | 51.5 | 50.7 |
| Current account balance/GDP % | -1.45 | -6.17 | -9.05 | -13.35 | -8.97 | -1.2 | -2.4 | -2.0 | -2.8 | -3.4 |
Data derived from World Economic Outlook Database. To see main macroeconomic indicator in graphs click here
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.
Area: 28,748 sq km km2
Climate: mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower, arable land
Groups: Albanian 82.6%, Greek 0.9%, other 1% (including Vlach, Romani, Macedonian, Montenegrin, and Egyptian), unspecified 15.5% (2011 est.)
Languages: 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.)
Religions: 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.)
Capital: Tirana (Tirane)
Government type: parliamentary republic
Chief of state: President Bajram BEGAJ (since 24 July 2022)
Head of government: Prime Minister Edi RAMA (since 10 September 2013)
Description: Albanian Parliament - unicameral
upper-middle-income Balkan economy; EU accession candidate; growth bolstered by tourism, agriculture, mining, construction, and private consumption; fiscal consolidation through revenue collection and tax compliance enhancements to address public debt; challenges include weak governance, corruption, and high emigration rates
food; footwear, apparel and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower
GDP by sector: Agriculture: 15.5% (2024 est.), Industry: 22.4% (2024 est.), Services: 48.9% (2024 est.)
Export partners: Italy 41%, Greece 10%, Germany 5%, Spain 5%, Serbia 4% (2023)
Export commodities: garments, footwear, electricity, crude petroleum, iron alloys (2023)
Import partners: Italy 22%, China 11%, Turkey 9%, Germany 7%, Greece 6% (2023)
Import commodities: cars, refined petroleum, garments, packaged medicine, iron bars (2023)
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece to the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north
Military expenditure: 2025: 2% of GDP (2025 est.)
Information derived from worldfactbook.io (Lupon Media), open successor to the CIA World Factbook. Data sourced from World Bank, IMF, UN and other international organizations.