Demographic features of the population of Albania include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects. The demography of Albania is monitored by the Institute of Statistics of Albania. The institute has performed demographic censuses since the 1920s. The latest census in Albania was performed in September 2023.

Albania is a fairly ethnically and linguistically homogeneous country, with ethnic Albanians forming 91% of the total population in the country. The total population residing in Albania in September 2023 was 2,402,113 according to the most recent INSTAT census.

The first official population statistic for Albania was the 1923 census, when the country had a total of 823,000 inhabitants. Previous censuses were carried out by the Ottoman Empire, but have not been made public. A shift in administrative borders in 1913 make comparison of various periods more complicated. Maddison from 2001, estimates that in Albania about 200,000 people lived up to the year 1600, and that the population grew to 300,000 by 1700, implying an annual average growth rate of 0.4% in that period. However, population growth accelerated from the declaration of independence in 1912 to 1944 to 0.7% per year. After the Second World War, population growth policies pursued by the communist government and a large life expectancy fueled a 2.5% annual increase for the following 45 years. Albania consistently had the highest birth rate and one of the lowest death rates in Europe at the time. This prolonged growth strained economic resources in a Malthusian fashion, contributing to the collapse of the communist regime and the emigration of about 20 to 25 percent of the population in the following two decades. Albania experienced a demographic transition starting from 1960s, when crude birth rates began a slow decline, despite a government policy that called for a population increase. After the 1990s, the population showed an average decline of about 0.3% per year, caused by emigration. In the 2001 Census, the population declined to 3,023,000 from almost 3,300,000 million in 1990.

The permanent population of Albania at the 2023 census had decreased by 420,000 people compared to the 2011 census. The population density in 2023 was 84 inhabitants per square kilometre. The overall life expectancy in Albania at birth was 80.6 years in 2024. In 2011, for the first time in the history of population censuses in Albania, the population in urban areas (53.7%) was larger than the population of rural areas (46.3%).

The Albanian language is the official language, but minority languages are officially used in some local government units. Albanian is declared as the native language by 98.76% of the population. Albanians are amongst the most monolingual people in Europe, with 59.9% of inhabitants only speaking one language. Commonly spoken second languages include Italian, Greek (concentrated in the south) and English, the latter of which is increasing, particularly amongst the youth.

According to the 2023 census, the main religions of Albania are Islam (50.67%), Christianity (16%); of which Roman Catholicism (8.38%), Eastern Orthodoxy (7.22%) and Evangelicism (0.4%), Believers without denomination (13.83%), Atheists (3.55%) and other religions (0.15%) . Additionally, 10.17% of respondents preferred not to answer.

The main ethnic groups in Albania are Albanians (91%), Greeks (1%), Egyptians (0.5%), Romani people (0.4%), Bulgarians (0.3%), as well as Bosniaks, Aromanians, Macedonians, Serbs and Montenegrins.

Albania has a high Human Development Index of 0.810, ranking 71st in the world in 2023. In 2016, Albania had a total population of 2,786,026, 1,361,326 being males and 1,424,700 females. 42,922 inhabitants have left Albania and in the same year the number of immigrants in the country was 25,846.

Population

With an estimated population of 2.36 million in 2025, Albania ranks 142nd in the world by population. The population density is 101 inhabitants per square kilometre. The life expectancy at birth in 2024 was 80 years. The total fertility rate is 1.21 children per mother, the third lowest in Europe after Malta and Spain. There were 23,617 births and 21,286 deaths in Albania in 2023, a positive natural population increase as the number of births exceeded the number of deaths by 2,331. In 2025, the total dependency ratio of population in Albania is 57.1% and the median age is 44.3 years old.

In 2001, the number of households amounted to 726,895.Albania: 2001 population census , official web site. Retrieved on 19 June 2009 The age structure was under 6 years by 10.8% and 65 years and older by 7.5%. However, the sex ratio amounted to 49.9% males and 50.1% females of the total population. In 2011, the total population was 2,831,741. The comparison of the figures shows that the population has decreased by 7.7% in about ten years. Large scale emigration and fertility decline are supposed to be the main causes of the observed population decrease. A preliminary estimate of the number of persons that refused to participate in the census is 29,355 (1.04%). This figure is based on the number of dwellings for which a refusal was recorded and is included in the total population. The total population is composed of 1,421,810 males (50.2%) and 1,409,931 females (49.8%). For the first time in the history of population censuses in the nation, the population in urban areas is larger than the population of rural areas. According to 2011 census preliminary results, 53.7 percent of the population lives in urban areas and 46.3 percent in rural areas.

The 2011 census is regarded as unreliable and inaccurate by the Council of Europe, showing incompatibility with the protection of national minorities. Also, the World Council of Churches sent letters to the United Nations Human Rights Council regarding the matter, having conducted their own questionnaire which showed major irregularities. It was the first census to include ethnicity, was struck by controversy since according to article 20 of the Census law, there is a $1,000 fine for anyone who declares anything other than what was written down on the individual's birth certificate. Some of the minorities, mainly the Greeks, boycotted the census. In 2024, the religious affiliation in Albania was 36.5% Muslims, 33.8% Irreligious believers, 8% Orthodox Christians, 7.9% Catholics, 7.2% Atheists and Agnostics, 5.2% Bektashi and 1.2% Protestants.

Tirana County is the area with the highest population of 811,649 in the country. Fier County remains the population with the second highest population with a total of 312,488. The Counties with the lowest result are Gjirokastër, Kukës and Dibër respectively with 70,331, 84,035 and 134,153 inhabitants. About 53.4% of Albania's population live in cities. The three largest counties account for half of the population.

Almost 53.4% of the population of Albania living in cities. According to the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), the three largest counties account for half of the population. Over 1 million people live in Tirana and Durrës, making it the largest urban area in Albania. The area of the capital Tirana, is one of largest cities in the Balkan Peninsula and ranks 7th with a population about 800,000. The second largest is the port city of Durrës, with a population of 201.110, followed by Vlorë, the largest city in southern Albania, with 141.513 inhabitants. The Institute of Statistics forecast that the population may even increase by less than a fifth from 763.560 by 2011 to 909.252 by 2031, depending on the actual birth rate and the level of net migration.

Population censuses in 1923–2023 + Date TotalpopulationB.R. Mitchell. European historical statistics, 1750–1975. Change (%) Males Females Populationdensity Urbanpopulation 1923 803,959 1930 1,003,097 1940 1,084,159 +8.1 1945 1,122,044 +3.5% 570,361 551,683 39 1950 1,218,943 +8.6% 625,935 593,008 42 20.5% 1955 1,391,499 +14.1% 713,316 678,183 48 27.5% 1960 1,626,315 +16.9% 835,294 791,021 57 30.9% 1969 2,068,200 +27.2% 72 31.5% 1979 2,590,600 +25.3% 1,337,400 1,253,200 90 33.5% 1989 3,182,417 +22.9% 1,638,100 1,544,300 111 35.5% 2001 3,069,275 -3.6% 1,530,443 1,538,832 107 42.1% 2011 2,831,741 -7.7% 1,421,810 1,409,931 99 53.7%20232,402,113 -14.8%1,190,4481,211,66584

Population by Qark/County

+Historical population by Qark/County in Albania (INSTAT)Qark/County Population Change (1989–2023) 1989 2023 Number % Berat 222,901 140,956 −81,945 −36% Dibër 226,324 107,178 −119,146 −52% Durrës 218,530 226,863 +8,333 +3% Elbasan 357,497 232,580 −124,917 −35% Fier 379,342 240,377 −138,965 −36% Gjirokastër 155,998 60,013 −95,985 −61% Korçë 311,448 173,091 −138,357 −44% Kukës 146,081 61,998 −84,083 −57% Lezhë 165,254 99,384 −65,870 −39% Shkodër 285,258 154,479 −130,779 −45% Tiranë 449,228 758,513 +309,285 +68% Vlorë 264,556 146,681 −117,875 −44%

Total fertility rate by counties Before 1934 Years 192519261927192819291930193119321933Total Fertility Rate in Albania4.604.424.254.073.893.723.543.363.57

By counties

+ 2018 dataCountyTFRAlbania 1.37Berat 1.42Dibër 2.14Durrës 1.44Elbasan 1.60Fier 1.31Gjirokastër 1.30Korçë 1.10Kukës 2.10Lezhë 1.63Shkodër 1.32Tiranë 1.29Vlorë 1.00

Vital statistics

Before WWII AveragepopulationTotal numbersRates per 1000TotalfertilityrateLive birthsDeathsNaturalchangeCrude birthrateCrude deathrateNaturalchange19341,010,00033,88414,44019,44434.716.718.03.7819351,012,00032,64013,37319,26733.117.016.13.9819361,014,00034,19916,78817,41133.716.617.14.1919371,030,00034,82920,03614,79333.819.514.34.4019381,048,00036,13818,51217,62634.317.716.64.6119391,070,00029,59716,01313,58427.915.012.93.7519401,088,00033,65117,81215,83931.316.414.94.2119411,100,00030,62718,23412,39328.016.611.43.7719421,117,00036,68315,89920,78432.814.218.64.43

After WWII

Source: Institute of Statistics (INSTAT)