Page last modified 20 August 2023
4) Albania
Community
Area 28,748 square kilometres (land area 27,398 square kilometres)
Population, change on previous decade.
800,000 (1900)
1,003,068 (1930)
1,063,000 (1939)
1,120,522 (1946)
1,280,000 (1950)
1,626,315 (1960) +27.0%
2,140,000 (1970) +31.6%
2,681,000 (1980) +25.3%
3,281,000 (1990) +22.4%
3,121,000 (2000) -4.9%
2,940,000 (2010) -6.1%
2,838,000 (2020) -3.5%
Ethnicity, %
|
|
Albanian |
Greek |
Macedonian |
Romany |
|
1930 |
99.5 |
0.1 |
|
|
|
1980 |
93.1 |
0.6 |
0.5 |
2.4 |
|
1990 |
95.0 |
3.0 |
|
|
|
2000 |
91.7 |
2.3 |
|
|
|
2011 |
86.2 |
0.9 |
|
|
Religion, %. Albania was mainly Christian until the 16th/17th centuries, when most converted at least nominally to Islam. However many secretly retained their Christian beliefs. The practice of any religion was illegal in Albania between 1967 and 1990.
|
|
Christian Albanian Orthodox |
Christian R C |
Islam Sunni |
|
1900 |
29.0 |
8.0 |
63.0 |
|
1938 |
20.7 |
10.3 |
69.0 |
|
1950 |
20.0 |
10.0 |
70.0 |
|
2003 |
10.0 |
17.0 |
70.0 |
|
2011 |
7.0 |
10.0 |
58.9 |
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1950 |
|
38.0 (+24.0) |
145.0 |
14.0 |
38.9 |
7.0 |
20.5 |
|
1960 |
6.5 |
40.0 (+28.7) |
72.7 |
11.3 |
40.2 |
5.4 |
30.7 |
|
1970 |
4.9 |
32.0 (+24.0) |
68.0 |
8.0 |
40.9 |
5.2 |
31.7 |
|
1980 |
4.0 |
26.5 (+20.2) |
47.0 |
6.3 |
35.9 |
5.3 |
33.8 |
|
1990 |
3.2 |
25.0 (+19.0) |
36.0 |
6.0 |
32.7 |
5.5 |
36.4 |
|
2000 |
2.2 |
16.2 (+10.3) |
23.0 |
5.9 |
30.2 |
7.1 |
41.7 |
|
2010 |
1.5 |
13.0 (+7.2) |
11.9 |
6.8 |
22.5 |
10.7 |
52.2 |
|
2015 |
1.7 |
11.9 (+4.7) |
8.5 |
7.2 |
18.7 |
12.5 |
57.4 |
|
2017 |
1.6 |
11.9 (+4.4) |
8.0 |
7.5 |
18.0 |
|
59.4 |
|
2018 |
|
|
7.8 |
|
17.7 |
13.7 |
60.3 |
Life expectancy,
38.3 (1938)
55.0 (1950); 54.0(M), 56.0(F)
62.3 (1960); 61.3 (M), 63.2 (F)
66.9 (1970); 65.5 (M), 68.4 (F)
70.2 (1980); 68.5 (M), 72.0 (F)
72.0 (1990); 69.0 (M), 75.0 (F)
74.0 (2000); 71.2 (M), 77.0 (F)
76.7 (2010); 74.4 (M), 79.2 (F)
78.6 (2020); 77.0 (M), 80.3 (F)
Population of principal cities, 1,000s MA = Metropolitan Area
|
|
Durres1 |
Elbasan2 |
Shkoder |
TIRANA3 |
Vlore4 |
|
1700 |
|
2 |
|
4 |
|
|
1820 |
|
|
|
12 |
|
|
1930 |
9 |
14 |
29 |
12 |
9 |
|
1949 |
|
18 |
30 |
49 |
|
|
1955 |
|
|
|
108 |
|
|
1961 |
|
|
41 |
130 |
33 |
|
1967 |
53 |
39 |
50 |
165 |
50 |
|
1978 |
61 |
51 |
63 |
200 |
58 |
|
1990 |
85 |
83 |
82 |
248 |
75 |
|
2001 |
100 |
88 |
83 |
330 |
78 |
|
2003 |
209 MA |
227 MA |
185 MA |
556 MA |
149 MA |
|
2011 |
265 MA |
196 MA |
218 MA |
764 MA |
184 MA |
|
2017 |
|
|
|
862 MA |
|
1Durres was founded in 627 BC by the Greeks, who called it Epidamnos, meaning �rocky shore�, Durres was the capital of Albania from 1912 to 1921.
2Elbasan was known as Neokastron (New-Castle) to the Greeks, derived from the Turkish �Il-Basan� (The Fortress).
3Tirana was founded by the Turkish General Suleiman in 1614, and named after his home city, Tehran. Capital of Albania from 1920.
4Vlore was founded by the Greeks in the 6th century BC, as Aulon (�valley�); the city was also known as Valona.
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1966 |
|
|
300 |
|
|
1970 |
|
|
524 |
9.99 |
|
1975 |
|
|
545 |
6.97 |
|
1980 |
|
|
613 |
4.87 |
|
1985 |
1,965 |
0.05 |
665 |
3.64 |
|
1990 |
2,101 |
0.04 |
573 |
2.39 |
|
1995 |
2,420 |
0.03 |
745 |
2.48 |
|
2000 |
3,750 |
0.04 |
1,101 |
3.02 |
|
2005 |
8,400 |
0.06 |
2,700 |
6.09 |
|
2010 |
11,580 |
0.08 |
4,094 |
8.46 |
|
2015 |
11,391 |
0.06 |
3,954 |
7.03 |
|
2016 |
11,926 |
0.06 |
4,147 |
7.22 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP 1 |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1960 |
|
71.0 |
|
18.0 |
|
11.0 |
|
1970 |
|
66.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1980 |
|
61.0 |
51.1 |
25.7 |
14.8 |
18.4 |
|
1990 |
34.1 |
55.9 |
|
|
|
|
|
2000 |
25.3 |
|
|
18.9 |
55.7 |
|
|
2010 |
21.2 |
58.0 |
19.5 |
15.0 |
59.3 |
27.0 |
|
2014 |
|
41.8 |
|
11.4 |
|
46.8 |
|
2016 |
23.0 |
|
23.8 |
|
53.2 |
|
1The manufacturing sector shrank sharply following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990.
Communications
Language Albanian: Dialects, Gheg (northern), and Tosk (southern).� Official; Tosk.
Literacy In the 19th century� education in Albanian was prohibited by the Turkish administration, and literacy was barely above 0.0%.
46.0% (1950)
70.0% (1980)
75.0% (1986)
85.0% (1995)
98.7% (2000); 99.2% (M), 98.3% (F)
99.0% (2009); 99.3% (M), 98.4% (F)
Physical communications � roads, Ownership of private cars was banned until 1991
|
|
Roads (km) |
Surfaced (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
|
1938 |
|
2,213 |
|
|
|
|
1947 |
|
2,385 |
|
500 |
1,247 |
|
1960 |
|
2,700 |
|
1,900 |
3,400 |
|
1970 |
5,000 |
|
|
3,500 |
11,200 |
|
1990 |
17,000 |
2,900 |
|
70,000 |
|
|
2000 |
|
|
|
114,351 |
43,300 |
|
2002 |
18,000 |
7,000 |
220,000 |
|
|
|
2007 |
|
12,000 |
340,000 |
237,092 |
59,645 |
|
2010 |
|
|
419,000 |
|
|
|
2013 |
|
|
442,000 |
|
|
Railways;� Construction work on the first railway in Albania, from Durres to Elbasan, started in May 1940.� First line operating was from Durres to Pekinj, 42km, opened 7/11/1947. 2nd line, Durazzo to Tirana, opened 23/2/1949. Peking to Elbasan, 35km, opened 22/12/1950.
Plans for new rail links between Albania and Macedonia, Montenegro, were declared in 2003.
Length, kilometres
42 (1947)
105 (1950)
151 (1965)
215 (1972)
246 (1977)
300 (1986)
339 (2010)
677 (2015)
Electronic communications
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile 1 Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions2 |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1938 |
937 |
|
3,500 |
|
|
|
|
1950 |
|
|
9,000 |
|
|
|
|
1960 |
5,500 |
|
43,000 |
|
|
|
|
1965 |
13,991 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1967 |
|
|
104,873 |
1,200 |
|
|
|
1976 |
|
|
180,000 |
4,500 |
|
|
|
1980 |
27,300 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1983 |
|
|
210,000 |
20,500 |
|
|
|
1990 |
40,000 |
|
570,000 |
280,000 |
|
|
|
1996 |
|
2,300 |
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
2000 |
152,700 |
29,800 |
756,000 |
420,000 |
25,000 |
|
|
2002 |
|
|
|
|
|
12,000 |
|
2005 |
|
1,530,000 |
|
669,000 |
54,000 |
100,000 |
|
2010 |
|
|
|
|
|
1,300,000 |
|
2012 |
312,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2016 |
245,336 |
3,370,000 |
|
|
|
2,016,500 |
1First mobile service began 1996
2TV broadcasts began 1960
Tourism: Visitors to Albania,
30,000 (1990)
40,000 (1995)
342,908 (2001)
645,000 (2004)
747,837 (2008)
3.156,000 (2012)
4,131,000 (2015)