Compared to 2013

2026-07-23 19:19:00, Opinione Lutfi Dervishi

Illustrative photo

According to recent comparisons with the European Union average, in 2013 prices in Albania were around 68% of the European average. Today they are around 103.8%. Officially, we are no longer a free country.

For years, they have been showing us graphs of GDP growth, minimum wage, average wage, and pensions. All with arrows pointing upwards. The comparison is always made with 2013. And the numbers don't lie. But remember that Shkodra expression: "Blessed is what I hear, woe is what I see!"

The net minimum wage increased from about 19 thousand lek in 2013 to 35.5 thousand lek in 2025, or 87%. On paper, it looks like a respectable increase. In the shop, it's a different story.

Yes, there are products that have become less expensive than the minimum wage: sunflower oil (+33%), pork (+48%) and oranges (+74%). For them, the wage won the race.

But most staples moved much faster. Cheese increased 243%, eggs 192%, beans 150%, apples 146%, cucumbers 137%, pasta 132%, olive oil 122%, rice 112%, while beef doubled.

For a family that buys bread, milk, eggs, cheese and meat every week, the cost of living has increased faster than wages.

This picture is even stronger among pensioners. The average pension increased from 14 thousand to about 20 thousand lekë, only 43%. Compared to this pace, almost every basic product in the basket has become much more expensive. Cheese about six times faster, eggs and beans three to four times faster, while bread, milk, rice and pasta about two to three times faster.

There is also a figure that does not need a supermarket.

From 2020 to 2025, the average net salary of an MP increased by 126%. In the same period, the minimum net salary increased by 54%, the average pension by 28% and the minimum pension by only 18%.

So, while citizens anxiously watched the rising prices of bread, cheese, and eggs, those who vote on the state budget saw their salaries increase faster than any other group.

The economy may have grown on paper. Wages may have grown statistically. But for most people it's like filling a bucket with water when the bottom is cracked.

GDP is not eaten, graphs are not cooked, and the comparison with 2013 does not convince anyone who goes shopping every day./ CNA