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9-month 2025, birth rate decline spreads across the country/ Annual decline 4.6%

2025-11-11 15:40:00, Sociale CNA

The natural population growth rate improved in the third quarter of 2025, thanks to a decline in the number of deaths, but births continue to decline.

The latest INSTAT data show that Albania is facing a continuous decline in births, which is no longer limited to remote or rural areas, but is spreading throughout the territory. Large urban centers, which once compensated for the demographic deficit of other regions, are showing signs of saturation and slowing down, while the interior and northern regions are emptying out.

In the first nine months of 2025, a total of 16,052 babies were born, a decrease of 4.6% compared to the same period last year.

Tirana remains the region with the highest number of births, but has recorded a slight contraction of 2.2% in the first nine months of 2025 compared to 2024. This decline, although more moderate than in the rest of the country, indicates a slowdown in the pace of natural increase even in the capital, which has traditionally been more attractive to young families due to employment and services. The high cost of living and the lack of economic stability are increasingly starting to affect urban families in Tirana.

On the other hand, Korça has recorded the strongest decline in births in the country, with -16.8% in the first nine months of 2025. This result is related to the continuous emigration of young people and the aging of the population, which has led to a structural decrease in fertility.

Elbasan and Fier also recorded significant declines, 6.3% and 6.7% respectively. In these regions, once with a broad industrial and agricultural base, the causes are related to economic difficulties and the lack of prospects for young people, encouraging migration towards Tirana or abroad.

Durrës, another important urban center, has suffered a 4% decrease, which shows that even areas with higher economic development are failing to maintain birth rates. Rising housing prices and job market uncertainty appear to be deterring young families from having children.

In Shkodra, births have fallen by 6.2%, reflecting a combination of mass emigration and the aging of the rural population.

Dibra, a region with traditionally high fertility, has experienced a decline of 11.3%, indicating further emptying of mountainous areas.

Meanwhile, Berat is among the few regions that has recorded a slight increase of 1.8%, perhaps as a result of the return of some families from emigration or local social support policies.

Vlora has marked a slight decrease of -2.6%, while Gjirokastra, Kukës and Lezha have had minimal changes, but with a general downward or stagnant trend./ Monitor.