Dozens of administrative units without children, how the South is fading away

2024-12-09 07:43:00, Sociale CNA

In the Frashër of Përmet administrative unit, when the 2023 census was conducted, there were less than two children in every 100 inhabitants. In Voskopoja, there were also only 2 children for every 100 inhabitants.

The detailed data of Cens 2023 announce that rural areas, mainly in the South of the country, will disappear in the not too distant future, due to the lack of children.

In the administrative units of Frashër, Voskopojë, Pogon, Aliko, Zagori, Mesopotan, Ngraçan, Dhiver, Qendër Leskovik, Odrie, Finiq, Livadhja, Çepan, Dropull i nijme, children under 14 years of age were less than 5% of the total population.

In 14 administrative units (out of 377 administrative units, which also include municipalities) the number of children aged 0-14 was less than 5 percent of the total population (see the chart below.

In 32 other administrative units, it can be seen that children 0-14 years of age accounted for 5-10 percent of the total population.

In 177 administrative units, children occupied 10-15% of the total population.

In 33 units, children aged 0-14 accounted for 15 to 20% of the total population, and in only 24 administrative units, children accounted for over 20-27 percent of the total population.

The former Municipality of Tërthores in Kukës is ranked as the administrative unit with the highest number of children in relation to the total population. Cens 2023 data showed that in this administrative unit 27 percent of residents were 14 years old.

The second is the administrative unit of Gjinaj, in Kukës, in which 26.1% of the residents were children, followed by the former Kolsh Municipality, in Kukës, where 25% of the residents were children.

The administrative units of Kukës lead for the still high ratios of children in relation to the population compared to other regions of the country. The administrative units, Zapod, Surroj, Fajze, Shtiqen, Arrën, Grykë Qajë, Ujmisht, Golaj, Krumë, Bicaj, Kalis are all part of the municipality of Kuka and have the highest number of children in relation to the population with over 21%, was ranked at the top of the administrative units for the young population. Even these units' births have dropped significantly during the transition, but still the birth rates are the highest in the country. On the other hand, these units also have the highest level of poverty in the country.

The Cens 2023 data on the demographic composition informs how public funds should be allocated, especially in education. While in the southern administrative units, the infrastructure for the elderly should be ready as soon as possible.

As the majority of the population in the country is aging, neither the local nor the central government is adapting social policies in relation to demographic developments. In the North, school dropout is increasing, due to the closure and concentration of schools, while in the South, thousands of elderly people suffering from some chronic diseases do not receive social care.

How the population is aging

In the 2011 census, the 0-14 age group accounted for 20.6 percent of the total population, while in the last year's census, 15.5%.

In 2011, 578.5 thousand young people under 14 years of age were counted, while in 2023 only 373.9 thousand, a 35% decrease.

The youth dependency ratio decreased to 24.0 percent from 30.4 percent estimated in the 2011 Census, and the elderly dependency ratio increased to 30.4 percent from 16.7 percent in 2011.

Analyzed at the district level, Kukësi and Gjirokastra hold opposite positions in terms of dependency ratios: Kukësi has the highest youth dependency ratio of 31.8 percent and the lowest elderly dependency ratio of 19.9 percent. .

Whereas, Gjirokastra has the lowest youth dependency ratio of 19.0 percent and the highest elderly dependency ratio (46.1 percent. The average age of the population is 42.5 years, from 35.3 years that was in the 2011 Census./ Monitor magazine