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Eurostat: 24% of Albanian families do not pay bills and rent on time

2026-03-16 07:21:48, Sociale CNA

Around 24.2% of households in Albania are found to have arrears related to house rent, utility bills (energy, water, heating) or installment property purchases, according to Eurostat data for 2023.

This means that approximately one in four families has real difficulties in meeting their obligations related to apartment management on time.

This level is significantly higher than the European Union average, which in 2023 stands at around 9–10%, and positions Albania among the countries with high difficulties in meeting housing costs, after Greece, North Macedonia and Turkey. Compared to Eurozone countries, where the percentage of households with late payments is around 9.5%, the situation in Albania is more than twice as problematic.

This high percentage of families that cannot afford their household bills indicates that a significant portion of them are financially fragile, exposed to small economic shocks, price increases, loss of income, or unforeseen expenses.

In most Western European countries, such as Germany, France, the Netherlands or Austria, only 5–10% of households have arrears, which places Albania far from the European standard of financial affordability.

In the Western Balkans region, the situation is generally more problematic than in the EU, but Albania remains among the countries with the highest level of difficulties. At 24.2%, Albania has a percentage, higher than Serbia (17.9%), and closer to countries with strong financial pressure such as Turkey (26.3%).

Albania is positioned above the regional average and far from the EU, reflecting a combination of factors such as low incomes, relatively high living costs, and the lack of protective mechanisms for families.

Other detailed data from Eurostat show that Albania still has the lowest costs in rent prices and utility bills, but on the other hand there is a high percentage of families that are unable to pay these bills on time.

The situation may worsen in the coming years because house prices in Albania are rising faster than wages. Meanwhile, living costs are rising overall, making managing the bills that housing requires even more difficult. /Monitor