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IOM: Albania, among the most at risk in Europe from emigration of reproductive-age women, the consequences

2026-05-06 07:19:00, Sociale CNA

IOM: Albania, among the most at risk in Europe from emigration of

Albania is among the European countries where emigration could further affect population decline, due to the departure of people of reproductive age, the International Organization for Migration estimates in the "World Migration Report 2026".

The report highlights that Europe has the largest number of countries that have experienced significant population declines during the period 2005-2024. According to the IOM, in some countries on the continent, population decline is mainly related to low fertility rates, while emigration has also contributed to this trend.

The report mentions Albania, along with Lithuania, Moldova, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as countries where fertility rates are already below replacement level.

"In countries such as Albania, Lithuania, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where fertility rates are already below replacement levels, the emigration of people of reproductive age could contribute to a further population decline, due to the number of births lost after leaving the country," the report says.

The report also notes that over the next three decades, some European countries, such as Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Lithuania, are expected to lose 20% or more of their population. For many European countries, immigration is expected to remain a key factor in population growth, mitigating the effects of aging and low fertility.

According to the report, there were an estimated 304 million international migrants in the world in 2024, or 3.7% of the global population. Despite the increase in the absolute number of migrants, the IOM emphasizes that the majority of people continue to live in the country of their birth.

Albanians are becoming European, 62% of immigrants under 35 years old

Other Eurostat data previously revealed that immigrants who have fled Albania are now becoming citizens of EU countries with full rights. In 2024, around 48.2 thousand Albanian citizens obtained citizenship in one of the European Union countries, according to Eurostat data.

Since 2010, around 632,000 Albanians have obtained a passport in one of the EU countries, while in the last decade alone 522,000 citizenships have been granted. (See chart: Citizenships granted to Albanian citizens by the EU). The highest level was in 2016 and 2016, with around 60-67,000 per year.

The figure of 522 thousand Albanians who have obtained EU citizenship in the last decade more or less coincides with the shrinking population in the country, which in the period between the two censuses of 2011-2023 decreased by about 420 thousand people, largely influenced by emigration, but also by the decline in the natural increase of the population, as a result of fewer births.

According to Eurostat, in the other indicator, that of the number of Albanian emigrants in EU countries, young people predominate; in 2024 alone, around 44 thousand Albanians emigrated to European Union countries.

In total, 62% of people who emigrated in 2024 were under 35. A significant, vital and experienced part of the labor market is also preferring to leave, with the 35-49 age group accounting for 20% of those who left.

Historical Eurostat data shows that there is a decrease in the age of immigration. For example, in 2019, the main age group that emigrated was between 30-34 years old, with 15.6% of the total.

Immigration has already had its effect on the decline in birth rates. Between 2015 and 2025, the number of children born in our country fell by 35%, reflecting not only people's desire to have fewer children, but a shrinking of the country's reproductive engine.

Official INSTAT data shows that between 2015 and 2025, the number of women in their reproductive prime, aged 20-34, fell by 32%. Entire regions have lost over half of their women of childbearing age in the last decade.

The young population of reproductive age shrank twice as fast as the general population, guaranteeing a sharp decline in births in the future.

Last year, 21,425 babies were born across the country, or 8% fewer than the previous year. The pace of decline has deepened after the pandemic by about 26% during 2021–2025. In the early 1990s, births were over 70 thousand, or over three times more./ Monitor.al