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Albania must convince those who have left to return, to escape the "trap" of middle-income countries, but also to entice professionals to bring to Albania the knowledge they have acquired in the countries where they live. The "hand has long been extended" to the Albanian diaspora, which is almost as large as the population living within the country.
INSTAT reports 2.2 million Albanians scattered throughout the world, but mainly on the European continent. While Albania is aging, with an average age that has exceeded 42 years, the diaspora is younger, economically active and with high potential to contribute to the labor markets of the host countries. Nearly 18% of Albanians living abroad are up to 14 years old, 77% belong to the age group of 15-64 years old and only 5% are over 65 years old.
Among the main factors of Albanian emigration, those of an economic nature predominate, such as unemployment and poverty, but also other factors related to health services, family reunification or professional opportunities.
Emigration is translating into a huge burden on the economy, effects that have been felt for years now. Businesses are lacking employees, the economy is lacking consumption and sufficient contributions to the pension scheme, labor costs have increased and productivity has decreased.
The only positive economic effect is remittances, which are only increasing. From 2010 to the end of last year, emigrants brought 11.7 billion euros to Albania, of which in the last decade alone, 2015-2025, remittances are estimated at 8.2 billion euros, making a significant contribution to reducing poverty in the country.
Countries with large Albanian populations include Italy, Greece, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. It was Albanians living primarily in these countries who voted by the tens of thousands in the 2025 general parliamentary elections in Albania. Around 200,000 people participated in the elections, a satisfactory figure at a time when voting from abroad was being implemented for the first time.
The Diaspora Summit that starts this Monday aims precisely to reintroduce the country to those who have left, as an invitation to return to work, invest and live in Albania. / A2 Television
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