Background: Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939 and occupied by Germany in 1943. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of isolated communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents.

Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N, 20 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 28,748 km²
Land: 27,398 km²
Water: 1350 km²
Rank: 144
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries
Total: 691 km
Border countries: (4) Greece 212 km; , Kosovo 112 km; , Macedonia 181 km; , Montenegro 186 km

Coastline: 362 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter

Terrain: mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast

Elevation
Mean elevation: 708 m
Lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
Highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower, arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 43.1% (2016 est.)
Forest: 28.12% (2016 est.)
Other: 28.75% (2016 est.)

Irrigated land: 3,537 km² (2014)

Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought

Geography
Note: strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)

Population
Distribution: a fairly even distribution, with somewhat higher concentrations of people in the western and central parts of the country: 3,074,579 (July 2020 est.)
Rank: 136
Growth rate: 0.28% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 172
Below poverty line: 14.3% (2012 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Albanian(s)
Adjective: Albanian

Ethnic groups: Albanian 82.6%, Greek 0.9%, other 1% (including Vlach, Romani, Macedonian, Montenegrin, and Egyptian), unspecified 15.5% (2011 est.)
Note: data represent population by ethnic and cultural affiliation

Languages: Albanian 98.8% (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek 0.5%, other 0.6% (including Macedonian, Romani, Vlach, Turkish, Italian, and Serbo-Croatian), unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)

Religions: Muslim 56.7%, Roman Catholic 10%, Orthodox 6.8%, atheist 2.5%, Bektashi (a Sufi order) 2.1%, other 5.7%, unspecified 16.2% (2011 est.)
Note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice

Age structure
0-14 years: 17.6% (male 284,636/female 256,474)
15-24 years: 15.39% (male 246,931/female 226,318)
25-54 years: 42.04% (male 622,100/female 670,307)
55-64 years: 11.94% (male 178,419/female 188,783)
65 years and over: 13.03% (male 186,335/female 214,276) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 46.9
Youth dependency ratio: 25.3
Elderly dependency ratio: 21.6
Potential support ratio: 4.6 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 34.3 years
Male: 32.9 years
Female: 35.7 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 91

Population growth rate: 0.28% (2020 est.)
Rank: 172

Birth rate: 13 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 142

Death rate: 7.1 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 120

Net migration rate: -3.3 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 178

Population distribution: a fairly even distribution, with somewhat higher concentrations of people in the western and central parts of the country

Urbanization
Urban population: 62.1% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 1.69% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 494,000 TIRANA (capital) (2020)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents; air pollution from industrial and power plants; loss of biodiversity due to lack of resources for sound environmental management
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 24.8 years (2017/18 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 10.8 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 12.1 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 9.5 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 124

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 79 years
Male: 76.3 years
Female: 81.9 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 61

Total fertility rate: 1.53 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 196

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 46% (2017/18)

Drinking water source
Urban: 4.7% of population
Rural: 4.7% of population
Total: 3.8% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 6.7% (2016)

Physicians density: 1.22 physicians/1000 population (2016)

Hospital bed density: 2.9 beds/1000 population (2013)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0.5% of population
Total: 0.2% of population (2017 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate note: <.1 (2019 est.)
People living with hivaids: 1400 (2019 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 139
Deaths note: <100 (2019 est.)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 21.7% (2016)
Rank: 85

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 1.5% (2017)
Rank: 120

Education expenditures: 3.6% of GDP (2017)
Rank: 108

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98.1%
Male: 98.5%
Female: 97.8% (2018)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 15 years
Male: 14 years
Female: 16 years (2019)

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Albania
Conventional short form: Albania
Local long form: Republika e Shqiperise
Local short form: Shqiperia
Former: Peoples Socialist Republic of Albania
Etymology: the English-language country name seems to be derived from the ancient Illyrian tribe of the Albani; the native name Shqiperia is derived from the Albanian word Shqiponje (Eagle) and is popularly interpreted to mean Land of the Eagles

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Tirana (Tirane)
Geographic coordinates: 41 19 N, 19 49 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October: etymology: the name Tirana first appears in a 1418 Venetian document; the origin of the name is unclear, but may derive from Tirkan Fortress, whose ruins survive on the slopes of Dajti mountain and which overlooks the city

Administrative divisions: 12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Berat, Diber, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Korce, Kukes, Lezhe, Shkoder, Tirane, Vlore

Independence: 28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday: Independence Day, 28 November (1912), also known as Flag Day

Constitution
History: several previous; latest approved by the Assembly 21 October 1998, adopted by referendum 22 November 1998, promulgated 28 November 1998
Amendments: proposed by at least one-fifth of the Assembly membership; passage requires at least a two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly; referendum required only if approved by two-thirds of the Assembly; amendments approved by referendum effective upon declaration by the president of the republic; amended several times, last in 2016

Legal system: civil law system except in the northern rural areas where customary law known as the 'Code of Leke' is still present

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Albania
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President of the Republic Ilir META (since 24 July 2017)
Head of government: Prime Minister Edi RAMA (since 10 September 2013); Deputy Prime Minister Senida MESI (since 13 September 2017)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, nominated by the president, and approved by the Assembly
Electionsappointments: president indirectly elected by the Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); a candidate needs three-fifths majority vote of the Assembly in 1 of 3 rounds or a simple majority in 2 additional rounds to become president; election last held in 4 rounds on 19, 20, 27, and 28 April 2017 (next election to be held in 2022); prime minister appointed by the president on the proposal of the majority party or coalition of parties in the Assembly
Election results: Ilir META elected president; Assembly vote - 87 - 2 in fourth round

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 25 June 2017 (next to be held on 25 April 2021)
Election results: percent of vote by party - PS 48.3%, PD 28.9%, LSI 14.3%, PDIU 4.8%, PSD 1%, other 2.7%; seats by party - PS 74, PD 43, LSI 19, PDIU 3, PSD 1; composition - men 108, women 32, percent of women 22.9%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of 19 judges, including the chief justice); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges, including the chairman)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the High Judicial Council with the consent of the president to serve single 9-year terms; Supreme Court chairman is elected for a single 3-year term by the court members; appointments of Constitutional Court judges are rotated among the president, Parliament, and Supreme Court from a list of pre-qualified candidates (each institution selects 3 judges), to serve single 9-year terms; candidates are pre-qualified by a randomly selected body of experienced judges and prosecutors; Constitutional Court chairman is elected by the court members for a single, renewable 3-year term
Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; specialized courts: Court for Corruption and Organized Crime, Appeals Court for Corruption and Organized Crime (responsible for corruption, organized crime, and crimes of high officials)

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party or PD [Lulzim BASHA]Party for Justice, Integration and Unity or PDIU [Shpetim IDRIZI] (formerly part of APMI)Social Democratic Party or PSD [Paskal MILO]Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI [Monika KRYEMADHI]Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA]

International organization participation: BSEC, CD, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EITI (compliant country), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Yuri KIM (since 27 January 2020)
In the us chancery: 2,100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 223-4,942
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 628-7,342
In the us consulate: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge dAffaires Leyla MOSES-ONES (since August 2018)
From the us telephone: [355] (4) 2,247-285
From the us embassy: Rruga e Elbasanit, 103, Tirana
From the us mailing address: US Department of State, 9,510 Tirana Place, Dulles, VA 20,189-9,510
From the us FAX: [355] (4) 2,232-222

Flag description: red with a black two-headed eagle in the center; the design is claimed to be that of 15th-century hero Georgi Kastrioti SKANDERBEG, who led a successful uprising against the Ottoman Turks that resulted in a short-lived independence for some Albanian regions (1443-78); an unsubstantiated explanation for the eagle symbol is the tradition that Albanians see themselves as descendants of the eagle; they refer to themselves as 'Shqiptare,' which translates as 'sons of the eagle'

National symbols: black double-headed eagle; national colors: red, black

National anthem
Name: Hymni i Flamurit (Hymn to the Flag)
Lyricsmusic: Aleksander Stavre DRENOVA/Ciprian PORUMBESCU
Note: adopted 1912

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 125

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2010 dollars
Rank: 156

Gross national saving:
Rank: 130

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 78.1% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 11.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 25.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.2% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 31.5% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -46.6% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 21.7% (2017 est.)
Industry: 24.2% (2017 est.)
Services: 54.1% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, olives and olive oil, grapes; meat, dairy products; sheep and goats

Industries: food; footwear, apparel and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower

Industrial production growth rate: 6.8% (2017 est.)
Rank: 31

Labor force: 1.104 million (2020 est.)
Rank: 139
By occupation agriculture: 41.4%
By occupation industry: 18.3%
By occupation services: 40.3% (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Note: these official rates may not include those working at near-subsistence farming
Rank: 96

Population below poverty line: 14.3% (2012 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 4.1%
Highest 10: 19.6% (2015 est.)

Budget
Revenues: 3.614 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 3.874 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 103

Taxes and other revenues: 27.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 99

Public debt:
Rank: 45

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 80

Current account balance:
Rank: 142

Exports:
Rank: 164
Partners: Italy 53.4%, Kosovo 7.7%, Spain 5.6%, Greece 4.2% (2017)
Commodities: apparel and clothing, footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; cement and construction materials, vegetables, fruits, tobacco

Imports:
Rank: 144
Commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals
Partners: Italy 28.5%, Turkey 8.1%, Germany 8%, Greece 8%, China 7.9%, Serbia 4% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 103

Debt external:
Rank: 114

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2020)
Production: 7.138 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 111
Consumption: 5.11 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 122
Exports: 1.869 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 46
Imports: 1.827 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 58
Installed generating capacity: 2.109 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 112
Generation sources fossil fuels: 5% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 201
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 33
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 95% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 5
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 172

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 14,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 73
Crude oil exports: 17,290 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 51
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 85
Crude oil proven reserves: 168.3 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 59

Refined petroleum
Products production: 5,638 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 103
Products consumption: 29,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 120
Products exports: 3,250 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 98
Products imports: 26,660 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 103

Natural gas
Production: 50.97 million m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 86
Consumption: 50.97 million m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 112
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 58
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 82
Proven reserves: 821.2 million m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 101

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 4.5 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 136

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 258,474
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 8.43 (2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 116
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 2,799,066
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 91.29 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 144

Broadcast media: Albania has more than 65 TV stations, including several that broadcast nationally; Albanian TV broadcasts are also available to Albanian-speaking populations in neighboring countries; many viewers have access to Italian and Greek TV broadcasts via terrestrial reception; Albania's TV stations have begun a government-mandated conversion from analog to digital broadcast; the government has pledged to provide analog-to-digital converters to low-income families affected by this decision; cable TV service is available; 2 public radio networks and roughly 78 private radio stations; several international broadcasters are available (2019)

Internet
Country code: .al
Users total: 2,196,613
Users percent of population: 71.85% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 119

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 361,947
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 12 (2018 est.)
Rank: 94

Military expenditures:
Rank: 91

Military and security forces: Land Forces Command, Navy Force Command (includes Coast Guard), Air Forces Command, Support Command, Training and Doctrination Command (2019)

Military service age and obligation: 19 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; 18 is the legal minimum age in case of general/partial compulsory mobilization (2012)

Terrorist groups:

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 5
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 303,137 (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: ZA (2016)

Airports: 3 (2020)
Rank: 190
With paved runways total: 3 (2020)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2017)

Pipelines: 498 km gas (a majority of the network is in disrepair and parts of it are missing), 249 km oil (2015)

Railways
Total: 677 km
Note: 1.435-m gauge (2015)
Standard gauge: 677 km
Rank: 103

Roadways
Total: 3,945 km (2018)
Rank: 156

Waterways: 41 km
Note: (on the Bojana River) (2011)
Rank: 103

Merchant marine
Total: 68
By type: general cargo 49, oil tanker 1, other 18 (2019)
Rank: 104

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore

Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 3,687 (2019)
Note: 11,365 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-November 2020)

Illicit drugs: active transshipment point for Southwest Asian opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and - to a lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe; significant source country for cannabis production; ethnic Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and expanding in Europe; vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional trafficking in narcotics, arms, contraband, and illegal aliens