Albania

Albania Economy

Albania's economy in numbers:

Nominal GDP of USD 23.0 billion in 2023.

Nominal GDP of USD 18.9 billion in 2022.

GDP per capita of USD 6,603 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

GDP per capita of USD 8,039 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

Average real GDP growth of 2.9% over the last decade.

Average real GDP growth of 2.7% over the last decade.

Share of the region's population
Share of the region's GDP

Economic structure:

In 2021, services accounted for 60% of overall GDP, manufacturing 6%, other industrial activity 16%, and agriculture 18%. Looking at GDP by expenditure, private consumption accounted for 75% of GDP in 2021, government consumption 12%, fixed investment 24%, and net exports -11%.

GDP by economic sector
GDP by type of expenditure

International trade:

In 2020, manufactured products made up 55% of total merchandise exports, mineral fuels 1%, food 14%, ores and metals 4% and agricultural raw materials 1%, with other categories accounting for 25% of the total. In the same period, manufactured products made up 62% of total merchandise imports, mineral fuels 7%, food 16%, ores and metals 1% and agricultural raw materials 1%, with other goods accounting for 13% of the total. Total exports were worth USD 2 billion in 2022, while total imports were USD 7 billion.

Key exports
Key imports
Key export partners
Key import partners

Economic growth:

The economy recorded average annual growth of 2.7% in the decade to 2022. To read more about GDP growth in Albania, go to our dedicated page.

Fiscal policy:

Albania's fiscal deficit averaged 3.6% of GDP in the decade to 2022. Find out more on our dedicated page.

Unemployment:

The unemployment rate averaged 13.7% in the decade to 2022. For more information on Albania's unemployment click here.

Inflation:

Inflation averaged 2.2% in the decade to 2022. Go to our Albania inflation page for extra insight.

Monetary Policy:

Albania's monetary policy rate ended 2022 at 2.75%, down from 4.00% a decade earlier. See our Albania monetary policy page for additional details.

Exchange Rate:

From end-2012 to end-2022 the lek weakened by 1.8% vs the U.S. dollar. For more info on the lek, click here.
The economy gained traction in the second quarter, expanding 4.0% in annual terms (Q1: +3.6% yoy). The acceleration was broad-based: Fixed investment and public and private spending growth all improved—the latter fueled by improved remittances inflows and lower inflation. Moreover, exports of goods and services rebounded. Turning to the third quarter, our panelists expect economic growth to have hovered around Q2’s level. Declining price pressures and laxer monetary policy likely bolstered private consumption. On the other hand, the external sector likely returned to the doldrums, as goods exports swung into contraction in the third quarter. Moreover, tourist arrivals grew at a notably weaker pace in July–August compared with the prior quarter.
Projections out to 2034.

49 indicators covered including both annual and quarterly frequencies.

Consensus Forecasts based on a panel of 11 expert analysts.

Want to get insight on the economic outlook for Albania in the coming years? FocusEconomics collects projections out to 2034 on 49 economic indicators for Albania from a panel of 11 analysts at the leading national, regional and global forecast institutions. These projections are then validated by our in-house team of economists and data analysts, and averaged to provide one Consensus Forecast you can rely on for each indicator. This means you avoid the risk of relying on out of date, biased or outlier forecasts. Our Consensus Forecasts can be visualized in whichever way best suits your needs, including via interactive online dashboards , direct data delivery and executive-style reports which combine analysts' projections with timely written analysis from our in-house team of economists on the latest developments in the Albania economy. To download a sample report on the Albania's economy, click here. To get in touch with our team for more information, fill in the form at the bottom of this page.

Albania Economic Data

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Population (million) 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8
GDP (USD bn) 15.6 15.2 18.0 19.0 23.5
GDP per capita (USD) 5,458 5,373 6,411 6,849 8,562
GDP (EUR bn) 13.9 13.4 15.2 18.1 21.8
GDP per capita (EUR) 4,876 4,712 5,422 6,510 7,920
GDP (ALL bn) 1,712 1,656 1,867 2,150 2,370
Economic Growth (Nominal GDP, ann. var. %) 3.1 -3.3 12.7 15.2 10.2
Economic Growth (GDP, ann. var. %) 2.1 -3.3 9.0 4.8 3.9
Private Consumption (ann. var. %) 3.2 -5.6 4.5 6.1 3.3
Government Consumption (ann. var. %) 9.1 4.4 1.4 2.3 4.9
Fixed Investment (ann. var. %) -2.2 -0.9 19.6 1.6 1.0
Exports (G&S, ann. var. %) 2.5 -27.7 52.1 17.0 9.5
Imports (G&S, ann. var. %) 2.5 -19.8 32.5 11.5 0.2
Retail Sales (ann. var. %) 3.1 -1.2 5.6 4.9 5.1
Unemployment (% of active population, aop) 11.6 11.7 11.6 11.0 10.7
Fiscal Balance (% of GDP) -1.8 -6.7 -4.6 -3.6 -1.3
Public Debt (% of GDP) 65.0 73.9 74.1 64.1 57.5
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, eop) 1.1 1.1 3.7 7.4 4.0
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, aop) 1.4 1.6 2.0 6.7 4.8
1-Week Repo Rate (%, eop) 1.00 0.50 0.50 2.75 3.25
Exchange Rate (ALL per USD, eop) 108.6 100.7 106.6 107.1 93.5
Exchange Rate (ALL per USD, aop) 109.9 108.6 103.5 113.0 100.6
Exchange Rate (ALL per EUR, eop) 122 123 121 114 103
Exchange Rate (ALL per EUR, aop) 123 124 122 119 109
Current Account Balance (EUR bn) -1.1 -1.2 -1.2 -1.1 -0.3
Current Account Balance (% of GDP) -7.8 -8.6 -7.7 -5.9 -1.2
Merchandise Trade Balance (EUR bn) -3.1 -3.0 -3.8 -4.3 -4.5
Merchandise Exports (EUR bn) 0.9 0.8 1.3 1.9 1.8
Merchandise Imports (EUR bn) 4.1 3.8 5.1 6.2 6.4
Merchandise Exports (ann. var. %) -8.1 -12.5 59.4 52.8 -5.0
Merchandise Imports (ann. var. %) 5.0 -6.8 34.9 21.7 2.8
Foreign Direct Investment (EUR bn) 1.1 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.5
International Reserves (EUR bn) 3.4 3.9 5.0 5.0 5.8
International Reserves (months of imports) 10.0 12.5 11.7 9.6 11.0
External Debt (EUR bn) 8.3 8.6 9.1 9.8 10.0
External Debt (% of GDP) 59.9 64.6 59.6 54.3 46.0

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