461 thousand Albanians at risk of poverty, living on about 27,000 lek per month!

Around 461,000 Albanians live at the brink of poverty, according to the latest data from the Institute of Statistics.

“In 2024, the at-risk-of-poverty rate in Albania is 19.2%, marking a decrease of 0.6 percentage points compared with the revised data for 2023. The poverty risk threshold for one person in 2024 is estimated at 324,336 lek per year, compared to 262,325 lek in 2023,” says INSTAT.

For an individual not to be considered poor, they must earn at least 27,000 lek per month — effectively the ‘minimum living standard’ for 2024. In 2023, this indicator was about 22,000 lek per month. Poverty in the country would be even higher if economic assistance or pensions were not available. The report notes that social benefits, such as old-age and family pensions, included in household income, help reduce the risk of poverty.

“In 2024, 36.7% of the population would be considered at risk of poverty if all social benefits (including old-age/family pensions) were excluded from disposable income,” INSTAT reports.

In 2024, the percentage of individuals at risk of poverty is lower in households without dependent children, compared with households that have children in their care. For these results, INSTAT states that 6,942 households responded, compared with 6,822 households that responded in 2023. Based on the survey responses, the report shows that the average income per capita in Albania is 51,122 lek per month, or 613,464 lek per year.

“KORÇA BOOM”