Fuel consumption at North Macedonia’s borders triples / 200 thousand liters per day bought by Albanians

According to official data from the North Macedonian government, obtained by “Monitor” through correspondent journalists, the daily consumption of all types of fuel has increased to 2 million liters.

This figure has also been confirmed by the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, in public statements.

Out of the total consumption, 10% is attributed to foreign citizens, mainly from Albania and Greece, according to official data. This means that around 200 thousand liters of fuel per day are consumed by foreigners. Daily consumption has recently increased from 1.5 million liters to 2 million liters, according to official sources.

According to confirmed information, daily consumption at fuel stations near the northern, southern, and western borders has tripled. These include border points near the customs areas of Debar and Prespa.

On Friday, one liter of diesel was sold in North Macedonia at 1.52 euros. In Albania, diesel is sold at 202 lekë, or about 2.1 euros, nearly 40% more than in the neighboring country.

Gasoline in North Macedonia is sold at 1.3 to 1.34 euros, while in Albania it is sold at 176 lekë, or about 1.8 euros.

Even before the start of the crisis, many Albanian vehicles were fueling in North Macedonia. In February, one liter of diesel in North Macedonia was sold at 1.1–1.2 euros, while in Albania it was 165–175 lekë (1.7–1.8 euros).

After the sharp rise in prices, the trend has intensified. This was also confirmed to Monitor by Albanian fuel traders.

Following the increase in fuel prices on international markets, the North Macedonian government intervened quickly to prevent a sharp rise in diesel prices. Three weeks after the official start of military actions in the Middle East, on March 22, the government made its first decision to intervene in fuel prices.

Specifically, VAT was reduced from 18% to 10%, and an energy crisis was declared to create legal opportunities for releasing fuel oil from state reserves.

On April 5, 2026, the government made a second decision: the VAT reduction remains in force until the end of the crisis, while excise taxes were also reduced, by 0.06 euro cents per liter for diesel and 0.03 euro cents for gasoline. According to Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, North Macedonia remains the country with the lowest fuel prices in the region.

Albania has taken only one measure to reduce excise by 20% if the price exceeds 220 lekë per liter, which was applied for only 5 days in March. The Fuel Transparency Board has also been reactivated, but the total price savings based on its formula (purchase cost plus taxes and a margin for traders) do not exceed five lekë per liter.

According to data from the Ministry of Finance and Customs, annual fuel consumption in Albania is around 740 thousand tons per year, or about 2,000 tons per day (which, at the current price of 214 lekë per liter, translates into consumption worth about 5.2 million euros per day).

The Hydrocarbon Association estimates that around 300–500 tons of diesel per day are purchased by Albanian customers near border areas. In addition, another lost consumption of 120–300 tons per day is attributed to foreign citizens who would potentially buy in Albania but instead refuel at border entry and exit points.

Data suggests that fuel purchases in neighboring countries account for approximately 15–25% of total domestic consumption. Besides North Macedonia, Montenegro is another country where fuel purchases are high, as well as Kosovo, although diesel prices there have recently increased, they still remain 20–30% cheaper than in Albania (1.75 euros/liter in Montenegro and 1.8 euros in Kosovo).

“KORÇA BOOM”