INSTAT Report: Korça records the steepest decline with -394 residents, followed by Maliq with -101 and Pogradec with -85

43 municipalities out of a total of 61 had a negative natural increase in 2023, as in each of them more people died than were born, INSTAT reported.

The number of municipalities in this group has expanded further in 2024 due to the nationwide decline in births, but there is still no detailed data.

Mostly the municipalities in the south of the country have a negative natural increase because the aging population is causing higher mortality.

According to INSTAT data, Korça shows the sharpest decline, with -394 residents, followed by Vlora with -182, Shkodra with -152, and Kuçova with -146. The reasons are linked to an aging population, high emigration and declining birth rates, especially in the urban centers of the south and north that once had strong industrial bases.

A continuous decline was also recorded in municipalities such as Fier with -128, Lushnja with -124, Maliq with -101, Pogradec with -85 and Gjirokastra with -74, which once were densely populated areas.

On the other hand, some small municipalities such as Klos (+4), Divjaka (+9), Saranda (+22) and Bulqiza (+47) showed stability or slight growth, reflecting the impact of tourism and traditional norms.

Meanwhile, Tirana stands at the top with a positive natural increase of 2,880 residents in 2023, being the only municipality with significant demographic growth.

This shows the concentration of births and internal migration toward the capital, which remains the epicenter of the economy, education and employment in the country.

After it come Kamza with a natural increase of +640, Durrës with +386, Kruja with +231 and Kukës with +221, which show moderate growth also due to the preservation of the tradition of large families.

The natural population increase in Albania remains deeply negative in most of the territory. The growth of Tirana and some municipalities around it is happening in parallel with the depopulation of the rest of the country, signaling an increasingly concentrated distribution of human and economic resources in a few urban centers.

In 10 municipalities, in 7 of them the population is shrinking due to aging and low birth rates. The main cause is the emigration of young people, which removes reproductive age groups from rural areas and small towns.

At the same time, population aging increases the number of deaths and reduces births. Economic conditions and the lack of services push couples to have fewer children or move to Tirana and some large cities.

In the long term, this process brings serious consequences, such as the closure of schools, lack of labor force, decline in local consumption and difficulties in providing public services.

“KORÇA BOOM”