Census 2023, the 5 municipalities with the biggest population losses

2024-08-26 07:19:00, Aktualitet CNA

The municipalities of Shkodra, Elbasan, Durrës, Vlora and Fier have suffered the largest decrease in population in number with the data of the 2011 and 2023 census, on the other hand, the largest increase in population in number has the Municipality of Tirana, Dropulli, Himara and Saranda (see the chart below).

In percentage terms, the municipalities with the largest population decline between the two censuses are the Municipality of Selenica with 48%, Pustec with 43%, Puka with 44% and Rrogozhina with 43%, on the other hand, the population of Dropull Municipality has increased with 135%, Himara with 45% and Saranda with 11% and Tirana with 7.3%.

The population according to municipalities shows that Shkodra has suffered the biggest decrease in numbers. In the Municipality of Shkodra, in October 2023, 102,434 inhabitants were counted from 135,612 inhabitants in 2011. Shkodra is the capital of the North and one of the largest Albanian cities with importance in terms of culture, history and geographical position.

Also, the Municipality of Shkodra is one of the richest in natural resources and with high development potential. But all these advantages were not enough for the residents to leave.

After Shkodra, Elbasan had the largest decrease in population with a decrease of 26,613 people between the two censuses. In 2023, 115,101 inhabitants were counted in this city out of 141,714 in the 2011 census.

The municipality of Durrës decreased by over 21 thousand inhabitants. Elbasan and Durres are part of the metropolitan area. Residents of these two cities have more employment opportunities than in other, more peripheral regions.

The municipality of Tirana, the largest in the country, which is a center of gravity compared to others for internal immigration, has only increased by 40,754 inhabitants from 2011 to 2023.

The increase in the population of the capital is not good news for the builders in the capital who have built for wrong projections so far with data that Tirana grows by 20-25 thousand inhabitants per year.

The data of the 2023 census show that there is a significant increase in the population in the municipalities where the Greek minority dominates.

For example, in the Municipality of Dropulli in 2023 there were 8259 residents, while in 2011 only 3503 residents. While the population of the entire country has decreased by at least 14.8% from 2011 to 2023, in the Municipality of Dropulli the population has increased by 135%.

Also, the population in the Municipality of Himara in 2023 was 45% higher than in 2021. In this municipality, from the data of the 2023 census, there were 8328 inhabitants from 5738 inhabitants that were in 2011.

In the Municipality of Saranda, the population between the two censuses increased by 11.8% or by 2386 more inhabitants.

Out of 61 municipalities, only in 6 municipalities did the population increase between censuses, while in 55 of them it was decreasing.

In addition to unions with minority populations and Tirana, the population of the Municipality of Berat (+2201 inhabitants) and Dimal (840 inhabitants) has also increased./Monitor