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Emigration is "disappearing" the North/ Drop in births in Kukës, Lezhë, Dibër and Shkodër, above the national average

2024-02-13 09:07:00, Sociale CNA

Emigration is "disappearing" the North/ Drop in births in Kukës,

Albania is facing a rapid decline in births, especially in the years after the pandemic, but in the Northern regions, the phenomenon is intensifying more.

While births on a national scale decreased by 10% in 2023 compared to 2022, in the Kukës District the decrease was 18.5%.

In the North Eastern region, the poorest in the country last year, only 667 babies were born out of 819 in 2022. In the last decade, Kukësi is the only region that has experienced economic contraction, unlike the national trend according to official INSTAT data.

Kukësi is suffering the consequences of internal and external emigration of the population. Since 2015, a massive channel of immigration to Great Britain has significantly worsened the demographic indicators.

After Kukës, Lezha had the largest decrease in births in percentage by about 16.3 percent in 2023. In this district, 1010 babies were born in 2023 from 1208 the previous year, followed by Dibra where births decreased by 14.4%. and Shkodra with 13.7%.

In contrast, the Southern counties had a milder decline. For example, the lowest drop in births was the district of Gjirokastra with 3% and less Korça with 3.7% and Durres, Elbasan and Fieri with around 9%.

The capital is also facing a decline in births, which from year to year has an increasingly lower population increase. Last year, 8,144 babies were born in Tirana, an annual decrease of 10.4%.

From 2013 to 2023, births on a national scale have decreased by 37%, where Berat and Kukësi have the highest rates for 10-year-olds with 52 and 50% each.

The official data of INSTAT refers that 22,210 babies were born in the whole country last year, with an annual decrease of 10% or 2478 babies less than in 2022.

Births, annual decline of 10% in 2023, strongest in 30 years of transition

This was the strongest decline in the last 30 years from 1993 and has exceeded even the most pessimistic projections for the progress of the country's population until 2060 developed by INSTAT.

INSTAT data shows that during 2022, the fertility rate fell to 1.21 children per woman of reproductive age, from 1.32 in 2021. This is the sharpest decline since 2015.

This means that for every 100 women of reproductive age, only 121 children were born, out of 132 children born in 2021. From 2001 to 2023, the fertility rate has halved, falling from a level of 2.31 children per woman to 1.21 children .

Compared to Eurostat 2021 data, Albania is seen to have the lowest birth rates in Europe, leaving behind only Spain (1.19) and Malta (1.13)./ Monitor magazine