Social support, report: Albania offers the lowest benefit in the region, only 70 euros

2025-08-26 07:35:00, Sociale CNA

Social support, report: Albania offers the lowest benefit in the region, only 70

Albania is the country with the lowest support in terms of social benefits for families in need. A report by the World Bank and the Vienna Institute analyzes the types of benefits for six Western Balkan countries, which results in our country being last with only 70 euros, while Republika Srpska is at the top with 335 euros.

“Benefit amounts vary significantly across the region. Republika Srpska offers the highest total monthly amount (335 euros), combining social assistance and child benefits. In contrast, Albania offers the lowest total monthly benefits (70 euros), consisting of Economic Assistance and an energy allowance.

For other countries, the total monthly benefits are as follows: Federation of BiH (304 euros), Serbia (282 euros), Montenegro (267 euros), North Macedonia (207 euros) and Kosovo (191 euros),” the report states.

In a specific table, the report summarizes which schemes the region mainly applies in terms of social support.

Thus, the main types of social benefits applied are: general poverty alleviation schemes (aimed at providing minimum living expenses), child benefits (to financially support families with children) and energy benefits (designed to alleviate high energy costs for low-income families, especially during the cold months).

Another point that the report analyzes is the process of discontinuing aid, where despite the low value, Albania seems to have somewhat higher flexibility when one of the members is employed.

“The threshold at which these benefits cease varies considerably, but a common pattern is that most poverty-related benefits are lost as soon as formal employment begins, even at minimum income levels.

Serbia and Albania are the only exceptions. In Serbia, financial social assistance (FSA) gradually decreases with income growth and is lost completely only when net income from work reaches 210 euros.

In Albania, Economic Assistance is not automatically terminated when a family member starts work, but the program uses a means test (PMT) formula to determine eligibility.

This formula, which is recalculated every 12 months, gives a certain weight to formal employment and, if the value calculated by the formula exceeds the threshold for receiving Economic Assistance, the family no longer benefits," the report states./ Monitor