01
Physical geography
Mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast.
Local timeTirana ·
Europe / Southeast Europe · Card 002
Albania
Albania is a country in Southeast Europe. Its capital is Tirana.
Find Albania
● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
At a glance
- Capital
- Tirana
- Languages
- Albanian
- Currency
- Albanian lek (ALL)
- Population
- 2.3 million2025 · World Bank
- Area
- 28,748 km²11,099.66 square miles
- Independence
- 1912from the Ottoman Empire
Albania in context
Europe and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Tirana; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapGeography & languages
02
Languages
Languages used in public life include Albanian.
03
Location
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece to the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north.
Flag
Red with a black two-headed eagle in the center
History & independence
Albania declared independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912 during the Balkan Wars. It later experienced monarchy, occupation during the Second World War and decades of communist rule. Multiparty politics returned in the early 1990s.
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Independence is declared from the Ottoman Empire
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Multiparty elections mark the end of one-party rule
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Albania joins NATO
Economy
Main activities
Tourism, agriculture, construction and services support the economy. Clothing and footwear production, minerals and hydropower also matter. Emigration and money sent home by Albanians abroad influence households and the labor market.
Industry and production
food; footwear, apparel and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower
Population & economic trends
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population, 1970–2025
Millions of people2.32025 · millions of people
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
View data table
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2,135,479 | 2.135 |
| 1980 | 2,671,997 | 2.672 |
| 1990 | 3,286,542 | 3.287 |
| 2000 | 3,089,027 | 3.089 |
| 2010 | 2,913,021 | 2.913 |
| 2020 | 2,528,480 | 2.528 |
| 2025 | 2,349,580 | 2.350 |
Real GDP, 1990–2025
Billions of constant 2015 US dollars16.22025 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
View data table
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 5,530,859,375 | 5.531 |
| 1991 | 3,982,100,298 | 3.982 |
| 1992 | 3,695,902,333 | 3.696 |
| 1993 | 4,049,208,852 | 4.049 |
| 1994 | 4,385,409,261 | 4.385 |
| 1995 | 4,969,648,101 | 4.970 |
| 1996 | 5,334,237,833 | 5.334 |
| 1997 | 4,709,514,660 | 4.710 |
| 1998 | 5,100,876,515 | 5.101 |
| 1999 | 5,725,771,033 | 5.726 |
| 2000 | 6,153,077,236 | 6.153 |
| 2001 | 6,698,469,429 | 6.698 |
| 2002 | 7,008,501,112 | 7.009 |
| 2003 | 7,382,282,997 | 7.382 |
| 2004 | 7,771,053,342 | 7.771 |
| 2005 | 8,169,772,251 | 8.170 |
| 2006 | 8,661,509,310 | 8.662 |
| 2007 | 9,224,515,437 | 9.225 |
| 2008 | 9,861,658,465 | 9.862 |
| 2009 | 10,127,011,191 | 10.127 |
| 2010 | 10,428,102,872 | 10.428 |
| 2011 | 10,685,000,943 | 10.685 |
| 2012 | 10,790,155,230 | 10.790 |
| 2013 | 10,974,367,815 | 10.974 |
| 2014 | 11,220,218,561 | 11.220 |
| 2015 | 11,470,171,827 | 11.470 |
| 2016 | 11,918,533,447 | 11.919 |
| 2017 | 12,309,839,869 | 12.310 |
| 2018 | 12,761,785,703 | 12.762 |
| 2019 | 13,025,007,475 | 13.025 |
| 2020 | 12,593,390,460 | 12.593 |
| 2021 | 13,722,964,212 | 13.723 |
| 2022 | 14,385,344,335 | 14.385 |
| 2023 | 14,962,975,921 | 14.963 |
| 2024 | 15,568,367,221 | 15.568 |
| 2025 | 16,158,243,059 | 16.158 |
Human development
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
HDI · 20230.810Very High human developmentRank 71 of 193 · 2025 report
Human Development Index over time
19900.654
20000.682
20100.769
20200.794
20230.810
79.6 yearsLife expectancy at birth
10.2 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
Government
Parliamentary republic. Albanian Parliament has one chamber (a unicameral legislature).
Knowledge check
Three questions about Albania.
QUESTION 1 OF 3
Albania declared independence from which empire?
Sources & notes
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.