Albania is a country in Southeast Europe. Its capital is Tirana.
Europe and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Tirana; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapAlbania has a mountainous interior beside lower coastal plains on the Adriatic and Ionian seas. Deep valleys separate the ranges, and rivers descend westward toward the coast. Level land is concentrated in selected basins and coastal areas.
The Albanian Alps in the north contain steep peaks and high valleys. Farther south, coastal lagoons such as Butrint create a very different landscape. Large lakes shared with neighbouring countries add another important part of Albania’s geography.
The coast has hot, dry summers and cooler, wetter winters. Inland mountains are colder and receive more snow at higher elevations.
Forests, alpine grasslands, wetlands and Mediterranean vegetation occur at different elevations. Mountain rain and snow feed rivers downstream. Coastal development and inland land use affect different habitats within this compact country.
Red with a black two-headed eagle in the center
An aerial view shows the high valleys around Theth and Valbona.
Photo: Albinfo · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The southern coastal lake contrasts with Albania’s mountainous interior.
Photo: Qmccart · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Albanian is the official language. Its two main dialect groupings are Gheg and Tosk; standard Albanian is based largely on Tosk.
Greek, Aromanian, Macedonian, Romani and other community languages are also spoken. Italian and English are learned and used as additional languages, rather than being Albania’s official languages.
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.
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.
food; footwear, apparel and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
| 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 |
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
| 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 |
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
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
Parliamentary republic. Albanian Parliament has one chamber (a unicameral legislature).
Three questions about Albania.
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.
