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Demographics towards rapid aging, EUROSTAT: Albania loses the advantage of a young population
2025-02-24 07:29:50 / EKONOMI&SOCIALE
In 2002, Albania, along with Turkey, led Europe in terms of young population, but now, after two decades, the country's demographic profile has changed radically.
The latest Eurostat data indicate that the elderly dependency ratio (population aged 65+) was 33.9% of the labor force.
In Albania, according to INSTAT data from the 2023 Census, the elderly dependency ratio to the labor force was 30.4%, much higher than in 2011, when the indicator was 16.4%, and in 2002, only 12.3%. This means that there are now about 3.2 Albanians of working age for every elderly person over 65, down from 8.1 in 2002.
The outflow of young people has rapidly increased dependency on the elderly. For example, in the EU, in 2022, the dependency ratio of the elderly was 23.8%, while in 2024, it was 33.9%.
In 22 years, the old-age dependency ratio increased by 10.1% in the EU, while in Albania by 18 points. Now, after Albania, there are at least 16 countries that have lower old-age dependency ratios to the labor force.
On a European scale, Italy, Bulgaria and Portugal have the highest elderly dependency, at 38%, while, on the other hand, Turkey, Luxembourg, Iceland and Ireland have the lowest dependency.
When the old-age dependency ratio increases, it means that the number of people over 65 is increasing relative to the working-age population.
This puts pressure on pension and healthcare systems, as fewer workers have to support an increasing number of retirees. It could also slow economic growth due to labor shortages and reduced consumption.
To cope with this situation, countries often extend the retirement age, encourage the employment of older people, and try to attract more immigrants or boost the birth rate. If effective measures are not taken, a high old-age dependency ratio can become a serious challenge to a country's financial and social sustainability.
Municipalities with the most elderly people
Internal data from the 2023 Census show that, in most municipalities, the range of services for the elderly needs to be increased – refer to the new census data. For example, in 19 municipalities in the country, almost a third, the dependency ratio of the elderly (population over 65 years old, as a percentage of the age group 15–65 years old) is above 40–64%.
The municipalities of Himara, Pustec, Finiqi and Dropulli have an age dependency ratio of over 60%. This means that seniors over 65 years old in these municipalities make up more than half of the population.
The national elderly dependency ratio was 30%, but in at least 42 municipalities this ratio is higher than 30%.
Albania's population has decreased, but it has aged by 7 years, from 2011 to 2023. The 2023 Census data indicated that, out of 103 thousand people living alone, 62.5% of them were 60 years old and older (64,375 people).
The population of retirement age 65+ reached 473 thousand people, according to the 2023 Census, with an increase of 49% from the 2011 Census. The strongest growth in the overall population was among those aged 90 years.
The population group 85–89 years old reached 26,443 people in the 2023 Census, up from 14,738 in 2011, an increase of 79%. The population structure shows a double-digit decline in the ages 0 to 54 years old, while growth begins for the age group 55 to 100 years old.
Retirement age groups have grown at very high rates. The 80–84 age group was the second-largest age group, growing by 75% between the 2011 and 2023 Censuses.
The working-age population has reduced by 18% between the 2011 and 2023 Censuses, but nearly a quarter of it is concentrated in Tirana.
The age dependency ratio shows how much support from the working-age population is provided to the young and/or the elderly, by measuring the relative size of these groups compared to the number of workers.
Age dependency ratios are used to analyze the level of support that the working-age population provides to the young and/or the elderly. These ratios express the relative size of the young and/or elderly population compared to the working-age population.
According to Eurostat, on 1 January 2024, the old-age dependency ratio in the EU reached 33.9%. This means that for every person over 65, there were just over 3 people of working age.
Among EU countries, this ratio ranged from a low of 21.7% in Luxembourg and 23.6% in Ireland – where for every person over 65 there were almost 5 people of working age – to a high of 38.4% in Italy, 38.2% in Bulgaria and 38.2% in Portugal, where for every person over 65, there were fewer than 3 people of working age.
Over the years, between 2023 and 2024, the old-age dependency ratio in the EU increased by 0.5 percentage points, going from 33.4% in 2023 to 33.9% in 2024. This increasing trend appeared in 25 EU countries, while in Malta the ratio decreased, and in Finland it remained constant./ Monitor
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