Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939 and occupied by Germany in 1943. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents.

Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. Most of Albania's post-communist elections were marred by claims of electoral fraud; however, international observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and in June 2014 became a candidate for EU accession. Albania in November 2016 received a European Commission recommendation to open EU accession negotiations conditioned upon implementation of a judicial reform package passed earlier the same year. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, it has slowed, and the country is still one of the poorest in Europe. A large informal economy and a weak energy and transportation infrastructure remain obstacles.

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece to the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north

41 00 N, 20 00 E

Europe

slightly smaller than Maryland

362 km

mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter

mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast

highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m

petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower, arable land

arable land 52.42%; permanent crops 6.84%; permanent pasture 40.73%

3,537 sq km (2014)

a fairly even distribution, with somewhat higher concentrations of people in the western and central parts of the country

destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought

deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents

strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)

3,047,987 (July 2017 est.)

Albanian 82.6%, Greek 0.9%, other 1% (including Vlach, Romani, Macedonian, Montenegrin, and Egyptian), unspecified 15.5% (2011 est.)

Albanian 98.8% (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek 0.5%, other 0.6% (including Macedonian, Romani, Vlach, Turkish, Italian, and Serbo-Croatian), unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)

Muslim 56.7%, Roman Catholic 10%, Orthodox 6.8%, atheist 2.5%, Bektashi (a Sufi order) 2.1%, other 5.7%, unspecified 16.2%

0.31% (2017 est.)

13.2 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)

6.8 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)

-3.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

a fairly even distribution, with somewhat higher concentrations of people in the western and central parts of the country

TIRANA (capital) 454,000 (2015)

24.5 years (2014 est.)

29 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

1.51 children born/woman (2017 est.)

69.3% (2008/09)

5.9% of GDP (2014)

1.29 physicians/1,000 population (2013)

2.6 beds/1,000 population (2012)

urban: 84.3% of population

rural: 81.8% of population

total: 83.6% of population

urban: 15.7% of population

rural: 18.2% of population

total: 16.4% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 95.5% of population

rural: 90.2% of population

total: 93.2% of population

urban: 4.5% of population

rural: 9.8% of population

total: 6.8% of population (2015 est.)

0.1% (2016 est.)

1,700 (2016 est.)

<100 (2016 est.)

21.7% (2016)

6.3% (2009)

3.5% of GDP (2013)

parliamentary republic

12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Berat, Diber, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Korce, Kukes, Lezhe, Shkoder, Tirane, Vlore

28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire)

Independence Day, 28 November (1912) also known as Flag Day

civil law system except in the northern rural areas where customary law known as the "Code of Leke" prevails

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Democratic Party or PD [Lulzim BASHA]

Party for Justice, Integration and Unity or PDIU [Shpetim IDRIZI] (formerly part of APMI)

Social Democratic Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI]

Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI [Monika KRYEMADHI]

Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA]

Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania or KSSH [Kol NIKOLLAJ]

Omonia [Leonidha PAPA]

Union of Independent Trade Unions of Albania or BSPSH [Gezim KALAJA]

BSEC, CD, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EITI (compliant country), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

red with a black two-headed eagle in the center; the design is claimed to be that of 15th-century hero George Kastrioti SKANDERBEG, who led a successful uprising against the Ottoman Turks that resulted in a short-lived independence for some Albanian regions (1443-78); an unsubstantiated explanation for the eagle symbol is the tradition that Albanians see themselves as descendants of the eagle; they refer to themselves as "Shqiptare," which translates as "sons of the eagle"

double-headed eagle; national colors: red, black

Albania, a formerly closed, centrally-planned state, is a developing country with a modern open-market economy. Albania managed to weather the first waves of the global financial crisis but, the negative effects of the crisis caused a significant economic slowdown. Since 2014, Albania’s economy has steadily improved and economic growth is projected to increase to 3.8% in 2017. However, close trade, remittance, and banking sector ties with Greece and Italy make Albania vulnerable to spillover effects of possible debt crises and weak growth in the euro zone.

Remittances, a significant catalyst for economic growth, declined from 12-15% of GDP before the 2008 financial crisis to 5.8% of GDP in 2015, mostly from Albanians residing in Greece and Italy. The agricultural sector, which accounts for almost half of employment but only about one-fifth of GDP, is limited primarily to small family operations and subsistence farming, because of a lack of modern equipment, unclear property rights, and the prevalence of small, inefficient plots of land. Complex tax codes and licensing requirements, a weak judicial system, endemic corruption, poor enforcement of contracts and property issues, and antiquated infrastructure contribute to Albania's poor business environment making attracting foreign investment difficult. Since 2015, Albania has launched an ambitious program to increase tax compliance and bring more businesses into the formal economy. In July 2016, Albania passed constitutional amendments reforming the judicial system in order to strengthen the rule of law and to reduce deeply entrenched corruption.

Albania’s electricity supply is uneven despite upgraded transmission capacities with neighboring countries. However, the government has recently taken steps to stem non-technical losses and has begun to upgrade the distribution grid. Better enforcement of electricity contracts has improved the financial viability of the sector, decreasing its reliance on budget support. Also, with help from international donors, the government is taking steps to improve the poor road and rail networks, a long standing barrier to sustained economic growth.

Inward FDI has increased significantly in recent years as the government has embarked on an ambitious program to improve the business climate through fiscal and legislative reforms. The government is focused on the simplification of licensing requirements and tax codes, and it entered into a new arrangement with the IMF for additional financial and technical support. Albania’s three-year IMF program, an extended fund facility arrangement, was successfully concluded in February 2017. Albania’s 2017 budget aims to reach a small primary surplus, which the Albanian Government plans to achieve by strengthening tax collection amid moderate public wage and pension increases. The country continues to face high public debt, exceeding its former statutory limit of 60% of GDP in 2013 and reaching 71% in 2016.

$34 billion (2016 est.)

$32.48 billion (2015 est.)

$31.43 billion (2014 est.)

unreported output may be as large as 50% of official GDP

$11.87 billion (2016 est.)

3.4% (2016 est.)

2.2% (2015 est.)

1.8% (2014 est.)

$11,800 (2016 est.)

$11,400 (2015 est.)

$11,100 (2014 est.)

15.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

16.3% of GDP (2015 est.)

16% of GDP (2014 est.)

(2016 est.)

wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, olives and olive oil, grapes; meat, dairy products; sheep and goats

food; footwear, apparel and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower

3.2% (2016 est.)

1.358 million (2016 est.)

15.2% (2016 est.)

13.3% (2015 est.)

14.3% (2012 est.)

29 (2012 est.)

30 (2008 est.)

27% of GDP (2016 est.)

-1.8% of GDP (2016 est.)

72% of GDP (2016 est.)

72.6% of GDP (2015 est.)

calendar year

1.3% (2016 est.)

1.9% (2015 est.)

1.25% (31 December 2016)

1.75% (31 December 2015)

9.65% (31 December 2016 est.)

8.73% (31 December 2015 est.)

$3.397 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$3.054 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$5.75 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$5.747 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$7.065 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$7.178 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$NA

$-899 million (2016 est.)

$-1.222 billion (2015 est.)

$789.1 million (2016 est.)

$854.7 million (2015 est.)

apparel and clothing, footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; cement and construction materials, vegetables, fruits, tobacco

Italy 50.5%, Serbia 8.1%, Kosovo 7.5%, Greece 4.2% (2016)

$3.671 billion (2016 est.)

$3.402 billion (2015 est.)

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals

Italy 29%, Germany 9.4%, China 8.7%, Greece 7.8%, Turkey 7.8%, Serbia 4.1% (2016)

$3.109 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$3.139 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$8.421 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$8.269 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$6.056 billion (31 December 2014)

$5.459 billion (31 December 2013)

leke (ALL) per US dollar -

124.14 (2016 est.)

124.14 (2015 est.)

125.96 (2014 est.)

105.48 (2013 est.)

108.19 (2012 est.)

7.135 billion kWh (2016 est.)

7.094 billion kWh (2016 est.)

1.869 billion kWh (2016 est.)

1.827 billion kWh (2016 est.)

1.897 million kW (2015 est.)

5.2% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

94.8% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0.1% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

22,750 bbl/day (2016 est.)

19,100 bbl/day (2014 est.)

1,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)

168.3 million bbl (1 January 2017 es)

290 bbl/day (2016 est.)

27,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)

16,250 bbl/day (2016 est.)

13,250 bbl/day (2016 est.)

35 million cu m (2015 est.)

200 million cu m (2015 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

821.2 million cu m (1 January 2017 es)

4.3 million Mt (2013 est.)

Albania has more than 65 TV stations, including several that broadcast nationally; Albanian TV broadcasts are also available to Albanian-speaking populations in neighboring countries; many viewers have access to Italian and Greek TV broadcasts via terrestrial reception; Albania's TV stations have begun a government-mandated conversion from analog to digital broadcast; the government has pledged to provide analog-to-digital converters to low-income families affected by this decision; cable TV service is available; 2 public radio networks and roughly 78 private radio stations; several international broadcasters are available (2017)

.al

ZA (2016)

4 (2016)

1 (2013)

gas 498 km (a majority of the network is in disrepair and parts of it are missing); oil 249 km (2015)

41 km (on the Bojana River) (2011)

1.23% of GDP (2016)

1.16% of GDP (2015)

1.35% of GDP (2014)

1.41% of GDP (2013)

1.49% of GDP (2012)

Land Forces Command, Navy Force Command, Air Forces Command (2013)

19 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; 18 is the legal minimum age in case of general/partial compulsory mobilization (2012)

none

active transshipment point for Southwest Asian opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and - to a lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe; significant source country for cannabis production; ethnic Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and expanding in Europe; vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional trafficking in narcotics, arms, contraband, and illegal aliens