The median age of the population of Albania reached 38.2 years in 2022, ranking together with Kosovo among countries with younger populations than other European countries, according to Eurostat data, but in the last two decades our country has aged at the highest rates.
In 2002, the median age of Albanians (the value that separates the oldest half from the youngest half of the population) was 27.6 years old. During the two decades 2002-2022, it can be seen that the population of Albania has aged by 10.6 years, the highest rate among all European countries, which during this period has aged by only 4.7 years.
The average age of the EU population reached 44.5 years on 1 January 2023. This means that half of the EU population was older than 44.5 years, while the other half was younger. The average age of the EU population has increased by 2.3 years since 2013, when it was 42.2 years old, while the population of Albania for the same period has aged by 4.5 years, twice the European average.
On 1 January 2023, across all EU members, the median age ranged between 38.4 years in Cyprus and 48.4 years in Italy. Between 2013 and 2023, the median age increased in all EU members, except Malta and Sweden, where it decreased (-0.4 and -0.1 years, respectively), and Germany, where the median age remained unchanged.
In five EU countries, the average age of the population increased by 4 years or more. The average age in Portugal increased by 4.4 years, the most among EU countries. Greece, Spain, Slovakia and Italy followed, recording an increase of 4.0 years and Albania with 4.5 years.
The European country with the youngest population is Kosovo with a median age of 31.1 years in 2022, Azerbaijan with 33.8 years, Iceland with 36.7 years and Albania with 38.2 years at the same level as Georgia.
On the other hand, Italy is the country with the oldest population in Europe with a median age of 48 years, followed by Portugal with 48.8 years, Greece with 46.1 years, Germany with 45.8 years.
The emigration of the population, mainly at a young age, and the decline in births are leading to an increase in the median age, which is the age that divides the population in half.
According to INSTAT, on January 1, 2023, the median age of the population is 38.8 years old, from 38.2 on January 1, 2022.
On January 1, 2023, the youth dependency ratio (the ratio of the population aged 0-14 to the population aged 15-64) decreased, compared to January 1, 2022: from 24.0% to 23.8%, while the dependency ratio of the elderly (the ratio of the population 65+ to the population 15-64 years old) increased: from 23.1% to 24.4% during the same period. /Monitor
