Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Albania: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna grade (MBB, ranked #39 of 195).
Albania is a parliamentary republic in Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece to the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north. The country's capital is Tirana (Tirane); it covers 28,748 sq km. Independence: 28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire). Terrain: mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast. Climate: mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter. Population: 2.6 million (2025 estimate). Population growth: +1.06% per year. Median age: 37.9 years. Life expectancy: 79.9 years (2024 est.). Languages: Albanian 98.8% (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek 0.5%, other 0.6% (i…
| Capital | Tirana (Tirane) |
|---|---|
| Population | 2,551,837 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $51.36 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $18,900 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 4% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 2.2% |
| Unemployment | 10.3% |
| Public debt | 81.9% of GDP (2021 est.) |
| Exports | $9.848 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $11.697 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 79.9 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 37.9 |
| Urbanization | 64.6% of total population (2023) |
| Government | parliamentary republic |
| Independence | 28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire) |
| Languages | 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.) |
MBB · 58/100 — The Magna grade is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — five dimensions, 100+ indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
A neutral quarter in the truest sense: nothing happened that altered the country's course or standing.
The score records absence of momentum honestly — the deeper currents continue, unmoved by the calendar.
Oil, Natural gas, Coal, Bauxite, Copper, Iron ore, Nickel, Salt, Timber, Hydropower.
Edi Rama — Prime Minister. President Bajram BEGAJ (since 24 July 2022)
Albania maintains 39 embassies and 7 consulates abroad, hosts 44 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, UN Geneva, NATO Brussels, UNESCO Paris, OSCE Vienna, CoE Strasbourg. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 39 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 7 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 44 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, UN Geneva, NATO Brussels, UNESCO Paris, OSCE Vienna, CoE Strasbourg |
Source: Abroad: Consular Affairs Center, of-country ranking, Jan 2026, Zenodo https://zenodo.org/records/18109976/ . Hosted: Wikipedia 'List of diplomatic missions in Albania' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_in_Albania . Multilateral rosters: UN https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_permanent_representatives_to_the_United_Nations , UNOG https://www.ungeneva.org/en/blue-book/missions/member-states , OSCE http://www.osce.org/contacts/delegations , NATO https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Council
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 362 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 3 + 9 heliports (registration prefix ZA) |
| Major seaports | Durres, Shengjin, Vlores |
| Railways | 424 km |
| Pipelines | 498 km gas (a majority of the network is in disrepair and parts of it are missing), 249 km oil (2015) |
Tirana International Airport Mother Teresa (TIA) — Rinas.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | parliamentary republic |
|---|---|
| Last election | 2025 — parliamentary; 2025-05-11; winner: Edi Rama (Socialist Party of Albania); Opposition contested fairness; ODIHR flagged uneven playing field Reuters / The Straits Times |
| Next election | 2029 — parliamentary (scheduled) |
Source: constitutional schedule / public election calendar
MBB · 58 Ranked #39 of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Albania.
