Albania is a country nestled in the southeast of Europe. Its coast is located on the Adriatic and Ionian seas, while it shares land borders with Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Greece. The Democratic Albanian Republic came to power after the dissolution of the former Albanian Socialist Republic in 1991. The Albanian government has made it a central goal to eliminate hunger. Here are the top 10 facts about hunger in Albania.

10 Facts About Hunger in Albania

1. According to the 2017 census, Albania‘s population comprises 2.8 million people, 15% of whom are living below the poverty line and have about 1 euro a day for personal expenses. Some families spend up to 80% of their budget on food.
2. According to the 2022 Global Nutrition Report, “no progress has been made towards achieving the target of reducing anemia among women of reproductive age, with 24.8% of women aged 15 to 49 years now affected.”
3. The 2023 Global Hunger Index (GHI) ranked Albania 30th out of 125 qualifying countries. Its score of 6.1 represents a 30.6% decline since 2015 and puts Albania at a low hunger level. 
4. Child stunting rates have dropped dramatically in Albania, from 32% in 2000 to 11.3% in 2023. Additionally, GHI considers just 4.1% of the Albanian population undernourished.
5. As of 2017-2018,  about 36% of the adult population in Albania was overweight, with an additional 21% classified as obese. An interesting phenomenon surrounding obesity in Tirana, the capital of Albania, is that it is disproportionately high in the middle-aged, with rates of 28.3% in people ages  36-45, and 32.7% in those ages 46-55. One can partially explain this by the fact that in Middle Eastern cultures, people consider obesity a sign of wealth and beauty.
6. Gender inequality also contributes to hunger in Albania. Though Albanian women traditionally take on the well-being of their families, they have far fewer resources or opportunities than men with which to do this. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) stated that “Gender equality is key to eliminating poverty and hunger.” The FAO’s policy on gender equality has been used as a resource in the creation of the Country Programming Framework, a signed plan between the FAO and the Albanian government in 2015 to further hunger and poverty reduction and end gender inequality.
7. Around 22% of Albania’s geography consists of arable land for farming. However, because of small farms and limited mechanization, the agricultural sector of Albania remains largely underdeveloped. Agriculture contributes to nearly 20% of the Albanian GDP and employs over 40% of the population.  
8. A central goal of the Albanian government is the continued financial support and development of both independent farmers as well as private investment in the private agriculture sector. In 2019, the Albanian Ministry of Agriculture set up a fund of 5 million euros to aid farmers in the country. In 2023, subsidies were provided for fuel, fishing vessel infrastructure, agricultural markets, organic farms, livestock and beekeeping, with the livestock sectors receiving 60% of the allocated monies. The first two days saw almost 18,000 applications for funds.
9. The government of Albania is not the only entity investing in the agricultural sector, though. In May 2024, the U.N.’s FAO initiated a One Country One Priority Product program in northern Albania’s Tropoja region to address the country’s chestnut sector. The focus is on strengthening local communities and supporting economic growth in the country’s rural and mountainous regions. 
10. Albania’s ties to European markets have been strengthened with its increasing integration into the European Union, with 71.5% of Albanian agricultural exports to EU markets and 62.4% percent of Albanian imports coming from the EU.  In 2022, Albania began membership negotiations with the 27-nation EU, and in October 2023, it was one of six Western Balkan countries offered a growth plan by the EU in exchange for deep reforms. Economic and political reforms will lead to investments, grants, and loans. 

Since the ousting of the communist party in 1992, Albania has had an uphill battle against poverty and hunger. However, the years since then have seen the country make great strides in technological advancement and economic growth, both of which help it stay competitive in the European market and combat its hunger problem. There is still much for Albania to do, yet all indications from the Albanian government, EU and the global community, as well as these 10 facts about hunger in Albania, point to continued progress for this European nation.

– Staff Reports

Photo: Flickr
Updated: June 01, 2024