How much does Albania support start-ups? - RCC Report: The ecosystem is in the early stages. The most active sector, ICT
The startup ecosystem in Albania is still in its early stages, but public-private support is growing. This is how the latest Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) report assesses the startup environment in Albania.
A legal and institutional framework has been created to support start-ups, starting with the Law on Support and Development of Start-ups and a dedicated agency for them. However, support is mainly focused on the early pre-idea stages and lacks long-term incubation structures.
The report highlights that Albania has implemented several business-friendly reforms, including online company registration, fiscal incentives for innovation-oriented companies, and improved investor protection frameworks.
Startup density remains low, with only 88 startups per million inhabitants, compared to countries of similar size, such as 500 in Lithuania and 1,100 in Estonia. These figures, reported in 2024, highlight a significant gap in entrepreneurial activity in the region.
The most active startup sectors are ICT, tourism, AgroTech, healthcare/Ed-tech. Albania holds only 0.1% of the total Artificial Intelligence startups in Central and Eastern Europe, which shows that the AI startup environment is still in its early stages and stronger support schemes are required for growth. FinTech and RegTech are growing, but there is a need for more regulation.
Entrepreneurship is concentrated in Tirana, which hosts nearly 30% of all active enterprises. Rural areas still face migration and brain drain, although initiatives such as the Tech-Hub Korça and youth centres in Shkodër and Gjirokastër are emerging. The Regional Cooperation Council report also commends the establishment of the Regional Innovation Hub in Albania, a collaboration between EIT RawMaterials and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy. The hub will operate to support Albanian universities, innovators and investors, and aims to foster innovation and improve skills development, particularly among women and STEM students.
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