1 pensioner for every 3 people of working age/ Eurostat: Albania is aging at the highest rate in Europe
Albania is aging at one of the fastest rates in Europe, even though the median age ranks us among the countries with the youngest population. The latest data published by Eurostat show that the old-age dependency ratio, i.e. the number of people aged 65 and over in relation to the population aged 15-64, has increased from 18.2% in 2015 to 33.3% in 2025. Within a decade, this indicator has increased by 15.1 percentage points, the highest increase among all countries included in the table.
Compared to the European Union average, which has increased from 29.0% to 34.5% (+5.5 percentage points), Albania has not only experienced almost three times faster growth, but in 2025 it is significantly approaching the EU average level. At 33.3%, Albania is now only 1.2 percentage points below the European average.
In the region, the situation is also dynamic. North Macedonia has recorded an increase of 10.7 points (from 18.0% to 28.7%), Serbia 8.7 points (up to 36.2%), while Montenegro 6.4 points (up to 26.6%). Although Serbia remains at a higher level than Albania, the pace of aging in our country is significantly faster.
In Europe, after Albania, the strongest growth was recorded by Moldova with +14.1 percentage points, followed by Poland with +10.5 and North Macedonia with +10.7. On the other hand, countries like Luxembourg with +1.5, Sweden with +2.3 or Austria with +3.5 have had much more moderate growth.
In 2025, the countries with the highest old-age dependency ratio are Italy with 39.0%, Bulgaria with 38.7%, Portugal with 38.6% and Finland with 38.1%. Albania with 33.3% is at an intermediate level, but with a much steeper trajectory than most EU countries.
This rapid change indicates a profound demographic transformation. The strong increase in the dependency ratio is linked to the high emigration of the working-age population and the decline in fertility, as reported a few days ago by INSTAT figures. Practically, every 100 working-age people in Albania today support over 33 elderly people, while a decade ago there were only 18.
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