Who will work for pensioners? The weight of people over 65 years old over those of working age, at 30.4%
In Albania, the demographic structure is experiencing significant changes, especially in the ratio between different age groups. An important aspect of this structure is the weight of the age group over 65 years compared to the total age group from 15 to 64 years. In many developed countries, the percentage of the population over 65 is increasing, and Albania is no exception. This phenomenon is the result of several factors, including increasing life expectancy and decreasing birth rates. In the regions of Albania, this trend is visible and has important implications for social and economic policies.
"Scan Intel", starting from the Census data, has analyzed the weight of people over 65 years old, i.e. at retirement age, over the total number of people of working age, i.e. 15 to 64 years old. The figures show that in Albania, at the national level, the weight of pensioners over people of working age is 30.4%. According to the 2023 Census, the working-age population is about 1.5 million, while people over 65 are counted at about 475,000.
From the analyzed data, the district of Gjirokastra seems to be suffering the most from this situation. With a percentage of 46.09% of the population over 65 years old to the total age group from 15 to 64 years old, Gjirokastra faces a great challenge in supporting the elderly. High emigration of young people in many counties has left behind an aging population that requires full care and support.
Vlora with a weight of 46.1%, followed by Fieri, Korça and Berati follow in the ranking with the highest weight of people of retirement age compared to those of working age.
Kukësi, Tirana and Dibra have the lowest share, ranging from 19.9% for Kukësi, 24.2% for Tirana and 25.3% for Dibra.
Compared to the 2011 Census data, the situation appears alarming. Let's take the case of Gjirokastra, when the dependency ratio of the elderly, i.e. the population aged 65+ compared to the population aged 15-64, was 23.8%. Meanwhile, the weight today is twice as high. The question arises as to who will work for these pensioners, while at the national level the population of working age has decreased by almost 300,000 people.
The increase in the percentage of the population over 65 has several important implications for public policy. First, it is necessary to increase investment in health and social services to meet the needs.
With fewer contributors and an increasing number of retirees, the financial burden on the working population increases.
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