More departures abroad, ports gain ground/ Insecurity in the Middle East directs travel towards Europe
The departures of Albanian citizens from the country continued to increase in the first three months of the year, showing higher mobility compared to the same period last year. According to INSTAT data, in the period January-March 2026, 1.99 million Albanian citizens left Albania, with an increase of 5.7% compared to the first quarter of 2025. In March alone, the departures of Albanians reached around 677 thousand, with an increase of 9% compared to March of the previous year.
Data by mode of travel show that movements continue to be concentrated mainly on land routes. In the first three months of the year, land departures reached around 2.5 million, up from 2.45 million a year earlier, marking a moderate increase. On the other hand, the strongest growth was recorded by sea departures with an expansion of 14%. These signals suggest a stronger revival of movements through ports, especially towards Italy and destinations linked to maritime transport.
Similar to the influx of foreign nationals, the increase in insecurity in conflict zones may have influenced the way Albanians choose destinations abroad, favoring more trips to European and regional countries, rather than more distant or tension-prone destinations.
The data do not directly indicate the final destination of the trip, but the fact that the largest increase comes from sea and land movements suggests that exits are mainly concentrated towards traditional European corridors.
Overall, the first three months of the year show that Albanians are traveling more abroad, but not through a major change in the structure of movement. The increase remains mainly linked to land routes and nearby destinations, while geopolitical tensions seem to have changed traditional Albanian destinations.
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