Albanian Migration: An Overview on its Trends and Patterns.

Abstract

Migration as a global problem, in Albania has been an ongoing phenomenon since the early 1990s, when the political and democratic changes in the country resulted in a number of economic and social changes. In 2021, out of 447.2 million residents in the EU, 37.5 million were born outside it, or 8.4% of the total population, 23.7 million were citizens of non-EU countries. Albania is one of the countries that has a considerable number of immigrants in the EU. A substantial number of Albanian moved outside the country in search of better opportunities and a higher standard of living. The primary destination countries for Albanian migrants are neighbouring: Greece and Italy, due to their geographical and cultural proximity. Migration in Albania is still a serious challenge in the road of Albania in European integration. According to Eurostat, the number of citizens of Albania receiving citizenship in the EU in 2020 was 146 % higher than in 2010. Albania in 2021 is in the third place (5.4%) of individuals who have received European citizenship, as well as the second place (13.3%) in the rejection of requests for European citizenship. The purpose of the paper is to present an overview of albanian migration, political and economical background of different migration waves,  what are the challenges and new characteristics of  albanian emigrants in recent years, how the characteristics of albanian emigrants has changed in the last years, making some comparison with some other Western balkan countries. The paper is based on different reports, data of the governmental and international institutions, other research papers on Albanian migration and official statements.