Albania

“Migration in Albania: A Country Profile 2008” is part of a series of migration profiles produced by IOM Budapest within the “Black Sea Consultative Process on Migration Management” project, funded from IOM’s 1035 Facility. Migration from Albania is one of the most pervasive socio-economic phenomena affecting the country. Since 1990, it is estimated that a quarter of the population has left the country. For many, migration is an important livelihood coping strategy and this is reflected in the volume of remittances sent back by Albanian emigrants: it is the largest source of external finance exceeding both FDI and ODA. Albanian migration is mostly circular, economically driven and low-skilled workers taking jobs in the informal economy are predominant.