About 37% of households in Albania have at least one member who is currently living abroad or has migrated and returned, underlining the scale and persistence of emigration from one of Europe’s poorest countries, a new survey by the national statistics agency INSTAT showed.

The 2024 Household Migration Survey, conducted with the World Bank, estimates that around 1.6mn Albanians live abroad, while more than 108,000 people have returned to the country over the past 12 years, pointing to migration as a continuous cycle rather than a temporary trend.

Around 22% of households currently have a family member abroad, while 20% include at least one returnee, the survey found. Emigration is dominated by young, working-age men, with nearly three-quarters of current emigrants male and most aged between 25 and 44, the most productive segment of the labour market.

Migrants tend to be better educated than those who remain in Albania. More than two-thirds have completed secondary education and about 18% have higher education, with the most highly educated heading mainly to the United States and Germany. Greece remains the main destination for migrants with lower levels of education.

Before leaving, most emigrants were employed in Albania, often in low- or medium-skilled jobs with below-average pay. While average earnings abroad are about 2.5 times higher than at home, many migrants face insecurity, with one in three working without a written contract and more than a quarter lacking social security or paid leave.

The survey also found widespread underemployment, with about a third of current migrants and nearly 80% of returnees with higher education working in jobs below their qualification level.

Remittances remain a key benefit for the economy, accounting for an average 41% of income in recipient households. However, most funds are used for basic consumption and largely sent through informal channels, limiting their broader economic impact.

Return migration has accelerated since 2020, with many returnees turning to self-employment as a route to reintegration, the survey showed.