Preliminary Results of the General Census of Population and Housing, April 1, 2001

On April 1, 2001, INSTAT carried out the 10-th Census of Population and Housing in Albania. INSTAT wishes to thank the donors’ community that assisted technically and financially in the Population and Housing Census in Albania. INSTAT presents its special thanks and its gratefulness to the European Commission, that coordinated the efforts among donors and provided the larger financial support.

The preliminary data of this census, which are being presented in this material, refer to the proccesing of the resumptive list of enumerators and controllers who were involved in the Census.

According to the preliminary data it results that the Albanian Population registered on April 1, 2001, consists of 3,087,159 inhabitants, of which 1,539,980 are males and 1,547,179 are females. 728,641 households with an average of 4.2 members per household were, also, counted in this census.

(In thousand)

It is noted that the population is composed of 49.8 % males and 50.2% females.  42% of them live in urban areas and 58% in rural ones

                                                                        (In thousand)

According to this census, the Albanian households, in connection to their size, is approching to the European household’s model. (a family with 4 members: husband, wife and two children).

The data show also that there still exists affinities living in extended families under the  same shellter. According to these data, 5.4% of the total number of households in the country share a common dwelling. This percentage is 6% higher in the urban areas as compared to 4.9% in the  rural ones.

The Population’s Census brings about a new indicator on the number of uninhabited dwellings. 13.4% from the total of uninhabited dwellings is located in the urban area and 10.3% in the rural ones.

Some comparable data from the two last Censuses

The comparison of the preliminary results of the 2001 census with those of the years 1979 and 1989 is not always possible because of some different definitions used in the last censuses. (See the methodology explanations). Below is a table of comparable data from the three last Censuses.

Table 1: Number of populations, (in thousands) in 1979, 1989 and 2001censuses.

While comparing the figures of the last Census with the ones of Aprile 1989, it is noticed that the population has been decreased by about 3% equal to 95258 persons. The number of  males has declined by 98.094 persons, thus bringing the major impact on the reduction of population, whereas the number of females has increased by 2836 persons. An increase was, also, noticed in the number of households, thus reducing the average size of the  Albanian household from 4.7 m/h (members per household) in 1989 to 4.2 m/h 2001.

According to the last Census the number the households compared to 1989 has increased by 7.8% as, and 57.2%  compared to 1979.

The number of population residing in Tirana accounts for 11.1% of the total one,

equal to the total population of four large districts after Tirana, naimly; Durres, Elbasan, Shkoder, Vlora.

Table 2: Communes and municipalities according to the size of population

A clasification of information  according to the size of Communes and Municipalities shows some interesting results. Of 374 Communes and Municipalities, 48% of them have a population from 500-5000 inhabitans, whereas 35% of them have a population from 5000-10000 inhabitans.

Table 3: Population, households and their average size for the urban

  and rural areas (in thousands) in 1979,1989,2001.

A comparision of the number of members per family, shows a significant diminish of the household size in the rural areas. from 5.3 members/household in 1989, to 4.5 members/household in 2001, whereas in urban area the household size has remained the same (i.e 3.9 members/household).

Table 4: Number of buildings (in thousand)

Residential buildings have increased by 35% as compared to 1989.

Conclusions and comments

·         According to the preliminary results of the last census of population and housing, it is noticed a decline in the number of permanent and temporarily present population within the country . In the last sensus, where international recommendations were lragely adopted, individuals that for employmeent or other reasons have left the country  but still continue to have economic interests or keep their affinities relations with Albania, were not included in the total of residential population.

·         Originally, emigration was caracterized by migrationl of individuals alone and afterwards by migration of the whole families or joining of family members. However, a more complited analyse of this phenomena can by carried out by researching into the analitical data for the uninhabited dwelling.

·         A special section in the questionnaire was reserved to inquire about singel individuals who have emigrated but are members of families residing in Albania.  Moreover, emigration explains clearly the difference in the gender ratio. In 1989 this ratio was much higher than the average of Europe. Currently, in Albania the gender ratio is 100 females per 99.5 males, similar to the European model. This ratio is more singnificant if the urban area is compared with the rural one. The higher female ratio is explained by the fact than female life-expectancy is 5 years higher than male’s one. The difference between male and female life-expectancy in rural area is much lower becouse of the known fact that the living conditions are more difficult and the work is harder for woment in rural  than in urban areas.

·         The increase of the new buildings indicates a real "boom" in the construction sector, which is one of the main growth indicator in the country. Based on the analysis and preliminary data it results that the number of new residental buildings in the urban areas has increased twice as much as compared two 1989.

Table 5: Population by districts, urban and rural area