Institute of Statistics of Albania - INSTAT

Population Statistics Sector

Rr. Vllazen Huta, Nd.35, H.1,

Njësia Administrative Nr.2,

1017, Tirane,

ALBANIA

Data and metadata are transmitted to Eurostat by the Member States in the framework of the Unified Demographic Data Collection which is in accordance with Regulation (EC) 862/2007 and Regulation (EU) 1260/2013 and their implementing regulations.

This Euro SDMX Metadata Structure is used for the purpose of quality reporting. The definition of the quality concepts and guidelines are described in the European Statistical System Handbook for Quality Reports.

The current regional breakdown of the countries in the regional demographic tables is according to:

1. Regulation (EU) 2016/2066 amending the annexes to Regulation (EC) 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS). The NUTS classification according to this regulation is shortly named NUTS-2016 classification.

2. Agreements between Eurostat and Candidate countries as well as between Eurostat and EFTA countries, for which statistical regions have been coded in a way that resembles NUTS. For more information on the versions in force, please see: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/nuts/.

Not applicable.

The statistical unit is number of persons. 

Reference area is the total area of Albania. Data are available at national, regional and prefecture level. 

Time series of resident population of Albania are annually published, from 2001–2023. Births and deaths have an earlier series published since 1990. Data on migration have a shorter series since 2011.

Not applicable.

Data is collected at unit (person) level.

The reference date for population data is the end of the reference period (midnight of 31 December).
The reference period for vital events data is the calendar year in which the events occurred.  
The reference period for migration flow data is the calendar year in which the migration occurred.

The legal basis for the Population in Albania indicators are:

• National Statistical Law
• Official Statistics National Program 2022-2026 
  

Not available.

Data collected by statistical units are considered strictly confidential and are used only for statistical and research purposes based on national Statistical Law No.17/2018 “On Official Statistics”, date 10.03.2018 and on Law No.9887, date 10.03.2008 “Personal Data Protection”. Article 31 on Statistics Law reads as follows: Data collected for the production of official statistics shall be treated by INSTAT as confidential and shall be used only in aggregated tables that will not identify the source information unit. Direct identification means when a statistical unit is directly identified from its name or address or any officially allocated and commonly known identification number. When data processing is made in a manner that allows the identification of the data subject, the data should immediately be encrypted in order for the subjects to be no longer identifiable.

Albanian Institute of Statistics protects and does not disseminate data it has obtained or it has access to, which enable the direct or indirect identification of the statistical units. Albania Institute of Statistics takes all appropriate preventive measures so as to render impossible the identification of individual statistical units by technical or other means that might reasonably be used by a third party. Statistical data that could potentially enable the identification of the statistical unit are disseminated by Albania Institute of Statistics if and only if: a) these data have been treated, as it is specifically set out in the Regulation, in such a way that their dissemination does not prejudice statistical confidentiality or b) the statistical unit has given its consent, without any reservations, for the disclosure of data. The confidential data that are transmitted to Albania Institute of Statistics are used exclusively for statistical purposes and the only persons who have the right to have access to these data are the personnel engaged in this task. Issues referring to the observance of statistical confidentiality are examined by the staff working in Albania Institute of Statistics. The responsibilities of this staff are to recommend on: which detailed level the statistical data can be disseminated, so as the identification, either directly or indirectly, of the surveyed statistical unit is not possible; the anonymization criteria for the microdata provided to users; the access granting to researchers on confidential data for scientific purposes.

The calendar of publications is available on INSTAT website.

In line with the article 34 of Law No.17/2018 “On Official Statistics”, dated in 17.04.2018, disseminates statistics on INSTAT website and other media for simultaneous access, respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The following dissemination channels are used to release the results:

1. Website – online release
2. Written requests
3. Special publications 
4. Data request, section available for external users 

http://www.instat.gov.al/media/4193/dissemination-policy-guideline_____.pdf

The dissemination of the demography data are done in annual basis and quarterly basis regarding data on births and deaths.

According to the calendar of publications, the data of the resident Population in Albania, 1 January are published annually with a separate publication, on specific dates, approximately 142 days after the reference date, 1 January of the current year.

The publication is available on the official website of INSTAT, in the statistical database Px-Web, also distributed electronically to users.

News releases on-line

Albania in figures

Men and Women in Albania

Regional statistical yearbook

Data on statistics of Population in Albania are published on the official website of INSTAT at the same date of the publication of the press release of Population on 1st January:

Database of statistical data

Not applicable.

Users can send other specific requests through a dedicated section for Contacts.

Population Statistics Sector takes care about all documentation of the whole process of work of Population in Albania for internal purposes.

Users of Annual population estimation are classified as external and internal. Annual estimation population, is widely used by Ministries and public administrations that uses these data for economic and social policy planning purposes, universities (teachers/graduate and post graduate students), research organizations and simple users. The information about the user needs on the annual estimation population can be measured in different ways: 

• The frequency of page views for the relevant product in INSTAT website;
• Discussion with different users about their needs; 
• Discussion with users, who personally contact and send their data requests to INSTAT or to the Population sector, about their specific needs.

Page Views (Hits) about Population in Albania in 2022 are around 133,068 clicks. During 2022 INSTAT conducted a survey to measure user satisfaction from INSTAT publications. The survey results show that the overall quality of Population in Albania is rated 3.67 (73.4%) on a scale of 1 (very poor) to 5 (very good). INSTAT organizes every year User Satisfaction Survey.

Regarding the transmission of 22 mandatory tables required by EUROSTAT under Reg. 1260/2013 and Reg. 862/2007 for the EU Member State, for detailed data on demographic events, actualy INSTAT produce 14 of them.

Usually the publication data of “Population in Albania” has been punctual based on the publication calendar. This year, the publication of "Population of Albania, 1 January 2023" is delayed by 10 days. The reason for the delay is to making a detailed analysis of the final annual vital data of 2022. This analysis came as a result of the methodological review for vital statistics.

Not available.

INSTAT prepares in detail and release population estimation in national and regional level (prefectures). The estimation in national and regional is based in the same methodology and is intended to be consistent. The annual population estimates on 1st January are disaggregated by NUTS 3 – 12 prefectures:

1. Berat 
2. Dibër
3. Durrës
4. Elbasan 
5. Fier 
6. Gjirokastër 
7. Korcë 
8. Kukës 
9. Lezhë  
10. Shkodër 
11. Tiranë
12. Vlorë

Comparisons between different data sources continue to be present. The users often compare the estimations of population conducted by INSTAT with the population of Albanian citizens from the administrative Civil Register. These comparisons have to be treated carefully because the difference between them is in the definitions used. Though INSTAT estimates the population referring to the definition of the usual resident, the civil register counts every Albanian citizen, living or not in the territory of Albania in a moment in time exp: 1st January.

It is used the same population that follows the international regulations for all population components definitions.

The sector of Population Statistics is part of the Division of Social Statistics. The staff involved in the procedure of data collections, data control, update and maintains of statistics works full time.

• Head Office - 1 employed
• Specialist - 3 employed

Data received from administrative sources are free of cost. The co-operation agreements between INSTAT, General Directorate of Civil Registry offer the opportunity of transmit the data with no cost.

Revision policy of Population estimation is done in accordance with general revision policy and errors treatment policy introduced by INSTAT in the links below.

The same revision policy is applied nationally and in transmissions to Eurostat.

Revision Policy 

The Errors treatiment Policy

The population estimation were revised for the period after the 2011 Census, 2011-2017. The revision was conducted as a result of the partly change of the followed methodology and the improvement of administrative data used (internal movements) where it was necessary the correction of the previous years for the estimation of prefectures population. On the other hand, the inclusion in calculation of migration data from LFS for years 2015 and 2016 highlighted the need of revision of immigration figures for the previous years. The use of cohort component method needs an accurately population estimation in order to profit quality results. The revision of the data series after the last Census in 2011 was necessary in order to profit quality results in the estimation of 1st January 2017 Resident Population.

Quaterly - Administrative data regarding on births and deaths. 

Annual - LFS data on migration.

Every ten year - Population and housing census.

Administrative data (live births, deaths, marriages) are sent to INSTAT on quaterly basis by General Directory of Civil Status. 

Other demographic administrative data are send to INSTAT on annually basis.

The comparison between actual data or with previous year data helps for the data validation.

Administrative data are checked for any inconsistency and new variables needed are calculated. The Population of Albania estimated on 1st January 2023 is based on the combined estimation between 1st January 2022 and demographic events (births and deaths) from General Directorate of Civil Status and international migration from Labour Force Survey.

Adjustments are done for the vital events (Births, Deaths and Marriages) that are registered late for the current year so that we include all events that occurred in the reference period. The number of events registered late in the previous year was considered as a proxy for last year's registrations, considering the assumption (as a result of our ongoing analysis) that the number of late events registrations does not change much from year to year.

For emigration and immigration data collected through LFS survey for which the age structure was corrected considering the last population projection data.

Not any additional comment.