Albania at its true size
Albania covers 28,748 km², number 140 of 194 countries by area. Home to 2,349,580 people (2025). A Mercator map draws it about 1.76× too large.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 28,748 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 2,349,580 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 82 per km² |
| Capital | Tirane |
| Local time in Tirane | |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 IANA |
| Currency | Albanian lek (ALL) Wikidata |
| Languages | Albanian |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Southern Europe, Europe |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | NATO |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +355 |
| Codes | AL · ALB · 008 |
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Where Albania ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#144 of 1942.3 million people#31 of 44 in Europe
- Population density#101 of 19482 people per km²#24 of 44 in Europe
- Urban population#112 of 19259% urban#36 of 43 in Europe
- Fertility rate#167 of 1921.34 births per woman#27 of 43 in Europe
- Population growth#190 of 192−1.17% a year#42 of 43 in Europe
- Birth rate#138 of 19210.1 births per 1,000 people#4 of 43 in Europe
- Death rate#63 of 1928.5 deaths per 1,000 people#34 of 43 in Europe
- Children under 15#145 of 19216.6% under 15#8 of 43 in Europe
- People over 65#43 of 19217.6% aged 65 and over#38 of 43 in Europe
- Net migration#184 of 192−10.3 per 1,000 people#40 of 43 in Europe
- Refugees abroad#19 of 1909.13 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#2 of 41 in Europe
Health & education
- Life expectancy#42 of 19279.8 years#26 of 43 in Europe
- Infant mortality#120 of 1918.3 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#2 of 42 in Europe
- Doctors#85 of 1781.88 doctors per 1,000 people#41 of 41 in Europe
- University enrolment#16 of 14584.1% gross enrolment#8 of 43 in Europe
- Human Development Index#70 of 190an index of 0.810#39 of 42 in Europe
Economy
- GNI per capita#74 of 185$12,060 a person#36 of 41 in Europe
- Internet users#75 of 18486% online#39 of 43 in Europe
- GDP per capita (PPP)#73 of 184$28,221 a person#37 of 41 in Europe
- GDP growth#75 of 187+3.8% a year#5 of 42 in Europe
- Inflation#116 of 176+2.1% a year#34 of 40 in Europe
- Unemployment#31 of 17810.9% of the labour force#4 of 39 in Europe
- Extreme poverty#116 of 1490.3% under $3.00 a day#20 of 39 in Europe
- Income inequality (Gini)#124 of 149a Gini index of 29.4#25 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in agriculture#58 of 17830.8% of jobs#2 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in industry#64 of 17822.0% of jobs#21 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in services#130 of 17847.2% of jobs#38 of 39 in Europe
- Foreign investment#31 of 1846.1% of GDP#4 of 41 in Europe
- Exports#80 of 16837.0% of GDP#32 of 40 in Europe
- Military spending#59 of 1552.0% of GDP#20 of 39 in Europe
- Mobile subscriptions#142 of 19189 subscriptions per 100 people#43 of 43 in Europe
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#108 of 1851.79 tonnes a person#37 of 37 in Europe
- Forest area#88 of 19234% forest#24 of 43 in Europe
- Renewable energy#57 of 19041.9% renewable#7 of 41 in Europe
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 43 in Europe
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#113 of 19115.5 µg/m³#9 of 42 in Europe
- Protected land#54 of 19123.6% of the land protected#18 of 42 in Europe
- Arable land#51 of 19021.5% of the land arable#24 of 42 in Europe
- Water stress#120 of 1764.8% of its available fresh water#27 of 38 in Europe
- Precipitation#60 of 1801,485 mm a year#3 of 37 in Europe
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Albania’s area, lit up on the map →
- Solomon Islands1.01×Albania and Solomon Islands are almost exactly the same size.
- Equatorial Guinea1.02×Albania and Equatorial Guinea are almost exactly the same size.
- Burundi1.03×Albania is 3% larger than Burundi.
- Armenia0.97×Albania is 3% smaller than Armenia.
- Haiti1.04×Albania is 4% larger than Haiti.
- Lesotho0.95×Albania is 5% smaller than Lesotho.
How many times does Albania fit into…
- Russia: about 594 times
- Canada: about 347 times
- United States: about 342 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Albania shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Summits
- Korab2,753 m
- Maja Jezercë2,694 m
Lakes
- Lake Skadar530 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Albania. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Albania
- How big is Albania?
- Albania covers 28,748 km², which makes it number 140 of 194 countries by area. About 2,349,580 people live there (2025), 82 per km².
- Is Albania bigger than Solomon Islands?
- Albania and Solomon Islands are almost exactly the same size. Albania: 28,748 km²; Solomon Islands: 28,400 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Albania?
- At about 41° latitude, Mercator stretches Albania to roughly 1.76× its true area relative to a country on the equator. Kartavera draws it in the Equal Earth projection, where areas are exact.
- Which countries border Albania?
- Albania shares a land border with Greece, North Macedonia, Montenegro.