Albania vs North Macedonia
Albania is 12% larger than North Macedonia.
AlbaniaNorth MacedoniaAlbania moved onto North Macedonia · Equal-area projection
1.12×
Albania is 1.12× the area of North Macedonia.
 Albania |  North Macedonia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAlbania: 1.12× the area | 28,748 km²#140 of 194 | 25,713 km²#146 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationAlbania: 1.29× the population | 2,349,580#144 of 194 · 2025 | 1,820,909#149 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityAlbania: 1.15× the density | 82 / km²#101 of 194 | 71 / km²#115 of 194 |
| Urban populationNorth Macedonia: 1.07× the urban share | 59%#112 of 192 · 2025 | 63%#98 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateNorth Macedonia: 1.04× the births per woman | 1.34 per woman#167 of 192 · 2024 | 1.40 per woman#157 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthNorth Macedonia: 0.98 points higher | −1.17%#190 of 192 · 2025 | −0.19%#173 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAlbania: 1.15× the birth rate | 10.1 per 1,000#138 of 192 · 2024 | 8.8 per 1,000#158 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateNorth Macedonia: 1.31× the death rate | 8.5 per 1,000#63 of 192 · 2024 | 11.1 per 1,000#24 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Albania: 0.1 points higher | 16.6%#145 of 192 · 2025 | 16.5%#146 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65North Macedonia: 0.9 points higher | 17.6%#43 of 192 · 2025 | 18.5%#37 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNorth Macedonia: 7.2 per 1,000 higher | −10.3 per 1,000#184 of 192 · 2025 | −3.1 per 1,000#160 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAlbania: 8.78× the refugees for its size | 9.13 per 1,000#19 of 190 · 2025 | 1.04 per 1,000#57 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyAlbania: 3.2 years longer | 79.8 years#42 of 192 · 2024 | 76.6 years#70 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAlbania: 3.32× the infant mortality | 8.3 per 1,000 births#120 of 191 · 2024 | 2.5 per 1,000 births#173 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNorth Macedonia: 1.56× the doctors per person | 1.88 per 1,000#85 of 178 · 2020 | 2.94 per 1,000#62 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentAlbania: 1.53× the university enrolment | 84.1%#16 of 145 · 2024 | 55.0%#66 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexNorth Macedonia: 0.005 higher | 0.810#70 of 190 · 2023 | 0.815#67 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaAlbania: 1.27× the income per person | $12,060#74 of 185 · 2025 | $9,490#82 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPAlbania: 1.6× the economy | $30.54B2025 | $19.1B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)About the same output per person | $28,221#73 of 184 · 2025 | $28,029#74 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthAlbania: 0.3 points higher | +3.8%#75 of 187 · 2025 | +3.5%#86 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNorth Macedonia: 2.0 points higher | +2.1%#116 of 176 · 2025 | +4.1%#52 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentNorth Macedonia: 1.13× the unemployment | 10.9%#31 of 178 · 2025 | 12.3%#23 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyNorth Macedonia: 13× the share in extreme poverty | 0.3%#116 of 149 · 2020 | 3.9%#59 of 149 · 2019 |
| Income inequality (Gini)North Macedonia: 4.1 higher | 29.4#124 of 149 · 2020 | 33.5#87 of 149 · 2019 |
| Jobs in agricultureAlbania: 22.3 points higher | 30.8% of jobs#58 of 178 · 2025 | 8.5% of jobs#116 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNorth Macedonia: 8.6 points higher | 22.0% of jobs#64 of 178 · 2025 | 30.6% of jobs#17 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNorth Macedonia: 13.7 points higher | 47.2% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 | 60.9% of jobs#81 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentAlbania: 2.6 points higher | 6.1% of GDP#31 of 184 · 2025 | 3.5% of GDP#56 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsNorth Macedonia: 22.6 points higher | 37.0% of GDP#80 of 168 · 2025 | 59.6% of GDP#34 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingAlbania: 1.03× the military spending | 2.0% of GDP#59 of 155 · 2025 | 2.0% of GDP#66 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersNorth Macedonia: 1.08× the share online | 86%#75 of 184 · 2024 | 93%#39 of 184 · 2025 |
| Mobile subscriptionsNorth Macedonia: 1.21× the mobile subscriptions | 89 per 100#142 of 191 · 2024 | 108 per 100#114 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaNorth Macedonia: 1.19× the forest share | 34% of land#88 of 192 · 2024 | 41% of land#65 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personNorth Macedonia: 2.23× the CO₂ per person | 1.79 t a year#108 of 185 · 2024 | 4.00 t a year#61 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyAlbania: 22.4 points higher | 41.9%#57 of 190 · 2021 | 19.5%#109 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)North Macedonia: 1.41× the air pollution | 15.5 µg/m³#113 of 191 · 2023 | 21.8 µg/m³#73 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNorth Macedonia: 5.4 points higher | 23.6% of land#54 of 191 · 2025 | 29.0% of land#37 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landAlbania: 5.3 points higher | 21.5% of land#51 of 190 · 2024 | 16.2% of land#66 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNorth Macedonia: 11.0× the water stress | 4.8%#120 of 176 · 2022 | 52.6%#35 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationAlbania: 2.4× the rain and snow | 1,485 mm#60 of 180 · 2022 | 619 mm#128 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNorth Macedonia: 0.29 higher | +0.09#98 of 193 · 2025 | +0.38#76 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionThe same | −0.30#102 of 193 · 2025 | −0.30#102 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateNorth Macedonia: 1.07× the homicide rate | 1.4 per 100,000#90 of 146 · 2023 | 1.5 per 100,000#86 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Parliamentary republic |
| Member of | NATO | NATO |
| Capital | Tirane | Skopje |
| Currency | Albanian lek (ALL) | Macedonian denar (MKD) |
| Official languages | Albanian | Albanian, Macedonian |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +355 | +389 |
| Region | Southern Europe, Europe | Southern Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Albania sits at about 41° N and is stretched to 1.76× its true area; North Macedonia at 42° N is stretched to 1.79×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Albania bigger than North Macedonia?
- Yes. Albania is 12% larger than North Macedonia. Albania covers 28,748 km² and North Macedonia covers 25,713 km².
- How many times does North Macedonia fit into Albania?
- About 1.1 times: Albania has 1.12× the area of North Macedonia.
- Why do Albania and North Macedonia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Albania is drawn about 1.76× its true area there and North Macedonia about 1.79×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Albania or North Macedonia?
- Albania: 2,349,580 people against 1,820,909. Density: Albania 82 per km², North Macedonia 71 per km².
- Which is richer, Albania or North Macedonia?
- By gross national income per person, Albania: $12,060 against $9,490 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.27× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Albania or North Macedonia?
- In Albania: life expectancy at birth is 79.8 years, against 76.6 — 3.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Albania and North Macedonia have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: parliamentary republic (CIA World Factbook).