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On the Adriatic Sea in southeastern Europe. Capital: Tirana
CIA Factbook: "An emerging democracy."
Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.
Factbook: "Lagging behind its Balkan neighbors, Albania is making the difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. Macroeconomic growth has averaged around 5% over the last five years and inflation is low and stable. The government has taken measures to curb violent crime, and recently adopted a fiscal reform package aimed at reducing the large gray economy and attracting foreign investment. The economy is bolstered by annual remittances from abroad representing about 15% of GDP, mostly from Albanians residing in Greece and Italy; this helps offset the towering trade deficit."
Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.
Estimated per capita GDP:
2008 $6,000
2007 $5,700
2006 $5,400
GDP annual growth rate:
2008: 6.1%
2007: 6%
2006: 5.5%
Unemployment rate:
2008: 12.5%
2007: 13.2%
Agriculture is 49 percent of its GDP.
Deaths 5.44. Births 15.22
Estimate for July 2008: 3.619 million. Growth rate: 0.538 percent per year.
Persons per square kilometer of arable land: 616.6
More leaving than arriving, for a net loss of 4.41 per 1,000 population -- people leaving for work and sending money back to families.
Infant mortality estimated for 2008: 19.31, down from 21.52 in 2005 (deaths before the age of one year, per 1,000 live births.
Average life expectancy at birth estimated for 2008: 77.78
Albanian 95 percent, Greek 3 percent, other 2 percent (1989 est.)
Muslim 70 percent, Albanian Orthodox 20percent, Roman Catholic 10 percent
SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Copyright © 2008 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.