Country Comparisons: chart
World Factbook: "Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a dilapidated physical infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents."
Economic growth rate
2011: 2.5%
2010: 3.5%
2009: 3.3%
Labor force in agriculture:
2010: 47.8%
Unemployment
2011: 3.4%
2010: 13.7%
Public debt
54.9% of GDP
export/import ratio
2011: exports $1.886 billion, imports $5.022 billion
Export commodities
Textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco
Export partners
2010: Italy 50.8%, Kosovo 6.2%, Turkey 5.9%, Greece 5.4%, China 5.5%
Income Distribution – gini index
Ranks 91st among 140 countries (higher rank number is more equal, lower rank number is less equal. Less equal than Britain, which ranks 94th, and more equal than the US, which ranks 45th.
Health expenditures
2009: 6.9% of GDP
Living in an urban area:
2010: 52%
2008: 47%
Net migration rate
2012: Net loss of 3.33 persons per 1,000 population per year
Ethnic groups
1989: Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma,, Serb, Macedonian, Bulgarian).
Religions
Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%. (World Factbook note: "percentages are estimates; there are no available current statistics on religious affiliation; all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice".
On the Adriatic Sea in southeastern Europe.
World Factbook: "An emerging democracy." Capital: Tirana
Chief of state: Bujar Nishani (president) since 24 June 2012, Democratic Party of Albania (center-right, pro-Europe). Head of government: Sali Berisha (prime minister) since 10 September 2005, former university professor, Democratic Party of Albania.
Wikipedia: From 1993 human resources in sciences and technology have drastically decreased. Various surveys show that during 1991–2005, approximately 50% of the professors and research scientists of the universities and science institutions in the country have emigrated.
World Factbook 2007: "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."
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