Evolution of Active Enterprises in Albania, 2015-2025

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This analytical report, prepared by ALTAX – Centre for Fiscal and Economic Research, provides an integrated assessment of the evolution of active enterprises in Albania over the period 2015–2025. The analysis draws on data from the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), reports from the Department of Development Programming and Foreign Aid (DPT) and macroeconomic statistics from the Bank of Albania.
The report covers four key dimensions of economic structure: the number and dynamics of active enterprises; the trajectory of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and its correlation with the business base; the sectoral and size structure of enterprises; and employment dynamics along with average productivity per business unit.
The period 2015–2025 marks a gradual transformation of the Albanian economy: from a structure dominated by many small businesses with low productivity, towards a model with higher average economic activity and output per business unit – despite the relatively stable number of enterprises overall.

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Description

This analytical report examines the evolution of active enterprises in Albania during the period 2015–2025, integrating business demography data with macroeconomic indicators. The analysis shows that the number of enterprises has remained relatively stable – peaking at 162,835 units in 2018 and declining to approximately 116,000 in 2021 (primarily due to methodological corrections) – while nominal GDP has nearly tripled, from EUR 10.3 billion (2015) to approximately EUR 25 billion (2024).

The economic structure remains highly fragmented: over 88% of enterprises have fewer than five employees, and approximately 86% operate in the services sector. The report identifies three transformation phases – fragmentation (2015–2018), transition (2019–2021) and consolidation (2022–2025) – drawing policy implications for industrial diversification and economic formalisation.

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