Foreign Trade in Figures
Albania’s foreign trade represents 82% of its GDP and is primarily conducted with Europe (World Bank, latest data available). According to data by INSTAT, in 2024, the country’s main exports were textile and footwear (28.7%), minerals, fuels, electricity (21.4%), construction materials and metals (18.9%), food, beverages, tobacco (12.6%), and machinery, equipment and spare parts (8.9%); whereas imports were led by machinery, equipment and spare parts (26.7%), food, beverages, tobacco (17.5%), construction materials and metals (13.4%), chemical and plastic products (13.0%), minerals, fuels, electricity (10.4%), and textile and footwear (9.7%).
In terms of countries, in 2024, the main export partners were Italy (43.7%), Kosovo (9.9%), Greece (6.3%), Spain (3.5%), and North Macedonia (3.2%), with imports coming chiefly from Italy (21.2%), followed by China (10.9%), Turkey (10.8%), Greece (7.6%), Germany (7.2%). In 2006, Albania signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU, ratified in 2009, which liberalized trade by reducing duties and non-tariff restrictions on agricultural and industrial goods. The country is also a member of the multilateral Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) and has signed several free trade agreements.
Albania's trade balance is structurally in deficit, mainly because exports are neither sufficiently diversified nor competitive in terms of price, and because of the country’s narrow production base. In 2023, merchandise exports were stable y-o-y at USD 4.3 billion, while imports increased by 2.5%, reaching USD 8.6 billion. However, the country is a net exporter of commercial services, which amounted to USD 7.2 billion against USD 3.4 billion in imports (+43.3% and +38.3% y-o-y, respectively - data from WTO). According to the World Bank, the country’s trade deficit stood at 5.2% of its GDP, narrowing from 10.3% one year earlier. Data from the Institute of Statistics indicates that Albania's trade deficit for goods increased by 20.7% on the year to USD 5.5 billion in 2024, as imports grew 2.5% against a 15.3% decline in exports.
| Foreign Trade Values |
2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Imports of Goods (million USD) |
5,897 | 5,570 | 7,718 | 8,399 | 8,613 |
| Exports of Goods (million USD) |
2,716 | 2,506 | 3,559 | 4,309 | 4,324 |
| Imports of Services (million USD) |
2,394 | 1,343 | 1,996 | 2,513 | 3,477 |
| Exports of Services (million USD) |
3,808 | 2,552 | 4,117 | 5,019 | 7,193 |
Source: World Trade Organisation (WTO) ; Latest available data
| Foreign Trade Indicators |
2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Foreign Trade (in % of GDP) |
75.4 | 59.5 | 75.6 | 84.7 | 82.5 |
| Trade Balance (million USD) |
-3,517 | -3,420 | -4,514 | -4,467 | -4,912 |
| Trade Balance (Including Service) (million USD) |
-2,103 | -2,210 | -2,392 | -1,960 | -1,275 |
| Imports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) |
2.5 | -19.8 | 32.5 | 11.5 | 0.2 |
| Exports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) |
2.5 | -27.7 | 52.1 | 17.0 | 9.5 |
| Imports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) |
44.4 | 37.0 | 44.5 | 47.5 | 43.8 |
| Exports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) |
30.9 | 22.5 | 31.1 | 37.2 | 38.7 |
Source: World Bank ; Latest available data
| Foreign Trade Forecasts |
2024 | 2025 (e) | 2026 (e) | 2027 (e) | 2028 (e) |
| Volume of exports of goods and services (Annual % change) |
7.8 | 6.9 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.7 |
| Volume of imports of goods and services (Annual % change) |
11.6 | 7.5 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 4.4 |
Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook ; Latest available data
Note: (e) Estimated Data
- International Economic Cooperation
-
Member of the IMF, the World Bank and the Council of Europe.
Main Partner Countries
Main Customers
(% of Exports) |
2022 |
| Italy |
49.5% |
| Serbia |
10.2% |
| Montenegro |
7.9% |
| Greece |
6.8% |
| North Macedonia |
5.5% |
| Spain |
4.4% |
| Germany |
2.6% |
| Türkiye |
1.7% |
| Croatia |
1.1% |
| Slovakia |
1.1% |
| Malta |
1.1% |
| Bulgaria |
1.0% |
| Czech Republic |
0.9% |
| Austria |
0.7% |
| Romania |
0.7% |
| France |
0.6% |
| Hungary |
0.6% |
| Sweden |
0.5% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina |
0.5% |
| Netherlands |
0.3% |
| See More Countries |
20.1% |
Main Suppliers
(% of Imports) |
2022 |
| Italy |
23.4% |
| Türkiye |
12.0% |
| Greece |
10.1% |
| Serbia |
6.3% |
| Germany |
4.6% |
| China |
4.2% |
| Slovenia |
3.2% |
| North Macedonia |
2.8% |
| Switzerland |
2.5% |
| Egypt |
2.4% |
| Bulgaria |
1.8% |
| Spain |
1.8% |
| Romania |
1.5% |
| Croatia |
1.5% |
| Saudi Arabia |
1.5% |
| Poland |
1.4% |
| Netherlands |
1.3% |
| Hungary |
1.3% |
| Algeria |
1.1% |
| See More Countries |
43.6% |
Source: Comtrade,
2024. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.
Main Products
| 4.3 bn USD of products exported in 2022 |
| Ferro-alloysFerro-alloys |
4.9% |
| Footwear with outer soles of rubber, plastics,...Footwear with outer soles of rubber, plastics, leather or composition leather and uppers of leather (excl. orthopaedic footwear, skating boots with ice or roller skates attached, and toy footwear) |
0.7% |
| Men's or boys' shirts (excl. knitted or crocheted,...Men's or boys' shirts (excl. knitted or crocheted, nightshirts, singlets and other vests) |
0.3% |
| Cucumbers and gherkins, fresh or chilledCucumbers and gherkins, fresh or chilled |
0.2% |
| Electrical energyElectrical energy |
0.2% |
| Plants and parts of plants, incl. seeds and fruits...Plants and parts of plants, incl. seeds and fruits, of a kind used primarily in perfumery, medicaments or for insecticidal, fungicidal or similar purposes, fresh or dried, whether or not cut, crushed or powdered |
0.2% |
| Cloth, incl. endless bands, grill, netting and...Cloth, incl. endless bands, grill, netting and fencing, of iron or steel wire, expanded metal of iron or steel (excl. woven products of metal fibres of a kind used for cladding, lining or similar purposes) |
0.2% |
| Other vegetables, fresh or chilled (excl. potatoes...Other vegetables, fresh or chilled (excl. potatoes, tomatoes, alliaceous vegetables, edible brassicas, lettuce "Lactuca sativa" and chicory "Cichorium spp.", carrots, turnips, salad beetroot, salsify, celeriac, radishes and similar edible roots, cucumbers and gherkins, and leguminous vegatables) |
0.2% |
| Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous...Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals (excl. crude); preparations containing >= 70% by weight of petroleum oils or of oils obtained from bituminous minerals, these oils being the basic constituents of the preparations, n.e.s.; waste oils containing mainly petroleum or bituminous minerals |
0.2% |
| Furniture and parts thereof, n.e.s. (excl. seats...Furniture and parts thereof, n.e.s. (excl. seats and medical, surgical, dental or veterinary furniture) |
0.1% |
| See More Products |
93.7% |
| 8.4 bn USD of products imported in 2022 |
| Medicaments consisting of mixed or unmixed...Medicaments consisting of mixed or unmixed products for therapeutic or prophylactic uses, put up in measured doses "incl. those in the form of transdermal administration" or in forms or packings for retail sale (excl. goods of heading 3002, 3005 or 3006) |
0.6% |
| Motor cars and other motor vehicles principally...Motor cars and other motor vehicles principally designed for the transport of persons, incl. station wagons and racing cars (excl. motor vehicles of heading 8702) |
0.5% |
| Crustaceans, whether in shell or not, live, fresh,...Crustaceans, whether in shell or not, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine, even smoked, incl. crustaceans in shell cooked by steaming or by boiling in water; flours, meals and pellets of crustaceans, fit for human consumption |
0.4% |
| Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous...Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals (excl. crude); preparations containing >= 70% by weight of petroleum oils or of oils obtained from bituminous minerals, these oils being the basic constituents of the preparations, n.e.s.; waste oils containing mainly petroleum or bituminous minerals |
0.3% |
| Parts and accessories for tractors, motor vehicles...Parts and accessories for tractors, motor vehicles for the transport of ten or more persons, motor cars and other motor vehicles principally designed for the transport of persons, motor vehicles for the transport of goods and special purpose motor vehicles of heading 8701 to 8705, n.e.s. |
0.2% |
| Unwrought aluminiumUnwrought aluminium |
0.2% |
| New pneumatic tyres, of rubberNew pneumatic tyres, of rubber |
0.2% |
| Organic surface-active agents (excl. soap);...Organic surface-active agents (excl. soap); surface-active preparations, washing preparations, incl. auxiliary washing preparations, and cleaning preparations, whether or not containing soap (excl. those of heading 3401) |
0.2% |
| Leather further prepared after tanning or crusting...Leather further prepared after tanning or crusting "incl. parchment-dressed leather", of bovine "incl. buffalo" or equine animals, without hair on, whether or not split (excl. chamois leather, patent leather and patent laminated leather, and metallised leather) |
0.2% |
| Automatic data-processing machines and units...Automatic data-processing machines and units thereof; magnetic or optical readers, machines for transcribing data onto data media in coded form and machines for processing such data, n.e.s. |
0.1% |
| Undenatured ethyl alcohol of an alcoholic strength...Undenatured ethyl alcohol of an alcoholic strength of < 80%; spirits, liqueurs and other spirituous beverages (excl. compound alcoholic preparations of a kind used for the manufacture of beverages) |
0.1% |
| Air conditioning machines comprising a...Air conditioning machines comprising a motor-driven fan and elements for changing the temperature and humidity, incl. those machines in which the humidity cannot be separately regulated; parts thereof |
0.1% |
| Beauty or make-up preparations and preparations...Beauty or make-up preparations and preparations for the care of the skin, incl. sunscreen or suntan preparations (excl. medicaments); manicure or pedicure preparations |
0.1% |
| Jerseys, pullovers, cardigans, waistcoats and...Jerseys, pullovers, cardigans, waistcoats and similar articles, knitted or crocheted (excl. wadded waistcoats) |
0.1% |
| Textile fabrics impregnated, coated, covered or...Textile fabrics impregnated, coated, covered or laminated with plastics (excl. tyre cord fabric of high-tenacity yarn of nylon or other polyamides, polyesters or viscose rayon; wallcoverings impregnated or covered with textile materials; floor coverings consisting of a textile backing and a top layer or covering of plastics) |
0.1% |
| See More Products |
98.0% |
Source: Comtrade,
2024. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.
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Albania: Economic and Political Overview
