Xifres de comerç exterior d'Albània

Foreign Trade in Figures

Albania’s foreign trade represents 85% of its GDP and is primarily conducted with Europe (World Bank, latest data available). The country mainly imports machinery and equipment, minerals and metals, textiles and clothing, petroleum products, foodstuffs, and chemicals. In 2022, Albania's exports primarily consisted of minerals, textiles and footwear, agricultural products, metals, and energy products. Minerals, especially chromium ore, represent a significant portion of Albania's exports, leveraging its rich natural resources.

In terms of country, in 2022, the main export partners were Italy (49.5%), Serbia (10.2%), Montenegro (7.9%), Greece (6.8%), North Macedonia (5.5%), and Spain (4.4%); whereas imports came chiefly from Italy (23.4%), Turkey (12.0%), Greece (10.1%), Serbia (6.3%), and Germany (4.6% - data from Comtrade). Albania sourced 51.6% of its imports from the EU in 2022, while 76% of its exports were destined for EU countries.

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 2022, merchandise exports reached USD 4.3 billion (+21% y-o-y), while imports increased at a slower pace (8.8%), reaching USD 8.4 billion. However, the country is a net exporter of commercial services, which amounted to USD 5 billion against USD 2.5 billion in imports (+21.9% and +25.9% y-o-y, respectively - data from WTO). According to the World Bank, the country’s trade deficit stood at 10.4% of its GDP. Data from the Institute of Statistics indicates that Albania’s exports fell by 9.5% to ALL 440.3 billion, while imports declined by 8.2% to ALL 872.6 billion.