Demographic profile of Gjirokastra region

Abstract

Nowadays, demographic change is one of the key challenges for local development, without forgetting, climate change, development of the green economy, inclusiveness and poverty. Strategic solutions cannot be based on addressing one of these factors alone but must take into account the interplay of these elements within a particular local area of development, urban or rural. (Cristina Martinez&al,2012). According to the latest administrative-territorial reform of local government, the number of municipalities in Albania, has been reduced from 370 to 61 municipalities, while the number of regions still remained unchanged at 12. The reform does not imply changes in the number of population at the region level, but has brought drastic changes at the municipality level. While the population at the national and regional level has been declined, the population in the new administrative units has been “increased” almost doubled, due to the merger of the former municipalities with rural areas, “bringing” in the same-time multiplication of problems related to the need of implementing efficient management of natural and human resources of new administrative units. More specifically in January 1,2021, the Albanian resident population has reached about 2.82 million inhabitants or a decrease compared to last year for about 0,6% and compared to year 2001 for about 8.3%. The only exception during this period is the year 2017 in which a positive population growth rate was recorded for about 0.03%. The highest annual rate decline of the national population for the same period, was recorded in 2020, estimated for about -0,58 %. The greatest positive contribution to the annual growth rate of national population is "offered" by Tirana and Durrës municipalities, meanwhile the rest of municipalities have contributed negatively to the annual growth rate of population.