Immigration reaches the highest level of the decade..

From Albania, in 2019 about 44 thousand people left, as immigrants the highest level since 2014, according to statistics published by INSTAT. While more and more people are fleeing, fewer and fewer are preferring to return. 20.7 thousand immigrants have returned to the country, which is the lowest level since 2010, when INSTAT reports data. As a result, net migration (the gap between fleeing migrants and immigrants) has widened, reaching about 23,000 people who left the country in 2019, the highest level since at least 2011. when INSTAT statistics are available. On average, about 400 thousand people left the country during the period 2011-2019. For the same period, another 236 thousand have returned, causing about 164 thousand people to leave the country net. In addition to the increase in net migration, Albania is also suffering from natural contraction, with the number of deaths being equal to that of births. According to INSTAT, due to the decline in births and high emigration, Albania's population decreased by 16.5 thousand last year. Albania's population on January 1, 2020 is 2,845,955 inhabitants, down 0.6% compared to January 1, 2019. During 2019, 28,561 babies were born, down 1.3% from a year earlier. The number of deaths in 2019 is 21,937 people, an increase of 0.6% compared to a year ago. Meanwhile, the population is aging. On January 1, 2020, the median age of the population was 37.2 years from 36.7 on January 1, 2019. Population aging and the resurgence of immigration are expected to have a negative impact on the country's future, both in terms of labor productivity and the pension scheme, writes 'monitor'. In recent years, businesses are feeling the pressure of finding skilled labor, as a result of the increasing tendency of professionals to flee, especially information technology specialists and doctors and nurses. The situation created by Covid-19 has temporarily curbed the trend of emigration, but if poverty increases in the country, this phenomenon may revive again.