The pandemic and catastrophic earthquake that struck the country in November 2019 increased poverty in Albania and remains the highest in the region, according to Skopje's Nezavisen newspaper.
In 2020, a third of the population lives on less than $ 5.5 a day.
"In Albania in 2020, which coincides with the culmination of the Covid-19 pandemic, a third of the population, or 32.6 per cent, is considered poor, compared to 31.8 per cent the previous year. At the same time, the social protection of the population is among the lowest. By 2021, the poverty rate is expected to fall slightly to 30.8 percent, according to the latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) progress report.
It adds that Albania's poverty rate is one of the highest in the Western Balkans, while social security is among the lowest.
The IMF estimates that poverty in the country has increased by 0.8 percentage points since the earthquake and pandemic, returning to a partial deterioration after a period of improvement that began in 2014. Thanks to a strong economic recovery in 2021 and government support measures , The World Bank estimates a decline in poverty below pre-pandemic levels in 2021, reports Top Channel.
As for the countries in the region, the poverty rate in Kosovo has increased to 23.4% in 2020 (from 20.9% in 2019). In Macedonia, the figure reached 18 per cent (from 16.9 per cent), while in Montenegro it increased significantly, from 14.5 per cent to 20 per cent. The lowest poverty is in Serbia, 17.4% almost unchanged from the year before the pandemic (17.3%).
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