The demographic and economic development of Albania during and after the decline of Communist regime (1945-2010)

Abstract

During the communist regime Albania was very close to the foreigner’s. The reality was totally different of what it was proclaimed by the government. The collapse of communist regime in 1990 opened Albania and its people to a new reality. The first who migrated were shocked to witness the prosperity of the Western Europe, while they had spent their lives believing to live in the most developed country in the world. This paper is focused on the development of population and economy during and after the collapse of communist regime in 1990. The changes are evident in number of population, age and sex structure, number of marriages and divorces etc. About the economy the paper analyzes the influence of soviet model in Albanian economy during the communism and the main changes that transformed a central controlled economy to a free market economy.

Keywords: Albania, demography, economy.