In the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, Albania has experienced a noticeable increase in the number of emigrants returning home. At first glance, this trend may seem encouraging, suggesting renewed confidence in the country and stronger ties to family and homeland. However, recent data show a far more troubling reality: while return migration has grown, conditions for reintegration into Albanian society have significantly worsened, increasing the risk of re-emigration and deepening long-term demographic challenges.
According to the latest Migration Survey conducted by INSTAT, nearly 108,000 Albanian emigrants returned between 2012 and 2024, with 45% of them returning after the pandemic (2020–2024). This marks the highest concentration of returnees in any single period over the past two decades. By contrast, during earlier five-year intervals between 2000 and 2019, return migration accounted for only 10–19% of total returns.
Albania Versus the Region: A Missed Opportunity
While Albania struggles to reintegrate its returning emigrants, several other Balkan countries—such as Romania, Bulgaria, and Serbia—are experiencing a reversal of migration flows, where returns now exceed departures. These countries have invested more aggressively in labor market access, social protection, and reintegration programs, transforming return migration into a development opportunity.
Albania, on the other hand, appears to be “killing hope twice” for its returnees: first by failing to retain them initially, and second by failing to support them adequately upon return.
Who Are the Returnees?
The survey reveals that 67% of returnees came back earlier than planned and not by choice. This group is predominantly male and faces more severe reintegration difficulties. Early returns are most commonly linked to:
- Job loss in the host country
- Lack of employment opportunities
- Administrative or legal problems abroad
In contrast, migrants who returned as planned were more likely to do so after completing seasonal work, finishing contracts, or achieving financial goals, such as saving enough money to invest or support their families.
Family Reasons Still Matter
Despite economic pressures, family remains a central motivation for return migration. Overall, 28% of all returnees cited family reasons as their main reason for coming back to Albania. This figure rises to 31% among early returnees, while remaining high at 23% among planned returnees.
These findings highlight the strong emotional and social ties Albanians maintain with their homeland. However, emotional attachment alone is not enough to ensure sustainable reintegration, especially in the absence of supportive economic and institutional conditions.
Reintegration Is Getting Worse, Not Better
One of the most alarming findings of the INSTAT survey is that access to employment and public services for returnees has deteriorated compared to pre-pandemic periods. Many returnees struggle to find stable jobs that match their skills and experience gained abroad. Others face bureaucratic barriers when trying to access healthcare, education, or social services.
As a result, return migration is increasingly becoming a temporary pause rather than a permanent decision.
The data show that 13% of returned emigrants are preparing to leave Albania again within one year, compared to an almost negligible 1% among non-emigrants. This stark contrast underlines the depth of dissatisfaction among returnees and signals the emergence of a new cycle of emigration.
A New Profile of Albanian Emigration
Post-pandemic migration patterns suggest the emergence of a new profile of Albanian emigrants and returnees. Unlike earlier waves driven mainly by long-term settlement abroad, today’s migrants are more mobile, more pragmatic, and more responsive to economic shocks.
Returnees now often compare Albania not to the past, but to the standards and systems they experienced abroad. When local institutions fail to meet these expectations—especially in employment, wages, and public services—the incentive to re-emigrate grows stronger.
Economic and Social Consequences
The inability to retain returned migrants has serious implications for Albania’s future. Many returnees bring back valuable skills, work discipline, and international experience, which could contribute to productivity and development. Losing them again means:
- Continued labor shortages
- Accelerated population decline
- Loss of human capital
- Increased dependence on remittances
Without targeted reintegration policies, Albania risks remaining trapped in a cycle of departure, return, and re-departure.
What Needs to Change?
To transform return migration into a sustainable advantage, Albania must prioritize:
- Active labor market policies tailored for returnees
- Recognition of skills and qualifications gained abroad
- Easier access to public services and social protection
- Incentives for entrepreneurship and investment
- Transparent and efficient institutions
Return migration should not be treated as a statistical success, but as a policy responsibility.
The rise in post-pandemic return migration shows that Albanians are still willing to come back home. However, worsening reintegration conditions are pushing many to consider leaving again. Without decisive reforms, Albania risks turning return migration into yet another lost opportunity—deepening emigration instead of reversing it.