Over 80% of the territory of the Korça Region results in no resident population in the standard territorial grid of 1 square kilometer, the highest level in the country. After Korça, Gjirokastra ranks with 77.5%, Vlora with 71.4% and Kukës with 70.7%, indicating the high degree of population concentration in a limited part of the territory. The data are published in the Final Report of the Administrative-Territorial Reform 2.0 and are based on the 2023 Census and the population distribution in the standard European grid of 1×1 km.
In Shkodra Region, 67.2% of the territory is uninhabited, in Dibër 62.3% and in Berat 60.8%. Lezha and Elbasan are close to the national average, with 54.3% and 53.6% respectively.
On the other hand, the highest concentration of population in the territory is observed in Durrës, where only 20.6% of the surface is uninhabited. Fier has 39.9% empty territory, while the Tirana Region has 43.7%.
The report estimates that on average, about 57% of the territory of Albanian municipalities has no population in 1 square kilometer cells. This shows that the country's population is not distributed uniformly, but is concentrated in cities, fields, valleys and certain residential corridors.
The difference is particularly strong in the mountainous regions and in the southeast. Korça, although it has one of the most consolidated urban centers in the country, has a vast territory where the population is sparse or absent.
The same phenomenon is seen in Gjirokastër, Kukës and parts of the Vlora district.
This structure has direct relevance for territorial reform. A municipality or region may have a relatively dense urban center, but at the same time administer large areas with very few inhabitants.
In these areas, costs for roads, transportation, social services, emergencies, and administration per capita can be significantly higher.
The report highlights precisely this problem when it explains that the traditional population density per square kilometer is not sufficient to understand how the territory is actually inhabited.
For this reason, the analysis is complemented with perceived density and indicators of spatial concentration of the population./ Monitor
