Albania continues to have one of the lowest numbers of doctors per capita in the Western Balkans, remaining far below the European Union average.
According to 2025 data from the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw), Albania had 22.7 doctors per 10,000 residents, or just 53% of the European Union average.
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Compared with countries in the region, Albania is ahead of only Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, while the gap with the other countries is considerable.
North Macedonia has the highest number of doctors relative to its population, with 33.8 per 10,000 residents, followed by Serbia with 32.3 and Montenegro with 27.9. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the figure is 21.1 doctors per 10,000 residents, while in Kosovo it falls to 19, the lowest level in the region.
The gap is particularly large with North Macedonia, which has around 49% more doctors per capita than Albania. Serbia also has around 42% more doctors relative to its population.
The disparity is even more apparent in comparison with the European Union. According to wiiw, North Macedonia stands at 79% of the European average, Serbia at 76% and Montenegro at 65%. Albania remains at 53%, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo reach 49% and 44% of the EU average, respectively.
The 2025 data also show a deterioration in Albania’s relative position compared with the European average, with a decline of 0.9 percentage points from the previous year.
The decline is steeper in Kosovo, at 3.8 percentage points, and in North Macedonia, at 2 percentage points. Montenegro recorded a decline of 1.1 percentage points, Serbia one point and Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.1 percentage points.
All six Western Balkan countries lost ground relative to the EU average in 2025, widening the gap in medical staffing.
For Albania, the low number of doctors relative to its population remains a challenge for the healthcare system, particularly in ensuring access to services and meeting the population’s growing need for medical care.
Although the number of doctors per capita is not the only indicator of healthcare quality, the large gap with the European average reflects the need to strengthen human resources in this sector./Monitor
