Albania Export Trade Data: $4.37 Billion in 2023, Up 1.6%

Albania's Top Export Destinations in 2023

Albania exported $4.37 billion worth of goods in 2023, the latest year with verified trade data in this dataset. That total marks an increase of 1.6% over the $4.31 billion recorded in 2022, extending a run of growth that began after a sharp rebound in 2021. Italy stood far above every other destination, absorbing 42.9% of total exports, worth $1.88 billion. No other single partner came close, since Italy alone received more than Albania's next eight partners combined, a level of concentration that marks this as one of the more lopsided partner profiles in the dataset.

Serbia ranked a distant second at 11.5% ($505.18 million), ahead of Greece at 6.5% ($284.74 million) and Germany at 5.2% ($229.55 million). Spain took fifth place at 4.3% ($187.77 million), followed by North Macedonia at 3.6% ($158.93 million). China and the United States were nearly tied at 2.3% and 2.2% respectively, worth $100.09 million and $97.83 million, while Montenegro and Slovakia rounded out the top ten at 2.2% ($95.65 million) and 1.5% ($63.95 million). Together, the top three destinations made up 61.0% of total export value.

That level of concentration sets Albania apart from many of the trade profiles in this dataset, where the top three partners typically split total value more evenly. Italy's proximity across the Adriatic, along with decades of manufacturing subcontracting ties in textiles, footwear, and light industry, helps explain why a single market absorbs such an outsized share of what Albania ships abroad. The remaining seven partners in the top ten are comparatively modest by contrast, each holding under 12% of the total, underscoring how much of Albania's export performance still rides on demand from one neighboring economy. A slowdown in Italian demand would carry far more weight for Albania's overall export total than a similar slowdown would for a country with a more evenly spread partner base.

Leading Export Categories

Mineral fuels, mineral oils, and related distillation products led all export categories in 2023, worth $692.73 million and accounting for 15.8% of total export value. Footwear and related articles followed at 12.6%, worth $550.55 million, and iron and steel ranked third at 10.3% ($451.14 million).

Apparel and clothing accessories not knitted or crocheted added 8.6% ($376.77 million), while electrical machinery and equipment contributed 6.7% ($292.67 million). Knitted or crocheted apparel and clothing accessories brought in 6.3% ($275.52 million), a category that together with its non-knitted counterpart points to textiles and garment manufacturing as a substantial share of Albania's export base. Aluminium and related articles added 3.2% ($139.53 million), ores, slag, and ash contributed 3.2% ($137.82 million), edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers added 2.9% ($125.63 million), and iron or steel articles closed out the top ten at 2.6% ($113.82 million).

For buyers evaluating Albania as a supply source, the category mix reflects a combination of energy products, light manufacturing, and metals rather than a single dominant sector. Footwear and apparel combined, spanning both knitted and non-knitted categories, account for close to a quarter of total export value, pointing to garment and footwear manufacturing as one of the most substantial pillars of Albania's export economy alongside mineral fuels and metals. The presence of both raw materials, such as iron, steel, and ores, and finished consumer goods, such as footwear and apparel, in the same top ten suggests an export base that spans several stages of the manufacturing chain rather than sitting at just one end of it.

Steady Growth Continues in 2023

The five-year trend shows exports climbing unevenly before settling into steadier growth. Exports moved from $2.72 billion in 2019 to $2.42 billion in 2020, then jumped to $3.56 billion in 2021 and further to $4.31 billion in 2022, before rising a more modest 1.6% to $4.37 billion in 2023. That pattern points to a period of rapid catch-up growth in 2021 and 2022 giving way to a calmer, more incremental pace in the most recent year, even as the overall trajectory across the five years remains firmly upward, with the 2023 total running well above 60% higher than the 2019 starting point.

This pattern fits the wider picture described by the World Bank, which points to strengthening regional trade ties and steady manufacturing investment as factors supporting Albania's export growth in recent years. For a closer look at how individual partner countries or product categories break down year over year, the data panels above provide the full detail behind these figures.