Albania Import Trade Data: $8.67 Billion in 2023, Up 3.1%

Albania's Top Import Sources in 2023

Albania imported $8.67 billion worth of goods in 2023, the latest year with verified trade data in this dataset. That total marks an increase of 3.1% over the $8.41 billion recorded in 2022, extending a run of growth that began after a sharp rebound in 2021. Italy was by far the largest source of Albania's imports, supplying 22.2% of the total, worth $1.93 billion, more than double what the second-ranked partner shipped in.

China followed at 10.7% ($931.49 million), ahead of Turkey at 9.7% ($840.63 million) and Germany at 7.1% ($613.57 million). Greece took fifth place at 6.5% ($565.85 million), followed by Serbia at 4.2% ($361.02 million) and India at 3.9% ($340.67 million). The United States supplied 2.0% ($173.63 million), while Poland and North Macedonia rounded out the top ten at 1.8% ($156.48 million) and 1.6% ($140.87 million). Together, the top three sources made up 42.7% of total import value.

Italy's share alone is more than double China's, the second-ranked source, underscoring a supply relationship shaped by geographic proximity and decades of manufacturing and shipping ties across the Adriatic. Beyond the top source, the remaining nine partners in the top ten are far more evenly spread, each supplying between roughly 1.6% and 10.7% of the total, a mix of major European economies, Asian manufacturers, and neighboring Balkan states rather than a small handful of dominant secondary suppliers. That combination of one outsized top source and a long, gradually tapering tail means shifts in Italian shipments carry more weight for Albania's overall import bill than a change in demand from any other single partner. It also leaves Albania's import bill more exposed to developments in a single supplier economy than a country whose top import sources are spread more evenly across two or three comparably sized partners.

Leading Import Categories

Mineral fuels, mineral oils, and related distillation products led all import categories in 2023, worth $947.42 million and accounting for 10.9% of total import value. Vehicles and related parts and accessories followed at 8.8%, worth $762.06 million, and electrical machinery and equipment ranked third at 7.9% ($683.41 million).

Machinery and mechanical appliances added 7.3% ($628.64 million), while iron and steel contributed 5.8% ($505.37 million). Plastics and related articles brought in 3.7% ($325.04 million), and pharmaceutical products added 3.1% ($266.80 million). Beverages, spirits, and vinegar contributed 2.4% ($208.85 million), iron or steel articles added 2.3% ($198.14 million), and apparel and clothing accessories not knitted or crocheted closed out the top ten at 2.1% ($186.29 million).

For exporters evaluating Albania as a destination market, the category mix points to steady demand for energy products, vehicles, and industrial machinery well ahead of anything else on the list, with iron, steel, and plastics forming a substantial second tier tied to construction and manufacturing activity. The presence of beverages, spirits, and vinegar in the top ten, alongside apparel, also points to a consumer goods segment worth targeting, even though neither category individually clears 3% of total import value. As with the partner rankings, the gap between the top four categories and the rest of the list is wide enough to suggest that ordering is relatively stable, while the categories from fifth place down are close enough to each other that smaller shifts in demand could reorder them from one year to the next. Taken together, the top ten categories span raw materials such as iron and steel, industrial inputs such as plastics and machinery parts, and finished consumer goods such as apparel and beverages, indicating that Albania's import demand is not limited to any single stage of the supply chain.

Import Growth Continues in 2023

The five-year trend shows imports climbing unevenly before settling into steadier growth, a shape that closely tracks the overall increase in the total. Imports moved from $5.91 billion in 2019 to $5.41 billion in 2020, then jumped to $7.73 billion in 2021 and further to $8.41 billion in 2022, before rising a more modest 3.1% to $8.67 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 five-year trajectory remains firmly upward, with the 2023 total running roughly 47% higher than the 2019 starting point.

This pattern is consistent with the customs-based trade statistics published by Albania's Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), which tracks monthly and annual import and export flows by partner country and product group. 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.