Albanians have the least cars in the whole of Europe, with just one in five citizens owning a vehicle, according to data from the Directorate of Road Transport at the end of 2021.
Data from the institute shows that there were 539,000 active or temporarily deregistered cars in circulation, equating to 192 vehicles per 1000 or o. two vehicles per inhabitant. This is significantly lower than the European average of 0.53.
Albania only surpasses Turkey in the region, which was 157 cars per 1000 inhabitants.
Almost 40% of all vehicles are registered in the capital of Tirana, leading to round-the-clock congestion and high levels of pollution. Rural areas have much lower levels, as do regional towns and cities.
In terms of brand, Mercedes Benz is the most popular, accounting for over 18% of all cars and vans, while Volkswagen accounts for 9.7% and Daimler with 4.9%.
At the European level, Eastern EU member states tend to have lower car ownership rates than western states. The highest motorisation rates were recorded in Italy, particularly Valle d’Aosta and Trento, with 1,787 and 1,285 vehicles per 1000 people, respectively. High numbers were also reported in Bolzano, Flevoland, and the Aland Islands.
Low car ownership rates were reported in Central Greece with 238 per 1000 and North Agean with 261 and French regions Mayotte and Peloponnese with 72 and 186 respectively.
