Albania has ranked number 54 out of 82 countries in the World Economic Forum Global Social Mobility Report 2020.
The report looked at 10 different indicators spanning healthcare, education, technology, work, resilience and the effectiveness of institutions to come up with an overall score out of 100, with 100 being the best. Albania totalled 56 points out of a possible 100, ranking alongside Georgia and Thailand, but below Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Serbia.
Albania scored well in terms of its population’s health with low levels of malnourishment, good access to healthcare, and an average rate of births to adolescents. It ranked number 37 globally.
In terms of education, Albania scored just over half of the available points. Some 70.7% of disadvantaged students in schools reported a lack of educational materials and a low level of social diversity was observed. According to the report, more can be done to improve pupil per teacher in primary and secondary education.
Less than half of employers offered formal training and the population has a less than optimum grasp of digital skills. The report also noted a low score for active labour market policies, ranking at 62 out of 82.
In terms of connectivity, 71.8% of the population use the internet and 99.2% of the country is covered by 3G. While 100% of the population has access to electricity, not all schools have access to the internet according to the report.
Some 19.% of those holding degrees were unemployed, along with 20.4% of those with a college education, and 13.8% of those with basic education. This shows that those with a higher level of education are more likely to be unemployed, something that could be contributing to the ‘brain drain’ situation. Sadly, over half of the workers are in vulnerable employment and are at risk of losing their jobs.
Albania fares well in terms of working conditions ranking at number 18 overall, but losing points for 10% of employees working more than 48 hours a week.
In terms of social protection, the country ranks badly with just 11.9% of GDP being spent on this. The overall social safety net for Albanian workers is just 2.3 out of 7, ranking at number 72 worldwide.
Last but not least, it will come as no surprise that Albania ranked poorly in terms of corruption perceptions, gaining just 36 points out of a possible 100. Government and public services were deemed as not very efficient or politically stable.
By far its worst ranking was for work opportunities, a reality that can be seen in the vast number of Albanians looking to leave.
