Although the stock of cars circulating in the country is growing, a large portion of Albanians still claim that they cannot afford to buy a vehicle today.
According to data published by Eurostat, 41% of Albanians declared in 2023 that they could not afford to buy a personal car. This figure is much higher than the European Union average of 5.6% in 2023 and 5.5% in 2025.
The figure is also the highest in the region. 16% of Serbs declared in 2023 that they could not afford to buy a vehicle. In 2025, the indicator dropped slightly to 15%.
In North Macedonia, only 13% cannot afford to buy a vehicle, according to data referring to 2024. In Montenegro, the percentage is even lower, only 8.9% in 2024. Data for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo are missing.
The highest percentage of Albanians who declare that they cannot buy a car is among people who are single, with 66% of men in this category and 88% of women.
Although the number of vehicles in circulation has increased significantly in recent years, with around 100 thousand cars registered for the first time in 2024 and 2025 respectively, Albania still continues to be one of the countries with the lowest number of vehicles in relation to population.
According to other data from the General Directorate of Road Transport (GDRT), at the end of 2025, there were a total of 847 thousand personal vehicles in circulation in the country.
In relation to the population, more than one in three residents owns a car, or 360 cars per 1,000 inhabitants. This figure is almost half the European Union average of 578 cars per 1,000 inhabitants, according to other Eurostat data.
However, after the downward revision of the population, Albania has moved from the bottom of the list and ranks third in the region, behind Montenegro (442) and approaching Serbia (394), while leaving behind North Macedonia (338) and Bosnia (338).
In Europe, Kosovo (241) and Turkey (203) have the fewest cars.
The record is held by Italy, with 709 cars per 1,000 inhabitants, followed by Finland (671), Cyprus (670).
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According to Eurostat, in 2025, 5.5% of the European Union population could not afford a car for personal use, according to Eurostat. The highest percentage was recorded in Finland, at 11.3%, followed by Hungary at 10.4% and Bulgaria at 10.0%.
On the other hand, the lowest levels were recorded in Cyprus (1.6%), Slovenia (1.7%) and Croatia (2.6%). The indicator measures the share of the population living in households that declare that they do not have the financial means to own a car for personal use./ Monitor
