Housing overcrowding remains one of the most serious social problems in Albania. The latest report by Eurostat highlights that 57.1% of Albanians live in overcrowded dwellings, ranking the country second in Europe—after Montenegro—for severe difficulties in housing conditions and overall living standards.
According to the official definition, a dwelling is considered overcrowded when it does not meet the minimum number of rooms required for the household composition. This minimum includes: one room for the household, one room for each couple, one room for each single person aged 18 or over, or one room for every two children of the same sex aged between 12 and 17.
The phenomenon of housing overcrowding is not limited to Albania alone. At the European level, data show that in 2024 around 16.9% of the population of the European Union lived in overcrowded housing.
The report notes that the situation remains concerning in several EU member states, with more than 30% of the population in five member countries living in overcrowded conditions.
Experts warn that housing overcrowding has direct consequences for individuals’ health, well-being, and social development—particularly for children—making it a serious social and economic issue that requires increased institutional attention.