If you lived in Albania instead of Serbia, you would:

Health

live 3.8 years longer

In Serbia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 81.8% less likely to die by suicide

Serbia has a suicide rate of 15.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Albania, it is 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 10.5% more likely to be obese

In Serbia, 21.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 36.4% less spent on your healthcare

Serbia spends $2,303 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Albania spends $1,465 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 39.4% fewer doctors per person

Serbia has 31.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Albania has 18.8 as of 2020.

View global rankings →

have 11.1% less access to essential health services

Serbia scores 72 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Albania scores 64 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 53.5% more likely to be unemployed

In Serbia, 7.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Albania, that number is 10.9% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 14.8% less money

Serbia has a GDP per capita of $15,262 as of 2025, while in Albania, the GDP per capita is $12,998 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 36.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Serbia, approximately 11.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Albania, 7.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 10.1% more children

In Serbia, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Albania, there are 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 80.4% more likely to die during infancy

In Serbia, approximately 4.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Albania, on the other hand, 8.3 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 12.2% less on healthcare

Serbia spends 8.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Albania, that number is 7.0% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 45.9% more likely to die in a road accident

In Serbia, road accidents kill 7.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Albania, they kill 10.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 16.6% less strain on fresh water

Serbia withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Albania withdraws 5% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

find 25.4% less home broadband

Serbia has 33.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Albania has 24.9 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

use 43.2% less electricity

Serbia uses 5,090 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Albania uses 2,892 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 31.1% more likely to die from air pollution

In Serbia, air pollution causes 45.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Albania, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Albania: At a glance

Albania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 27,398 sq km. Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939, and occupied by Germany in 1943. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997; however, each of Albania's post-communist elections have been marred by claims of electoral fraud. The 2009 general elections resulted in a coalition government, the first such in the country's history. In 2013, general elections achieved a peaceful transition of power and a second successive coalition government. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, it has slowed, and the country is still one of the poorest in Europe. A large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure remain obstacles.
Read more

How big is Albania compared to Serbia? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Albania or Serbia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.