If you lived in Albania instead of United States, you would:

Health

live 0.9 years longer

In United States, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 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 41.1% less likely to be obese

In United States, 41.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 82.4% less likely to die by suicide

United States has a suicide rate of 15.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Albania, it is 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

see 89.1% less spent on your healthcare

United States spends $13,473 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Albania spends $1,465 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 49.0% fewer doctors per person

United States has 36.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Albania has 18.8 as of 2020.

View global rankings →

have 25.6% less access to essential health services

United States scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Albania scores 64 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed

In United States, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Albania, that number is 10.9% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 85.6% less money

United States has a GDP per capita of $90,027 as of 2025, while in Albania, the GDP per capita is $12,998 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 58.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In United States, approximately 17.0 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 →

be 50.9% more likely to die during infancy

In United States, approximately 5.5 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 43.0% less on education

United States spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Albania spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 57.8% less on healthcare

United States spends 16.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Albania, that number is 7.0% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 98.2% less coastline

United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Albania, that number is 362 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 75.9% less likely to be murdered

United States has a homicide rate of 5.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Albania, that number is 1.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 23.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In United States, road accidents kill 14.2 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 83.0% less strain on fresh water

United States withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Albania withdraws 5% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

find 36.0% less home broadband

United States has 38.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Albania has 24.9 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

use 77.5% less electricity

United States uses 12,839 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Albania uses 2,892 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 86.9% less CO2

United States emits 13.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Albania emits 1.8 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 4.2 times more likely to die from air pollution

In United States, air pollution causes 14.0 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), The World Factbook. 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 United States? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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