Counties of Albania

Counties (Template:Langx or Template:Lang), also sometimes known as prefectures (Template:Lang or Template:Lang), are the first-level administrative subdivisions of Albania, replacing the earlier districts. Since 2000, there have been 12 counties. Since 2015, they have been divided into 61 municipalities, 373 communes, and 2,972 villages.

History

Since its Declaration of Independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, Albania has reorganized its domestic administrative divisions 21 times. The primary division until mid-2000 was into districts (Template:Lang or Template:Lang), whose number, size, and importance varied over time.<ref name=terref>A Brief History of the Administrative-territorial Organization in Albania Template:Webarchive, Ministry of State for Local Issues</ref> They were organized into groups comprising 12 counties beginning in 1991.<ref name=terref/>

The current status of the counties<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> is based on the 1998 constitution and was implemented on 31 July 2000.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The former districts were abolished entirely and replaced with urban municipalities (Template:Lang or Template:Lang) and rural municipalities (Template:Lang or Template:Lang), which further oversaw villages (Template:Lang or Template:Lang) in the countryside. This was revised in 2014, so that the 2015 local elections divided the counties into municipalities (Template:Lang or Template:Lang) at the regional level and administrative units (Template:Lang or Template:Lang) for local government.

List

County	Seat	Municipalities	NUTS-2	Area	Population (2023)<ref name="INSTAT2025pop" />	Population density (per km2 in 2023)	Emblem	Geographic coordinates
Berat	Berat	Berat, Kuçovë, Poliçan, Skrapar, Ura Vajgurore	Southern Region	Template:Convert	140,956	78.4	Error creating thumbnail:	Template:Coord
Dibër	Peshkopi	Bulqizë, Dibër, Klos, Mat	Northern Region	Template:Convert	107,178	41.4	Emblem of Dibër County	Template:Coord
Durrës	Durrës	Durrës, Krujë, Shijak	Northern Region	Template:Convert	226,863	296.2	Emblem of Durrës County	Template:Coord
Elbasan	Elbasan	Belsh, Cërrik, Elbasan, Gramsh, Librazhd, Peqin, Prrenjas	Central Region	Template:Convert	232,580	72.7	Emblem of Elbasan County	Template:Coord
Fier	Fier	Divjakë, Fier, Lushnjë, Mallakastër, Patos, Roskovec	Southern Region	Template:Convert	240,377	127.2	Emblem of Fier County	Template:Coord
Gjirokastër	Gjirokastër	Dropull, Gjirokastër, Këlcyrë, Libohovë, Memaliaj, Përmet, Tepelenë	Southern Region	Template:Convert	60,013	20.8	Emblem of Gjirokastër County	Template:Coord
Korçë	Korçë	Devoll, Kolonjë, Korçë, Maliq, Pogradec, Pustec	Southern Region	Template:Convert	173,091	46.6	Emblem of Korçë County	Template:Coord
Kukës	Kukës	Has, Kukës, Tropojë	Northern Region	Template:Convert	61,998	26.1	Emblem of Kukës County	Template:Coord
Lezhë	Lezhë	Kurbin, Lezhë, Mirditë	Northern Region	Template:Convert	99,384	61.3	Emblem of Lezhë County	Template:Coord
Shkodër	Shkodër	Fushë-Arrëz, Malësi e Madhe, Pukë, Shkodër, Vau i Dejës	Northern Region	Template:Convert	154,479	43.4	Emblem of Shkodër County	Template:Coord
Tirana	Tiranë	Kamëz, Kavajë, Rrogozhinë, Tirana, Vorë	Central Region	Template:Convert	758,513	459.1	Emblem of Tirana County	Template:Coord
Vlorë	Vlorë	Delvinë, Finiq, Himarë, Konispol, Sarandë, Selenicë, Vlorë	Southern Region	Template:Convert	146,681	54.2	Emblem of Vlorë County	Template:Coord
References: <ref name="INSTAT2025pop">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation									CitationClass=web }}</ref>

See also

• List of counties of Albania by area
• List of counties of Albania by Gross Domestic Product
• List of counties of Albania by Human Development Index
• List of counties of Albania by population
• List of counties of Albania by population density