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Counties of Albania

First-level administrative divisions of Albania

Field	Value
name	Counties of Albania
map	[[File:Albania Counties Named Colored.svg	118px]]
category	Unitary state
territory	Republic of Albania
current_number	12
population_range	59,381 (Gjirokastër) – 906,166 (Tiranë)
area_range	766 sqkm (Durrës)–3,711 sqkm (Korçë)
government	County government
National government
subdivision	Municipalities

National government

Counties ( or ), also sometimes known as prefectures ( or ), 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 ( or ), whose number, size, and importance varied over time. They were organized into groups comprising 12 counties beginning in 1991.

The current status of the counties is based on the 1998 constitution and was implemented on 31 July 2000. The former districts were abolished entirely and replaced with urban municipalities ( or ) and rural municipalities ( or ), which further oversaw villages ( or ) in the countryside. This was revised in 2014, so that the 2015 local elections divided the counties into municipalities ( or ) at the regional level and administrative units (njësi administrative or njësitë administrative) for local government.

List

County	Seat	Municipalities	NUTS-2	Area	Population (2023)	Population density
(per km2 in 2023)	Emblem	Geographic coordinates	Berat	Dibër	Durrës	Elbasan	Fier	Gjirokastër	Korçë	Kukës	Lezhë	Shkodër	Tirana	Vlorë
Berat	Berat, Kuçovë, Poliçan, Skrapar, Ura Vajgurore	Southern Region	1798 km2	140,956	78.4	[[File:Stema e Qarkut Berat.svg	25px	alt=Emblem of Berat County]]
Peshkopi	Bulqizë, Dibër, Klos, Mat	Northern Region	2586 km2	107,178	41.4	[[File:ALB Qarku i Dibrës COA.svg	25px	alt=Emblem of Dibër County]]
Durrës	Durrës, Krujë, Shijak	Northern Region	766 km2	226,863	296.2	[[File:Stema e Qarkut Durrës.svg	25px	alt=Emblem of Durrës County]]
Elbasan	Belsh, Cërrik, Elbasan, Gramsh, Librazhd, Peqin, Prrenjas	Central Region	3199 km2	232,580	72.7	[[File:Stema e Qarkut Elbasan.svg	25px	alt=Emblem of Elbasan County]]
Fier	Divjakë, Fier, Lushnjë, Mallakastër, Patos, Roskovec	Southern Region	1890 km2	240,377	127.2	[[File:Stema e Qarkut Fier.svg	25px	alt=Emblem of Fier County]]
Gjirokastër	Dropull, Gjirokastër, Këlcyrë, Libohovë, Memaliaj, Përmet, Tepelenë	Southern Region	2884 km2	60,013	20.8	[[File:Stema e Qarkut Gjirokastër.svg	25px	alt=Emblem of Gjirokastër County]]
Korçë	Devoll, Kolonjë, Korçë, Maliq, Pogradec, Pustec	Southern Region	3711 km2	173,091	46.6	[[File:Stema e Qarkut Korçë.svg	25px	alt=Emblem of Korçë County]]
Kukës	Has, Kukës, Tropojë	Northern Region	2374 km2	61,998	26.1	[[File:Stema e Qarkut Kukës.svg	25px	alt=Emblem of Kukës County]]
Lezhë	Kurbin, Lezhë, Mirditë	Northern Region	1620 km2	99,384	61.3	[[File:Stema e Qarkut Lezhë.svg	25px	alt=Emblem of Lezhë County]]
Shkodër	Fushë-Arrëz, Malësi e Madhe, Pukë, Shkodër, Vau i Dejës	Northern Region	3562 km2	154,479	43.4	[[File:Stema e Qarkut Shkodër.svg	25px	alt=Emblem of Shkodër County]]
Tiranë	Kamëz, Kavajë, Rrogozhinë, Tirana, Vorë	Central Region	1652 km2	758,513	459.1	[[File:Stema e Qarkut Tiranë.svg	25px	alt=Emblem of Tirana County]]
Vlorë	Delvinë, Finiq, Himarë, Konispol, Sarandë, Selenicë, Vlorë	Southern Region	2706 km2	146,681	54.2	[[File:Stema e Qarkut Vlorë.svg	25px	alt=Emblem of Vlorë County]]

References

[http://www.reformaterritoriale.al/en/reform/history A Brief History of the Administrative-territorial Organization in Albania] {{Webarchive. link. (2017-06-09 , Ministry of State for Local Issues)
"Ligji për Vetëqeverisjen Vendore".
"A Brief History of the Administrative-territorial Organization in Albania".
"Popullsia e Shqipërisë, 1 Janar 2025". Instituti i Statistikës (INSTAT).

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