Jump to content

Gjirokastër County

Coordinates: 40°10′N 20°10′E / 40.167°N 20.167°E / 40.167; 20.167
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gjirokastër County
Qarku i Gjirokastrës (Albanian)
County
Thermal Baths near Përmet
Thermal Baths near Përmet
Official logo of Gjirokastër County
Emblem
Coordinates: 40°10′N 20°10′E / 40.167°N 20.167°E / 40.167; 20.167
Country Albania
SeatGjirokastër
Subdivisions7 municipalities, 268 towns and villages
Government
 • Council chairmanDino Selimi[1]
Area
 • Total
2,884 km2 (1,114 sq mi)
Population
 (2023[2])
 • Total
60,013
 • Density21/km2 (54/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
HDI (2022)0.789
high · 4th
NUTS CodeAL033

Gjirokastër County (Albanian: Qarku i Gjirokastrës) is one of the 12 counties of Albania. The total population in 2023 was 60,013, in an area of 2884 km2.[2] Its capital is the city Gjirokastër.

Administrative divisions

[edit]

Until 2000, Gjirokastër County was subdivided into three districts: Gjirokastër, Përmet, and Tepelenë. Since the 2015 local government reform, the county consists of the following 7 municipalities: Dropull, Gjirokastër, Këlcyrë, Libohovë, Memaliaj, Përmet and Tepelenë.[3] Before 2015, it consisted of the following 32 municipalities:

The municipalities consist of about 270 towns and villages in total. See Villages of Gjirokastër County for a structured list.

Demographics

[edit]
Further information: Demographic history of Gjirokastër County
Historical population
YearPop.±%
196096,805—    
1969115,414+19.2%
1979134,137+16.2%
1989155,998+16.3%
2001112,831−27.7%
201172,176−36.0%
202360,013−16.9%
Source: [4][5]

According to the last national census from 2023 this county has 60,013 inhabitants. Ethnic groups in the county include Albanians, Greeks, Aromanians, Romani, and Balkan Egyptians.[6] In the 2023 census Gjirokastër's was predominantly Albanian, accounting for 82.7% of the residents. The Greek community follows, making up 14.2% of the population. Smaller ethnic groups include Egyptians (0.3%), Romani (0.3%), and Bulgarians (0.1%). There are also minor groups such as Bosniaks (0.02%), Aromanians (0.3%), Macedonians (0.02%), Serbs (0.03%), and Montenegrins (0.02%). Additionally, 0.1% of the population identifies as mixed ethnicity. A small proportion, 0.01%, reported having no ethnicity, while 0.6% preferred not to answer, and 1.1% had unavailable or missing data.


Ethnicities in Gjirokastër County according to the 2023 census[7]
Ethnic and cultural affiliation Resident population Percentage of resident population
Albanians 49,603 82.7%
Greeks 8,552 14.2%
Egyptians 177 0.3%
Romani 192 0.3%
Bulgarians 43 0.1%
Bosniaks 9 0.02%
Aromanians 206 0.3%
Macedonians 10 0.02%
Serbs 21 0.03%
Montenegrins 12 0.02%
Others 69 0.1%
Mixed 83 0.1%
None 7 0.01%
Prefer not to answer 353 0.6%
Not available 676 1.1%


Religion

[edit]

In Gjirokastër, the religious affiliation is both diverse and secular, with various communities practicing different faiths alongside a significant portion identifying as non-religious. Overall, 62.16% of residents identified with a religion.

Between 2011 and 2023, the population decreased from 72,176 to 60,013, with notable shifts in religious affiliation. Between the 2011 and 2023 censuses, the religious composition shifted significantly. The Muslim population dropped sharply from 38.5% to 14.4%, while the Bektashi community grew from 8.5% to 21.0%. The Catholic population decreased slightly from 2.1% to 1.2%, and Orthodox Christians saw an increase from 17.4% to 25.3%. Evangelical Christians also experienced modest growth, rising from 0.08% to 0.26%.

In contrast, the non-religious population expanded considerably. Atheists grew from 6.3% to 7.3%, making Gjirokastër home to the second-highest share of atheists in Albania. Meanwhile, believers without denomination rose from 8.4% to 14.4%.

Population of Gjirokastër according to religious group (2011–2023)
Religion group Census 2011 Census 2023 Difference (2023−2011)
Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage
Muslim 27,815 38.54% 8,643 14.40% -19,172 -24.14%
Bektashism 6,118 8.48% 12,627 21.04% +6,509 +12.56%
Muslim 33,933 47.02% 21,270 35.44% -12,663 -11.58%
Catholic Christian 1,493 2.07% 713 1.19% -780 -0.88%
Orthodox Christian 12,583 17.44% 15,195 25.32% +2,612 +7.88%
Evangelical 59 0.08% 154 0.26% +95 +0.18%
Christian 14,135 19.6% 16,062 26.77% +1,927 +7.17%
Atheists 4,550 6.30% 4,372 7.28% -178 +0.98%
Believers without denomination 6,050 8.38% 8,616 14.36% +2,566 +5.98%
Non-religious 10,600 14.68% 12,988 21.64% +2,388 +6.96%
Not stated / other 13,406 18.58% 9,573 15.95% -3,833 -2.63%
TOTAL 72,176 100% 60,013 100% -12,163 -

Notable people

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Konstituohet këshilli i ri i qarkut Gjirokastër, Dino Selimit i votëbesohet detyra e kryetarit". RTSH Gjirokastra (in Albanian). 2 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Main Results of the Population and Housing Census 2023" (PDF). INSTAT.
  3. ^ "Law nr. 115/2014" (PDF) (in Albanian). p. 6371. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Division of Albania".
  5. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Institute of Statistics Albania.
  6. ^ "2011 census results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-05-25.
  7. ^ "Ethnic composition of Albania 2023". pop-stat.mashke.org. Retrieved 2025-03-23.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Kallivretakis, Leonidas (1995). "Η ελληνική κοινότητα της Αλβανίας υπό το πρίσμα της ιστορικής γεωγραφίας και δημογραφίας [The Greek Community of Albania in terms of historical geography and demography]". In Veremis, Thanos (ed.). Ο Ελληνισμός της Αλβανίας [The Greeks of Albania]. University of Athens. pp. 25–58. ISBN 9600800545.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gjirokastër_County&oldid=1284470838"