TIRANA, April 15 (Xinhua) -- On Jan. 1, 2022, Albania had a population of 2,793,592 people, a decline of 1.3 percent year-on-year (YoY), the country's Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) reported on Friday.

       On the same date, the median age of the country's population was 38.2 years (37.6 years on Jan. 1, 2021).

       The gender ratio decreased from 99.3 males to 98.6 males for 100 females.

       In 2021, 27,284 babies were born in Albania, a decrease of 2.8 percent compared to the previous year, the report said.

       Last year, the country registered 30,580 deaths, 10.8 percent more than in 2020.

       According to INSTAT, the number of immigrants and emigrants was 9,195 and 42,048, respectively, in 2021.

       Around 32.9 percent of the country's total population lived in and around the capital (Tirana district), followed by the Durres and Fier districts (10.4 percent and 10 percent, respectively).

       Local media reported on Friday that the population decline in 2021 was driven by the aging of the population, the high emigration rates and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.