Albania has far fewer judges than EU average

Albania had 9.66 professional judges per 100,000 people in 2024, compared with a European Union average of 15.7.

The country had the ninth-lowest rate among 32 European and regional states covered by the data.

The shortage has left courts with vacant posts, heavier workloads, longer trials and large case backlogs.

Many judges were dismissed or resigned during Albania’s justice vetting process. New appointments have not filled the vacancies quickly enough.

Neighbouring countries reported much higher rates. Montenegro had 42.49 judges per 100,000 people, Serbia had 40.18 and North Macedonia had 20.15.

The EU average has also fallen, from 17.7 judges per 100,000 people in 2014 to 15.7 in 2024.

Eurostat reported Albania’s total number of judges. Monitor calculated the rate using population data.