More phones than people in Albania—TikTok tops, X trails

In a country of 2.4 million people, Albania now has nearly 4 million active mobile phones—and TikTok is its most-used social platform, even as the government moves to block it.

Albania is officially more connected than populated. With 1.65 mobile phones per person, the country’s digital life is booming—while its grip on social media is shifting fast.

TikTok leads the pack with 1.4 million users, ahead of Facebook and Instagram, which each count around 1.2 million. But that dominance is now in question.

The Albanian government has approved a 12-month nationwide ban on TikTok, citing the need to apply content filters. Access is expected to be cut off for at least a year.

The platform exploded during the pandemic and quickly outpaced its competitors. Now, its top spot may be up for grabs.

Meanwhile, X—formerly Twitter—lags far behind, with just 200,000 users nationwide, making it the least-used major platform in Albania, according to DataReport.

As digital habits shift and regulation tightens, Albania’s online future is anything but settled.