Albanian young people are among the poorest in Europe in terms of the incomes of the households they live in, and are the poorest when income is calculated according to purchasing power.
According to Eurostat data for 2025, analyzed by Euronews, the median annual disposable income of households of young people aged 18–24 in Albania amounts to just 5,736 euros, the second-lowest level among the 34 European countries included in the comparison.
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Only North Macedonia ranks lower, at 4,640 euros, while the European Union average is 21,482 euros.
When the indicator is compared according to purchasing power, Albania ranks last, at 8,175 PPS, leaving North Macedonia behind because of higher prices, with food prices 3% above the EU average.
The Euronews analysis comes at a time when youth protests have spread across several European countries, particularly France, driven by the rising cost of living, difficulties securing housing, low wages and problems with public services.
Albania, too, has seen student and youth protests in recent weeks, with demonstrators raising concerns about education conditions, the lack of jobs, the cost of living and corruption.
Some of the protests have turned into broader demonstrations against the government. These developments make the comparison between the incomes of Albanian young people and those of their European peers even more significant.
According to Euronews, recent protests in Europe have brought renewed attention to the economic situation of the younger generation. European law expert Alberto Alemanno stresses that the protests cannot simply be treated as a teenage revolt, as they involve various economic and social concerns and demands.
Albania and North Macedonia at the bottom of the rankings
The indicator used in the analysis is median equivalized disposable income, which represents a household’s income after taxes and other deductions, adjusted according to the number and composition of its members. Social benefits are also included in this indicator.
The data do not show how much young people personally earn, but rather the income level of the households in which they live.
Switzerland leads the European ranking, with median annual income of 52,206 euros for households of young people aged 18–24. It is followed by Luxembourg at 43,028 euros and Austria at 37,299 euros.
Among the European Union’s largest economies, Germany records the highest level, at 26,330 euros. Italy, at 20,315 euros, and Spain, at 19,338 euros, remain below the EU average.
France, where student and youth protests have been among the most visible, ranks 11th among the 34 countries analyzed, with median income of 23,850 euros, above the European average.
At the bottom of the ranking are North Macedonia, Albania and Turkey, at 4,640, 5,736 and 5,987 euros per year, respectively.
Also below half the European average are Bulgaria, at 8,680 euros, Hungary at 8,576 euros, Serbia at 7,754 euros and Romania at 7,237 euros.
Income does not show the whole reality
Experts warn that household income does not necessarily provide a complete picture of young people’s economic situation.
Anne Brunner, head of research at France’s Observatoire des inégalités, explains that the 18–24 age group includes different categories, from students living with their parents to young people who have entered the labor market, often with limited qualifications and in insecure employment conditions.
In France’s case, the indicator does not include students living in collective housing, such as university dormitories.
The European Youth Forum also notes that income can create a misleading perception of well-being. In some countries, young people appear statistically better off because they continue to live with their parents and benefit from shared household income.
But this can conceal their difficulties in securing housing, affording rent or building an independent life.
Young people have lower incomes than the rest of the population
According to the Euronews analysis, in 28 of the 34 countries included, young people live in households with median incomes lower than those of the population as a whole.
In the European Union, the incomes of young people’s households represent an average of 93.6% of the median income level of the entire population: 21,482 euros compared with 22,939 euros.
In France, the ratio is 90.1%, with a difference of 2,609 euros per year.
Finland records the largest gap. Young people’s households have median income of 22,277 euros, compared with 29,740 euros for the population as a whole, or just 74.9% of the national level.
It is followed by Denmark at 78.3%, Norway at 82.7%, Luxembourg at 86% and Sweden at 88.2%.
However, according to experts, this difference in the Nordic countries is partly linked to the fact that young people leave their parents’ homes at an earlier age. Their incomes are more often measured independently, creating a larger statistical gap with the national average.
In six European countries, young people have higher household incomes than the population median. Croatia leads at 105.7%, followed by Malta at 105.5% and Slovenia at 105.4%. Lithuania and Austria reach 102.1%, while Switzerland stands at 100.5%.
Albania ranks last when income is measured according to purchasing power
Price differences between countries alter the comparison. When income is measured according to the purchasing power standard (PPS), which takes differences in price levels into account, the ranking changes.
Austria moves to the top, at 33,052 PPS, followed by Luxembourg at 32,391 and Switzerland at 29,989.
France ranks 13th, at 21,446 PPS, slightly above the European Union average. Germany has 24,237 PPS, Spain 21,272 and Italy 20,883.
Albania ranks last among the countries mentioned in this comparison, at 8,175 PPS, behind North Macedonia at 8,994 and Montenegro at 9,955 PPS.
This shows that even after differences in price levels are taken into account, the purchasing power of Albanian young people’s households remains among the lowest in Europe.
The European Youth Forum stresses that assessing young people’s well-being should go beyond monetary income. Housing affordability, the quality of public services, education, health care and social protection largely determine what standard of living a household can secure with the income available to it./Monitor
