According to Eurostat data published recently, the prices of milk and dairy products in Albania were 135.6 percent of the EU average in 2025 (EU27=100), almost at the same level as Norway, at 135.7 percent.

Albania and Norway rank at the top for the high level of prices in this product group, behind Switzerland, which leads with an index of 144% of the EU average, making it the most expensive country on the continent.

Albania has seen particularly strong growth over the past four years. The index rose from 112.3 in 2022 to 135.6 last year, making milk and egg prices 36% higher than the EU average.

The comparison with the region makes the gap even more evident. Serbia had an index of 107.1 of the EU average in 2025, Croatia 111.2, Montenegro 95% of the EU average, Bosnia and Herzegovina 92, and North Macedonia 89.6, with prices still lower than in the EU.

Unlike wealthy countries such as Switzerland and Norway, where high prices are accompanied by much higher wages and purchasing power, in Albania this level of prices places a heavier burden on household budgets.

This is particularly sensitive because milk, its by-products, and eggs are part of the basic food basket and are linked to maintaining good health among both the young and the elderly.

The problem is not only that Albania is more expensive than the region and most of Europe, but that the gap with the European average has widened significantly from year to year.

In 2022, Albania was among the 13 countries with the highest dairy prices in Europe; in 2024 it was fifth, and in 2025 it ranked second.

The decline in the number of livestock, high animal feed costs, and dependence on imports for part of the inputs have increased pressure on prices. While production recorded a sharp decline, demand for dairy products, on the other hand, increased due to tourist flows.

Emigration and the aging of the population in rural areas have contributed to the sharp drop in livestock numbers. Over the past decade, the livestock sector has halved. But even the current farms are further at risk, as alignment with EU standards requires investments that many small farms currently cannot afford, making the sector fragile and products more expensive.

It is not only milk that has become more expensive. Other Eurostat data showed that food prices for the first time are about 3% more expensive than the European Union average. Prices have risen rapidly, from 85% of the EU average in 2022, to 99.6% in 2024, and then to 102.9% in 2025. / Monitor

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