INSTAT: Crime by foreigners in Albania up 73%, the number of suspects passes 1,000

Albania welcomes more tourists and foreign workers every year. Alongside this influx, the number of foreigners involved in crime has also risen markedly.

INSTAT’s latest report shows that during 2024, 1,020 foreign nationals were recorded as suspects. This figure marks an increase of 38.4% within a year. Compared with 2022, the increase reaches 73.2%.

The growth of crime by foreigners is proceeding at a much faster pace than the overall trend of crime in the country. By now, about 1 in every 40 people suspected by the State Police is a foreign national.

Road traffic rules account for the highest number of offenses, with 132 people. Drug offenses rank second, with 110 people. A sharp increase was also recorded in the exploitation of prostitution, from 3 people in 2023 to 59 people during 2024. The other categories include fraud, theft and cybercrime.

Experts link this trend to the presence of more than 21,000 foreigners holding residence permits and to the millions of tourist entries at the border.