Poverty and lack of opportunities
The legacy of the communist past still weighs heavily on Albania. For over 40 years, the people lived under the totalitarian dictator Enver Hoxha, who led the country further and further into isolation. To this day, around 200,000 bunkers, which Hoxha had built all over the country as protection against external enemies, serve as silent memorials to this time.
The regime was overthrown in 1990, but corruption, nepotism and organized crime have so far prevented the country from recovering. Albania remains one of the poorest countries in Europe. In search of work, more than 700,000 people have left Albania in the last thirty years. There is great despair, especially among young people.