Leveraging Reforms to Boost Financial Protection, Efficiency, Quality, and Productivity in Albania’s Health Sector

Overview & Synopsis

Albania’s health system delivers strong population health outcomes at relatively low cost, reflecting years of sustained public commitment to universal health coverage. Life expectancy has reached 77.3 years for men and 80.9 years for women, avoidable mortality from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) compares favorably with regional and upper-middle-income peers, and out-of-pocket (OOP) spending has declined to 27 percent of total health expenditure (2023)—below the national policy benchmark of 30 percent. Free primary health care (PHC), a nationally defined benefits package, and government-financed insurance coverage for nearly half of the population (49 percent) provide a solid legal and institutional foundation for equity.