Fishermen prepare their nets in Albania. The World Bank's support for Albania will focus on helping the country gain EU accession and achieve inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Photo by: Genti Shkullaku / World Bank / CC BY-NC-ND
Before the global financial crisis, Albania was the fastest-growing nonoil economy in Europe. Its strong economic performance led to a significant drop in the national poverty rate, from 25.2 percent in 2002 to just 2.5 percent in 2008. Rural poverty meanwhile declined from 40 percent to 15 percent in the same period.
The financial crisis reversed these gains.
