Life expectancy in Albania from 1920 to 2020

In the century between 1920 and 2020, life expectancy more than doubled in Albania, increasing from approximately 32 years in 1920, to 78 years in 2020. Between 1925 and 1930, life expectancy stagnated, due to political instability and poor economic opportunities, although it then increased well into the late 1930s. It was during the Second World War when life expectancy decreased, as Albania was annexed first by Italy, and later by Germany. An estimated 30,000 Albanians perished as a direct result of the war, and life expectancy fell by almost three years in this five year period. In the 1950s, Albania's pre-war trajectory continued, and life expectancy rose to above 50 years in 1950, and has gradually increased to over 78 years today. There was a slight decrease in life expectancy in the early 1990s, as the communist system in Eastern Europe collapsed, however Albania's life expectancy has since increased well above the global average.