MORTALITY IN ALBANIA, 1950-1990

Statistics, some of which have not previously been published, make it possible to trace the development of the death rate in Albania between 1950 and 1990. The number of deaths must first, however, be ajusted for omissions. In spite of its inaccuracies, the Census provides an acceptable denominator for the calculation of age-specific death rates. Table were constructed for 1950, 1960, 1969, 1979, and 1989. In 1989, life expectancy at birth amounted to 68 years for males and 74 years for females; a level comparable to that achieved in Italy about 1970, but the rate of progress towards these levels was faster in Albania. Significant progress was achieved during the 1950s and 1970s, but there was a marked slowdown during the 1960s and 1980s, and excess mortality of women during the post World War II period gave way to an overall excess mortality of men, which was concentrated among those aged 20, and 60 and over. Although life expectancy at birth in Albania is similar to that found in other European countries, the age pattern of mortality is different, being higher for children and lower for adults. These developments are related to Albania's political history; its alliance with the Soviet Union from 1946 to 1961, the People's Republic of China from 1962 to 1978, followed by autarchic isolation between 1978 and 1990. In each of these periods, the country's socio-economic structure which remains backward, based on agriculture and remaining traditional had a perceptible influence.