Many Albanians envisioned their future beyond Albania’s borders after the Albanian Communist state crumbled in 1991-92. No one could have predicted the extent of movement that would occur over the next three decades at that period in history. One-third of Albania’s population in 1991 now resides overseas. The majority of these migrants reside and work in Greece and Italy, which are close by.
The United States, on the other hand, is the third most preferred destination. Aside from this current wave of migrants, the United States has a long-standing Albanian diaspora — descendants of migrants who arrived in the United States between World Wars I and II. This is primarily responsible for the emergence of the second generation of Albanian-Americans.
