Korçë County
County in southeastern Albania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Korçë County (Albanian: Qarku Korçë), officially the County of Korçë (Albanian: Qarku i Korçës), is a county in the Southern Region of the Republic of Albania. It is the largest by area and the fifth most populous of the twelve counties, with more than 173,000 people within an area of 3,711 km2 (1,433 sq mi). The county borders on North Macedonia to the northeast and Greece to the southeast, the counties of Elbasan to the northwest, Berat to the west and Gjirokastër to the southwest. It is divided into six municipalities, Korçë, Devoll, Kolonjë, Maliq, Pogradec and Pustec, with all of whom incorporate thirty-seven administrative units.[3]
Korçë County
| |
|---|---|
Leminot Reservoir | |
 Flag  Emblem | |
.svg) Map of Albania with Korçë County highlighted | |
| Coordinates: 40°40′N 20°48′E | |
| Country |  Albania |
| Seat | Korçë |
| Subdivisions | |
| Government | |
| • Council chairman | Erjon Nexhipi (PS)[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 3,711 km2 (1,433 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 1st |
| Population (2023[2]) | |
• Total | 173,091 |
| • Rank | 5th |
| • Density | 46.64/km2 (120.8/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| HDI (2022) | 0.801 very high · 5th |
| NUTS Code | AL034 |
| Website | www |
Geography
Protected areas
The Ministry of Tourism and Environment manages numerous natural sites and protected areas in Korçë County.[4] In conjunction with numerous national natural sites and areas, the National Agency of Protected Areas has the Fir of Drenovë National Park and Prespa National Park under its administration. The UNESCO Ohrid-Prespa Transboundary Biosphere Reserve is also encompassed in the county.
Demographics
![](#/media/File:"Ringjallja_e_Krishtit"_Orthodox_Cathedral_(44676025535).jpg)
According to the last national census from 2023, the county has 173,091 inhabitants. The county is 90.5% Albanian, 0.88% Macedonian, 0.42% Greek, 0.29% Bulgarian, 0.26% Aromanian, 0.67% Romani, 1.12% Balkan Egyptians, and the rest to an assortment of smaller ethnic groups.[7]
Religion
Between the 2011 and 2023 censuses in Korçë, there were notable shifts in religious affiliation. The Sunni Muslim population decreased significantly from 59.0% to 49.0%, while Bektashi Muslim more than doubled, rising from 2.1% to 4.6%. The Catholic Christian population declined from 1.1% to 0.6%, and Orthodox Christians saw a slight decrease from 16.3% to 16.2%. Evangelical Christians tripled their share, rising from 0.3% to 0.9%.
There was a substantial increase in the irreligious population: atheists nearly doubled their share, rising from 1.8% to 3.5%, and those identifying as believers without denomination grew significantly from 6.8% to 11.6%. Meanwhile, the "Not stated/other" category saw a slight increase, rising from 12.6% to 13.4%.[8]
| Religion group | Census 2011 | Census 2023 (Revised Source) | Difference (2023−2011) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| Sunni Muslim | 129,964 | 59.0% | 84,859 | 49.0% | -45,105 | -10.0% |
| Bektashi Muslim | 4,558 | 2.1% | 7,910 | 4.6% | +3,352 | +2.5% |
| Total Muslim | 134,522 | 61.1% | 92,769 | 53.6% | -41,753 | -7.5% |
| Catholic Christian | 2,492 | 1.1% | 1,084 | 0.6% | -1,408 | -0.5% |
| Orthodox Christian | 35,814 | 16.3% | 28,003 | 16.2% | -7,811 | -0.1% |
| Evangelical | 660 | 0.3% | 1,546 | 0.9% | +886 | +0.6% |
| Total Christian* | 39,088 | 17.7% | 30,979 | 17.9% | -8,109 | +0.2% |
| Atheists | 4,007 | 1.8% | 6,088 | 3.5% | +2,081 | +1.7% |
| Believers without denomination | 15,078 | 6.8% | 20,007 | 11.6% | +4,929 | +4.8% |
| Total Non-religious | 19,085 | 8.7% | 26,095 | 15.1% | +7,010 | +6.4% |
| Not stated / other** | 27,662 | 12.6% | 23,248 | 13.4% | -4,414 | +0.8% |
| TOTAL | 220,357 | 100% | 173,091 | 100% | -47,266 | – |
See also
