Albanians in the Nordic countries

The Albanians in the Nordic countries (Albanian: Shqiptarët në vendet nordike) refers to the Albanian migrants in Nordic countries such as Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Norway and Sweden and their descendants.

Albanians in the Nordic countries
Total population
c. 210.000
Regions with significant populations
 Sweden15,070–180,000a[1][2]
 Norway18,524a[3]
 Finland12,362[4]
 Denmark8,223a[5]
 Faroe Islands1[6]
Languages
Religion
a The estimation contains nationals from Albania and Kosovo.

The Albanians mostly trace their origins to Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia and to a lesser extent to other Albanian-speaking territories in the Balkan Peninsula. Their exact number is difficult to determine as some ethnic Albanians hold other citizenship than Albanian or Kosovan.

Albania and Kosovo maintain close and friendly diplomatic and political ties with the Nordic countries. Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have been among the first countries to officially recognise the self-proclaimed Independence of Kosovo and its sovereignty.[7][8][9][10]

Norway

Based on data of the Statistisk Sentralbyrå of 2018, there were approximately 18,500 Albanians (0.34% of the total population) geographically distributed in the territory of Norway composed of 15,642 (0.29% of the total population) Kosovan nationals and 2,111 people (0.04% of the total population) with Albanian nationality.[3] The exact number of Albanians in the country could be higher which would as well include the Albanians from North Macedonia or other Albanian-speaking territories in the Balkan Peninsula but the data in Norway gives no indication of ethnic backgrounds. The historical conflicts in the Balkans, especially the Kosovo War, set in motion large population movements of ethnic Albanians to the country and elsewhere. Around 6,000 Albanians from Kosovo were evacuated to Norway from North Macedonia in 1999.[11]

The electoral districts with the most significant concentration of Albanians are Akershus, Buskerud, Oslo, Østfold and Rogaland predominantly in southern Norway. The most lesser number are to be found in Finnmark, Sogn og Fjordane and Nordland. The city, county and metropolitan area of Oslo in southern Norway remain the prime destination of Albanian migrants in the country.

Electoral districts
Valgkretser i Norge		 Albania Albanian nationals
2018[12]		 Kosovo Kosovan nationals
2018[12]
 Akershus 315 2,298
 Aust-Agder 12 304
 Buskerud 64 1,545
 Finnmark 9 31
 Hedmark 19 426
 Hordaland 107 389
 Møre og Romsdal 54 151
 Nordland 31 87
 Oppland 43 319
 Oslo 1,010 2,924
 Østfold 132 2,792
 Rogaland 106 1,220
 Sogn og Fjordane 10 39
 Telemark 27 750
 Troms 50 51
 Trøndelag 36 356
 Vest-Agder 43 940
 Vestfold 43 1,020
 Norway 2,111[13] 15,642[13]

Denmark

The Albanians migrated to Denmark in two main groups - firstly through Yugoslavian labor migration, which spanned from the 1960s to 1970s, and later as a result of the Yugoslav wars. Many of said Yugoslavs came from Macedonia; an estimated 2,000 ethnic Albanians. In Greater Copenhagen, many Yugoslav immigrants are ethnic Albanians from Tetovo, Resen, and surrounding regions.

It is estimated that there are about 15,000 Albanian speakers from Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia in Denmark. Albanian has been continuously taught in Copenhagen and some other communities for some time.[14]

The Albanian community in Denmark has long gone unnoticed. It gained publicity in recent years with the killing of an young Albanian boy.[15] Kosovar Albanian migrants founded the Radio Television Voice of Kosovo in Denmark (RTVZiK).

The regions with the most significant concentration of Albanians in Denmark are Hovedstaden and Syddanmark mostly to the south and southeast of Denmark. The most lesser number are to be found in Nordjylland in the north of the country.

Regions of Denmark
Regioner i Danmark		 Albania Albanian nationals
2018		 Kosovo Kosovan nationals
2018
 Hovedstaden 381 479
 Sjælland 54 521
 Syddanmark 104 1,396
 Midtjylland 105 505
 Nordjylland 29 258
 Denmark 673[16] 3,159[16]

Finland

Albanians in Finland are active in cultural events and other similar meetings. The Albanian Association "Bashkimi" is a cultural association established in 1998, in Turku, a city in southern Finland where roughly 1,800 Albanians live. A recently-taken demographic report has revealed that ca. 20,000 Albanians emigrated to the country between 1990 and 2016.

Sweden

The exact number of ethnic Albanians in Sweden is not known.

The Diaspora Ministry of Kosovo has stated that "Sweden has the best conditions for the Albanian diaspora". Sweden is exemplary in promoting the teaching of Albanian in schools. One of the three state cultural centers of the Albanian diaspora is in Sweden, located in Halland.

Albanska Fotbolls Föreningen "Albanska FF", Rinia Idrottsförenig "Rinia IF" and "Prespa" are two Albanian football teams in Sweden.[17]

Radio Dituria is an Albanian radiostation located in Borås.[18] The radiostation focuses on Albanian culture and tradition.

Notable people
For a more comprehensive list, see List of Scandinavian Albanians.

Selected people:

See also

References
  1. "Population by country of birth, age and sex. Year 2000 - 2018". scb.se. Statistiska Centralbyrån.
  2. "Total Population of Albanians in the Sweden".
  3. "05183: Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, by sex and country background". ssb.no. Statistisk Sentralbyrå.
  4. "Emigration in Kosovo (International Emigation) – Page 32-38". Kosovo Agency of Statistics, KAS. Archived from the original on 2014-06-15.
  5. "National statistics of Denmark". Dst.dk. Archived from the original on 26 September 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  6. "Filipinsk og teilenskt vunnu fram sum móðurmál". Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  7. "Denmark recognizes Kosovo as an independent state". ambbeirut.um.dk. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. 12 May 2008. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011.
  8. "Finland recognised the Republic of Kosovo". formin.finland.fi. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. 7 March 2008.
  9. "Norway recognises Kosovo as an independent state". regjeringen.no. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway. 28 March 2008.
  10. "Sweden recognises the Republic of Kosovo". sweden.gov.se. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden. 5 March 2008.
  11. "Review of ODA reporting of the costs of refugees in donor countries DCD/DAC(2000)22/ADD". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 1 December 2000. p. 10.
  12. Statistisk Sentralbyrå. "Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents–09817: Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, by region, immigration category, country background, contents and year". ssb.no.
  13. Statistisk Sentralbyrå. "Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents–05183: Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, by country background, contents and year". ssb.no.
  14. "Ja numri i saktë i shqiptarëve nëpër botë". www.zeri.info.
  15. "16-years old Albanian killed by gunfire in Copenhagen". www.ocnal.com.
  16. "FOLK1C: Population at the first day of the quarter by region, sex, age (5 years age groups), ancestry and country of origin". Statistics Denmark. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  17. "Albanska Fotbolls Föreningen — Herrlaget". Svenskalag.se. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  18. "Radio Dituria". Radiotorget.net. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
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