Gjirokastër County (Albanian: Qarku i Gjirokastrës) is one of the 12 counties of Albania. The total population in 2021 was 58,031, in an area of 2884 km2.[3] Its capital is the city Gjirokastër.
Gjirokastër County
Qarku i Gjirokastrës (Albanian)
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Thermal Baths near Përmet
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Emblem | |
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| Coordinates: 40°10′N 20°10′E / 40.167°N 20.167°E / 40.167; 20.167 | |
| Country |  Albania |
| Seat | Gjirokastër |
| Subdivisions | 7 municipalities, 268 towns and villages |
| Government | |
| • Council chairman | Dino Selimi[1] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,884 km2 (1,114 sq mi) |
| Population
(2021[2])
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| • Total | 58,031 |
| • Density | 20/km2 (52/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| HDI (2021) | 0.797 high · 4th of 12 |
| NUTS Code | AL033 |
Until 2000, Gjirokastër County was subdivided into three districts: Gjirokastër, Përmet, and Tepelenë. Since the 2015 local government reform, the county consists of the following 7 municipalities: Dropull, Gjirokastër, Këlcyrë, Libohovë, Memaliaj, Përmet and Tepelenë.[4] Before 2015, it consisted of the following 32 municipalities:
The municipalities consist of about 270 towns and villages in total. See Villages of Gjirokastër County for a structured list.
According to the last national census from 2011 this county has 72,176 inhabitants. Ethnic groups in the county include Albanians, Greeks, Aromanians, Romani, & Balkan Egyptians.[5]
According to the results of the 2011 census, 38.54% of the total population (27,815 people) declared themselves Muslim. There are also some Bektashi Muslims with 8.48% (6,118 people), 7.15% percent consisting of believers without a denomination (22,186 people) and Christians forming 19.65% of the county's population (Orthodox (17.43%) (15,295 people), Evangelists (0.08% (59 people) (and Roman Catholics) (2.07%) (1,493 people), while 10,094 (15,16%) did not answer at all.
According to a 2014 report by the Albanian government submitted to the Council of Europe, there were 9,520 Greeks in the Dropull district, and 13,118 Greeks in the entire county.[6]
| Ethnic and cultural affiliation | Resident population | Percentage of resident population |
|---|---|---|
| Albanians | 56,193 | 77.86% |
| Prefer not to answer | 8,729 | 12.09% |
| Greeks | 5,363 | 7.43% |
| Not relevant/not stated | 1,033 | 1.43% |
| Aromanians | 688 | 0.95% |
| Roma | 91 | 0.13% |
| Others | 56 | 0.08% |
| Egyptians | 21 | 0.03% |
| Macedonians | 1 | 0.00% |
| Montenegrins | 1 | 0.00% |
The results of the 2011 census, the results were affected by a boycott by minorities. The European Council's Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities stated that "the results of the census should be viewed with the utmost caution and calls on the authorities not to rely exclusively on the data on nationality collected during the census in determining its policy on the protection of national minorities".[8]
| Mother tongue | Resident population | Percentage of resident population |
|---|---|---|
| Albanian | 67,337 | 93.3% |
| Greek | 4,051 | 5.61% |
| Aromanian | 618 | 0.86% |
| Not relevant/not stated | 72 | 0.10% |
| Roma | 55 | 0.08% |
| Others | 39 | 0.05% |
| Italian | 4 | 0.01% |