Orthodox Church of Albania Disputes Albanian Census Results 2023

The Church claims the census significantly underestimates the Orthodox population for several reasons:

• Incomplete Interviews: Enumerators, according to the Church, failed to ask all interviewees about their religious affiliation.
• Missed Households: The Church alleges documented evidence that a substantial number of believers were not visited by census officials.
• Baptismal Records Discrepancy: Church baptismal records reportedly indicate a far greater number of Orthodox faithful than reflected in the census data.

The statement further highlights historical statistics from 1927, which showed Orthodox Christians comprising 22.3% of the population compared to the much lower figure presented in the 2023 census.

The Church raises additional concerns regarding the high number of individuals categorized as:

• Unqualified believers (332,155)
• Atheist (85,311)
• Preferring not to answer (244,331)
• Not available (134,451)

This group, totaling nearly one-third of the population (796,248), is seen by the Church as evidence of the census’ inaccuracy.

The Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania calls for a more thorough investigation to ensure a more accurate representation of the religious demographics in the country.