What were the most covered economic topics in the Western Balkans in 2024? 

Understanding how financial trends, investment opportunities, and market dynamics are reported is essential for businesses, investors, and policymakers navigating the region’s evolving economic landscape. 

Pikasa's 2024 analysis of economic news coverage across the Western Balkans reveals significant variations in media focus on economic topics. These insights provide finance companies and industry stakeholders with a clearer understanding of the major economic narratives shaping the region. 

Montenegro stands out with the highest percentage of economic news, accounting for 5.3% of all news coverage. This can be attributed to the country’s active focus on key sectors such as business development, infrastructure projects, and foreign investments. These areas are crucial for Montenegro's economic growth, with particular emphasis on tourism, energy, and real estate. As these sectors continue to drive the nation’s economy, the media coverage of economic topics has also significantly increased. 

Serbia follows with 3.7% of news dedicated to economic issues. While not as dominant as Montenegro, Serbia has seen consistent media coverage of important economic topics like trade agreements, financial reforms, and industry growth. However, economic news in Serbia remains somewhat balanced with political developments, and it doesn’t overshadow other types of coverage as much as in Montenegro. 

North Macedonia comes in at 3.3%, with a steady focus on economic topics such as investment opportunities, government financial reforms, and local industry growth. Similar to Serbia, economic news plays a significant role, but it is not as central to the overall news landscape compared to Montenegro. 

Bosnia dedicates 2.4% of its news to economic issues. While the country focuses on various political developments, economic coverage maintains a noticeable presence. The relatively lower percentage reflects Bosnia’s balanced approach, where political and social issues often take precedence over economic matters. 

Kosovo has the lowest percentage of economic news, at just 0.9%. This limited coverage can be attributed to a stronger focus on political developments, social issues, and entertainment news, which tend to dominate Kosovo’s media landscape. The focus on political tensions, diplomatic relations, and showbiz leaves little room for detailed economic reporting. 

Albania also lags behind with only 1.5% of its news dedicated to economic topics. Similar to Kosovo, Albania's media tends to prioritize political events, public protests, and social issues, which can overshadow economic reporting. The media’s focus on national politics and social dynamics likely contributes to the relatively low presence of economic news in the country. 

We have analyzed the top three media outlets in each country across the Western Balkans that have covered the economy the most in 2024. Additionally, we identified the top three events or clusters of news topics based on the frequency of their mentions. This analysis highlights the major players in economic reporting within each country and reveals the key economic issues driving media attention, such as trade agreements, financial reforms, and industry growth, among others. By clusterizing the news, we also gain insight into the recurring themes and events that have dominated the regional media landscape in relation to economic coverage. 

Pikasa, through its analytical real-time platform analytics.live, analyzed the media coverage of news across Western Balkans media outlets for 2024. With a comprehensive monitoring system in place, Pikasa tracks over 1,200 media outlets across the WB6 countries, providing real-time insights into the most significant news trends and topics. This in-depth analysis allows for a detailed understanding of how economic, political, and social issues are covered by the region's media, enabling businesses and organizations to stay ahead of the curve with relevant and timely information.