Demographics Of Greece

The Demographics of Greece refer to the demography of the population that inhabits the Greek peninsula.

The population of Greece was estimated by the United Nations to be 10,445,365 in 2021 (including displaced refugees).

Demographics of the Hellenic Republic
Demographics Of Greece
Greece population pyramid in 2023
PopulationDecrease10,413,982 (2023)
Growth rate-1.01 people/1,000 population (2010 est.)
Birth rate7.9 births/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Death rate12.3 deaths/1,000 population (July 2020 est.)
Life expectancy82.2 years
 • male79.8 years
 • female84.7 years
Fertility rate1.35 children born/woman (2018)
Infant mortality rate3.75 deaths per 1,000 live births (2019 est)
Age structure
0–14 years14.1%
15–64 years63.3%
65 and over22.6%
Sex ratio
At birth1.06 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Under 151.06 male(s)/female
15–64 years1.00 male(s)/female
65 and over0.78 male(s)/female
Nationality
Nationalitynoun: Greek(s) adjective: Greek
Major ethnicGreeks

Historical overview

Greece was inhabited as early as the Paleolithic period. Prior to the 2nd millennium BC, the Greek peninsula was inhabited by various pre-Hellenic peoples, the most notable of which were the Pelasgians. The Greek language ultimately dominated the peninsula and Greece's mosaic of small city-states became culturally similar. The population estimates on the Greeks during the 4th century BC, is approximately 3.5 million on the Greek peninsula and 4 to 6.5 million in the rest of the entire Mediterranean Basin, including all colonies such as those in Magna Graecia, Asia Minor and the shores of the Black Sea.

During the history of the Byzantine Empire, the Greek peninsula was occasionally invaded by the foreign peoples like Goths, Avars, Slavs, Normans, Franks and other Romance-speaking peoples who had betrayed the Crusades. The only group, however, that planned to establish permanent settlements in the region were the Slavs. They settled in isolated valleys of the Peloponnese and Thessaly, establishing segregated communities that were referred by the Byzantines as Sclaveni. Traces of Slavic culture in Greece are very rare and by the 9th century, the Sclaveni in Greece were largely assimilated. However, some Slavic communities managed to survive in rural Macedonia. At the same time a large Sephardi Jewish emigrant community from the Iberian peninsula established itself in Thessaloniki, while there were population movements of Arvanites and "Vlachs" (Aromanians and Megleno-Romanians), who established communities in several parts of the Greek peninsula. The Byzantine Empire ultimately fell to Ottoman Turks in the 15th century and as a result Ottoman colonies were established in the Balkans, notably in Macedonia, the Peloponnese and Crete. Many Greeks either fled to other European nations or to geographically isolated areas (i.e. mountains and heavily forested territories) to escape foreign rule. For those reasons, the population decreased in the plains, while increasing on the mountains. The population transfers with Bulgaria and Turkey that took place in the early 20th century, added in total some two million Greeks to the demography of the Greek Kingdom.

During the next decades, the population of Greece continued to increase, except during a large part of 1940s due to World War II and subsequent events. After 1940s the population of Greece continued to grow, though on a decreased pace after 1960s, due to a gradual decrease in fertility and emigration to various countries, such as West Germany, Australia, United Kingdom and many others. The birth rate decreased significantly in 1980s, while in 1987 the Greek population surpassed 10 million. At this time Greece had started to appear a positive migration rate, due to the return of Greek Civil War refugees and international immigration. During the nineties the population increased by close a million, as the collapse of the communist governments in Eastern Europe and the economic downturn resulted in a significant influx of Eastern European immigrants in Greece and especially from the Balkans, including many Greeks living in these countries. In 2000s the population continued to increase reaching 11 million, thanks to an increased birth rate, a stable influx of migrants from other countries and the return of Greeks from United States, Germany, Australia and other countries. In the 2010s, in the wake of the Greek financial crisis, the population started to decrease and birthrates plummeted, while death rates increased due to an aging population. Many Greeks emigrated abroad, while more recently the population decrease has been largely stabilized due to foreign immigration.

Population

Demographics Of Greece 
Population of Greece since 1961.
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1928 6,204,684—    
1940 7,344,860+1.42%
1951 7,632,801+0.35%
1961 8,398,050+0.96%
1971 8,831,036+0.50%
1981 9,729,350+0.97%
1991 10,258,364+0.53%
2001 10,934,097+0.64%
2011 10,816,286−0.11%
2021 10,482,487−0.31%
Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority

According to the 2001 census the population of Greece was 10,964,020. Eurostat estimations as of January 2008 gave the number of 11,214,992 inhabitants in the Greek peninsula. According to the official 2011 census, which used sophisticated methodology, the population of Greece was 10,816,286.

Census Population Change
1971 8,768,372
1981 9,739,589 11.1%
1991 10,259,900 5.3%
2001 10,964,020 6.9%
2011 10,816,286 -0.88%
2021 10,482,487 -3.1%

By region

Greece is divided into nine geographic regions. The population of each region according to the 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001, 2011 and 2021 censuses is represented in the table below, comparing the change in population over a 50 year period. The latest population estimates by the Hellenic Statistical Authority are also included.

Region Population (1971) Population (1981) Population (1991) Population (2001) Population (2011) Population (2021) Population (2023)
Aegean Islands 417,813 Demographics Of Greece  428,030 Demographics Of Greece  456,555 Demographics Of Greece  508,807 Demographics Of Greece  508,246 Demographics Of Greece  522,763 Demographics Of Greece  522,454 Demographics Of Greece 
Central Greece 3,532,248 Demographics Of Greece  4,125,463 Demographics Of Greece  4,366,900 Demographics Of Greece  4,591,568 Demographics Of Greece  4,586,626 Demographics Of Greece  4,514,663 Demographics Of Greece  4,484,296 Demographics Of Greece 
Crete 456,642 Demographics Of Greece  501.909 Demographics Of Greece  536,433 Demographics Of Greece  601,131 Demographics Of Greece  623,065 Demographics Of Greece  624,408 Demographics Of Greece  622,909 Demographics Of Greece 
Epirus 310,334 Demographics Of Greece  323.871 Demographics Of Greece  327,176 Demographics Of Greece  353,822 Demographics Of Greece  336,856 Demographics Of Greece  319,991 Demographics Of Greece  318,890 Demographics Of Greece 
Ionian Islands 184,443 Demographics Of Greece  182.327 Demographics Of Greece  189,338 Demographics Of Greece  212,984 Demographics Of Greece  207,855 Demographics Of Greece  204,532 Demographics Of Greece  202,185 Demographics Of Greece 
Macedonia 1,890,684 Demographics Of Greece  2,116,361 Demographics Of Greece  2,225,690 Demographics Of Greece  2,424,765 Demographics Of Greece  2,402,771 Demographics Of Greece  2,266,206 Demographics Of Greece  2,246,712 Demographics Of Greece 
Peloponnese 986,912 Demographics Of Greece  1,014,485 Demographics Of Greece  1,045,020 Demographics Of Greece  1,155,019 Demographics Of Greece  1,046,897 Demographics Of Greece  995,410 Demographics Of Greece  988,246 Demographics Of Greece 
Thessaly 659,913 Demographics Of Greece  695,724 Demographics Of Greece  729,268 Demographics Of Greece  753,888 Demographics Of Greece  732,762 Demographics Of Greece  688,255 Demographics Of Greece  682,189 Demographics Of Greece 
Thrace 329,582 Demographics Of Greece  341,180 Demographics Of Greece  340,755 Demographics Of Greece  362,038 Demographics Of Greece  371,208 Demographics Of Greece  346,259 Demographics Of Greece  346,101 Demographics Of Greece 
Total 8,768,372 Demographics Of Greece  9,729,350 Demographics Of Greece  10,223,392 Demographics Of Greece  10,964,020 Demographics Of Greece  10,816,286 Demographics Of Greece  10,482,487 Demographics Of Greece  10,413,982 Demographics Of Greece 

Demographics Of Greece /Demographics Of Greece  = change since previous census

Fertility rate

Demographics Of Greece 
Greece total fertility rate by region (2014)
  1.7 – 2.0
  1.5 – 1.7
  1.3 – 1.5
  < 1.3

The total fertility rate is the number of children born per woman. It is based on fairly good data for the entire period. Sources: Our World In Data and Gapminder Foundation.

Years 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860
Total fertility rate in Greece 6.03 5.81 5.59 5.36 5.14 4.92 4.7 4.47 4.25 4.03 3.81
Years 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870
Total fertility rate in Greece 3.95 3.87 3.78 3.94 3.73 4.03 3.83 3.85 3.86 3.77
Years 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880
Total fertility rate in Greece 3.81 3.83 3.7 3.91 3.78 3.97 3.82 3.64 3.32 3.27
Years 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890
Total fertility rate in Greece 3.28 3.38 3.35 3.83 3.82 4.01 4.19 4.38 4.57 4.73
Years 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900
Total fertility rate in Greece 4.8 4.88 4.95 5.03 5.1 5.18 5.25 5.32 5.4 5.47
Years 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910
Total fertility rate in Greece 5.35 5.22 5.1 4.97 4.85 4.72 4.6 4.47 4.35 4.22
Years 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920
Total fertility rate in Greece 4.09 3.97 3.84 3.72 3.59 3.47 3.34 3.22 3.09 2.97

Life expectancy

Demographics Of Greece 
Life expectancy in Greece since 1877
Demographics Of Greece 
Life expectancy in Greece since 1960 by gender
Period Life expectancy in
Years
Period Life expectancy in
Years
1950–1955 65.8 1985–1990 75.6
1955–1960 67.2 1990–1995 77.4
1960–1965 69.3 1995–2000 78.1
1965–1970 70.1 2000–2005 79.1
1970–1975 71.8 2005–2010 80.0
1975–1980 72.8 2010–2015 80.6
1980–1985 74.5 2015–2020 81.2

Source: UN World Population Prospects

Age structure

Being part of the phenomenon of the aging of Europe, the Greek population shows a rapid increase of the percentage of the elderly people. Greece's population census of 1961 found that 10.9% of the total population was above the age of 65, while the percentage of this group age increased to 19.0% in 2011. In contrast, the percentage of the population of the ages 0–14 had a total decrease of 10.2% between 1961 and 2011.

Age group 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011
Population % Population % Population % Population % Population %
0–14 2,223,904 25.4 2,307,297 23.7 1,974,867 19.2 1,664,085 15.2 1,576,500 14.4
15–64 5,587,352 63.7 6,192,751 63.6 6,880,681 67.1 7,468,395 68.1 7,122,830 66.6
65+ 957,116 10.9 1,239,541 12.7 1,404,352 13.7 1,831,540 16.7 2,108,807 19.0
Total 8,768,372 9,739,589 10,259,900 10,964,020 10,816,286

Vital statistics from 1921

Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority and World Bank.

Notable events in Greek demography:

Year Average population (January 1 2001 onwards) Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000) crude migration change(per 1000) Total Fertility Rates
1921 5,050,000 107,000 69,000 38,000 21.2 13.7 7.5 1.8 2.84
1922 5,097,000 110,000 82,000 18,000 21.6 16.1 5.5 173.6 2.88
1923 6,010,000 113,926 102,042 11,884 19.0 17.0 2.0 -3.7 2.55
1924 6,000,000 117,014 93,320 23,694 19.5 15.6 3.9 -10.9 2.61
1925 5,958,000 156,367 88,633 67,734 26.2 14.9 11.4 2.7 3.52
1926 6,042,000 181,278 84,136 97,142 30.0 13.9 16.1 -2.0 4.02
1927 6,127,000 176,527 100,020 76,507 28.8 16.3 12.5 1.0 3.86
1928 6,210,000 189,250 105,665 83,585 30.5 17.0 13.5 -1.3 4.09
1929 6,286,000 181,870 115,561 66,309 28.9 18.4 10.5 2.4 3.87
1930 6,367,000 199,565 103,811 95,754 31.3 16.3 15.0 0.1 4.19
1931 6,463,000 199,243 114,369 84,874 30.8 17.7 13.1 -0.6 3.83
1932 6,544,000 185,523 117,593 67,930 28.4 18.0 10.4 2.0 3.8
1933 6,625,000 189,583 111,447 78,136 28.6 16.8 11.8 3.6 3.84
1934 6,727,000 208,929 100,651 108,278 31.1 15.0 16.1 0.3 4.16
1935 6,837,000 192,511 101,416 91,095 28.2 14.8 13.3 1.2 3.77
1936 6,936,000 193,343 105,005 88,338 27.9 15.1 12.7 0.7 3.68
1937 7,029,000 183,878 105,674 78,204 26.2 15.0 11.1 2.1 3.51
1938 7,122,000 184,509 93,766 90,743 25.9 13.2 12.7 1.3 3.47
1939 7,222,000 178,852 100,459 78,393 24.8 13.9 10.9 2.5 3.32
1940 7,319,000 179,500 93,830 85,670 24.5 12.8 11.7 -4.7 3.29
1941 7,370,000 134,760 125,710 9,050 18.3 17.1 1.2 -3.9 3.19
1942 7,350,000 132,640 191,030 -58,390 18.0 26.0 -7.9 -1.6 3.08
1943 7,280,000 122,170 111,320 10,850 16.8 15.3 1.5 1.2 2.98
1944 7,300,000 145,530 110,810 34,720 19.9 15.2 4.8 -3.4 2.88
1945 7,310,000 183,470 85,540 97,930 25.1 11.7 13.4 3.0 2.78
1946 7,430,000 209,360 73,500 135,860 28.2 9.9 18.3 -6.2 2.68
1947 7,520,000 206,400 70,340 136,060 27.4 9.4 18.1 -20.8 2.58
1948 7,500,000 210,000 96,000 114,000 28.0 12.8 15.2 -17.8 2.48
1949 7,480,000 139,108 59,450 79,658 18.6 7.9 10.6 -0.7 2.37
1950 7,554,000 151,314 53,755 97,559 20.0 7.1 12.9 -0.7 2.47
1951 7,646,000 155,422 57,508 97,914 20.3 7.5 12.8 -1.4 2.47
1952 7,733,000 149,637 53,377 96,260 19.4 6.9 12.4 -1.5 2.48
1953 7,817,000 143,765 56,680 87,085 18.4 7.3 11.1 -1.4 2.49
1954 7,893,000 151,892 55,625 96,267 19.2 7.0 12.2 -3.0 2.48
1955 7,966,000 154,263 54,781 99,482 19.4 6.9 12.5 -4.3 2.47
1956 8,031,000 158,203 59,460 96,727 19.4 7.4 12.0 -3.9 2.44
1957 8,096,000 155,940 61,664 93,528 19.2 7.6 11.6 -2.1 2.42
1958 8,173,000 155,359 58,160 97,199 19.0 7.1 11.9 -1.5 2.38
1959 8,258,000 160,199 60,852 99,347 19.4 7.4 12.0 -2.8 2.36
1960 8,304,698 157,239 60,563 96,676 18.9 7.3 11.6 -3.9 2.33
1961 8,363,490 150,716 63,955 86,761 17.9 7.6 10.3 -4.3 2.32
1962 8,433,124 152,158 66,554 85,604 18.0 7.9 10.1 -6.3 2.32
1963 8,463,290 148,249 66,813 81,436 17.5 7.9 9.6 -6.1 2.34
1964 8,495,610 153,109 69,429 83,680 18.0 8.1 9.8 -5.0 2.37
1965 8,525,408 151,448 67,269 84,179 17.7 7.8 9.8 -2.4 2.41
1966 8,575,653 154,613 67,912 86,701 17.9 7.9 10.1 -1.7 2.46
1967 8,651,739 162,839 71,975 90,864 18.7 8.3 10.5 -4.2 2.51
1968 8,716,502 160,338 73,309 87,029 18.3 8.4 10.0 -6.3 2.54
1969 8,765,894 154,077 71,825 82,252 17.6 8.2 9.4 -7.1 2.56
1970 8,780,549 144,928 74,009 70,919 16.5 8.4 8.1 -3.8 2.57
1971 8,805,194 141,126 73,819 67,307 16.0 8.4 7.6 -1.0 2.57
1972 8,857,439 140,891 76,859 64,032 15.9 8.6 7.2 -2.7 2.55
1973 8,920,359 137,526 77,648 59,878 15.4 8.7 6.7 -3.0 2.54
1974 8,937,982 144,069 76,303 67,766 16.1 8.5 7.6 1.9 2.52
1975 8,986,203 142,273 80,077 62,196 15.7 8.9 6.9 6.4 2.33
1976 9,106,985 146,566 81,818 64,748 16.0 8.9 7.1 4.0 2.35
1977 9,269,459 143,739 83,750 59,989 15.4 9.0 6.5 7.1 2.28
1978 9,347,618 146,588 81,615 64,973 15.5 8.7 6.9 7.9 2.29
1979 9,512,347 147,965 82,338 65,627 15.5 8.6 6.9 4.5 2.26
1980 9,584,298 148,134 87,282 60,852 15.4 9.1 6.3 2.6 2.23
1981 9,700,893 140,953 86,261 54,692 14.5 8.9 5.6 0.7 2.10
1982 9,757,944 137,275 86,345 50,930 14.0 8.8 5.2 0.6 2.03
1983 9,821,279 132,608 90,586 42,022 13.5 9.2 4.3 0.7 1.94
1984 9,872,195 125,724 88,397 37,327 12.7 8.9 3.8 0 1.82
1985 9,919,539 116,481 92,886 23,595 11.7 9.4 2.4 0.9 1.68
1986 9,949,185 112,810 91,469 20,781 11.3 9.2 2.1 1.3 1.60
1987 9,985,374 106,392 95,232 10,667 10.6 9.5 1.1 2.5 1.50
1988 10,015,957 107,505 93,031 14,637 10.7 9.3 1.4 3.9 1.50
1989 10,058,127 101,657 92,717 8,432 10.0 9.2 0.9 6.1 1.40
1990 10,120,984 102,229 94,152 8,077 10.1 9.3 0.8 8.6 1.39
1991 10,272,768 102,620 95,498 7,122 10.0 9.3 0.7 10.3 1.37
1992 10,367,276 104,081 98,231 5,850 10.0 9.5 0.6 8.7 1.36
1993 10,431,200 101,799 97,419 4,380 9.7 9.3 0.4 7.9 1.32
1994 10,489,958 103,763 97,807 5,956 9.8 9.3 0.6 7.2 1.33
1995 10,536,004 101,495 100,158 1,337 9.5 9.4 0.1 7.0 1.28
1996 10,588,378 100,718 100,740 -22 9.4 9.4 -0.0 6.3 1.26
1997 10,629,378 102,038 99,738 2,300 9.5 9.3 0.2 5.2 1.27
1998 10,693,340 100,894 102,668 -1,774 9.3 9.5 -0.2 4.6 1.24
1999 10,747,879 100,643 103,304 -2,661 9.2 9.5 -0.3 3.5 1.23
2000 10,775,693 103,274 105,219 -1,952 9.5 9.6 -0.1 -7.4 1.25
2001 10,836,578 102,282 102,559 -277 9.4 9.4 0.0 4.8 1.25
2002 10,888,357 103,569 103,915 -346 9.5 9.5 0.0 2.5 1.28
2003 10,915,874 104,420 105,529 -1,109 9.6 9.7 -0.1 2.4 1.29
2004 10,940,437 105,655 104,942 713 9.6 9.6 0.1 2.6 1.31
2005 10,969,984 107,545 105,091 2,454 9.8 9.6 0.2 3.0 1.34
2006 11,004,784 112,042 105,476 6,566 10.2 9.6 0.6 2.2 1.40
2007 11,036,789 111,926 109,895 2,031 10.1 9.9 0.2 2.1 1.41
2008 11,060,985 118,302 107,979 10,323 10.7 9.7 0.9 2.2 1.50
2009 11,094,768 117,933 108,316 9,617 10.6 9.8 0.9 1.3 1.50
2010 11,119,102 114,766 109,084 5,682 10.3 9.8 0.5 -0.1 1.48
2011 11,123,400 106,428 111,099 -4,671 9.6 10.0 -0.4 -2.9 1.40
2012 11,086,459 100,371 116,668 -16,297 9.1 10.6 -1.5 -6.0 1.34
2013 11,003,687 94,134 111,794 -17,660 8.6 10.2 -1.6 -5.4 1.29
2014 10,926,859 92,149 113,740 -21,591 8.5 10.4 -2.0 4.3 1.30
2015 10,858,498 91,847 121,183 -29,336 8.5 11.2 -2.7 -4.2 1.33
2016 10,783,729 92,898 118,788 -25,890 8.6 11.0 -2.4 1.0 1.38
2017 10,768,290 88,553 124,495 -35,942 8.2 11.6 -3.3 0.8 1.35
2018 10,741,244 86,440 120,291 -33,851 8.1 11.2 -3.2 1.7 1.35
2019 10,726,598 83,756 124,954 -41,198 7.8 11.7 -3.8 3.2 1.32
2020 10,718,565 84,764 131,064 -46,300 7.9 12.3 -4.3 4.9 1.37
2021 10,664,972 85,346 143,919 -58,573 8.2 13.8 -5.6 -1.5 1.38
2022 10,590,317 76,541 140,801 -64,260 7.2 13.2 -6.0 1.33
2023p 10,413,982 72,244 129,587 -57,343 6.9 12.4 -5.5

Current vital statistics

Period Live births Deaths Natural increase
January - February 2023 11,808 25,169 -13,361
January - February 2024 12,530 24,622 -12,092
Difference Demographics Of Greece  +722 (+6.11%) Demographics Of Greece  -547 (-2.17%) Demographics Of Greece  +1,269

Structure of the population

Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 09.V.2011):
Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 5 303 223 5 513 063 10 816 286 100
0–4 274 788 262 455 537 243 4.97
5–9 262 432 250 164 512 596 4.74
10–14 265 787 253 642 519 429 4.80
15–19 286 386 266 890 553 276 5.12
20–24 325 127 301 970 627 097 5.80
25–29 371 617 352 154 723 771 6.69
30–34 417 861 404 614 822 475 7.60
35–39 409 681 403 148 812 829 7.51
40–44 414 026 418 640 832 666 7.70
45–49 367 086 381 343 748 429 6.92
50–54 355 552 375 934 731 486 6.76
55–59 321 466 338 902 660 368 6.11
60–64 301 589 324 180 625 769 5.79
65-69 241 832 266 444 508 276 4.70
70-74 246 264 295 901 542 165 5.01
75-79 209 983 265 094 475 077 4.39
80-84 146 455 205 918 352 373 3.26
85-89 60 933 98 908 159 841 1.48
90-94 18 760 34 685 53 445 0.49
95-99 4 948 10 239 15 187 0.14
100+ 650 1 838 2 488 0.02
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 803 007 766 261 1 569 268 14.51
15–64 3 570 391 3 567 775 7 138 166 65.99
65+ 929 825 1 179 027 2 108 852 19.50
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.I.2021) (Data refer to usual resident population.):
Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 5 196 048 5 482 584 10 678 632 100
0–4 232 962 221 004 453 966 4.25
5–9 256 724 242 916 499 640 4.68
10–14 286 211 270 919 557 130 5.22
15–19 286 473 261 827 548 300 5.13
20–24 295 675 267 375 563 050 5.27
25–29 289 021 268 852 557 873 5.22
30–34 292 391 293 623 586 014 5.49
35–39 351 172 348 759 699 931 6.55
40–44 397 038 400 046 797 084 7.46
45–49 388 226 404 647 792 873 7.42
50–54 388 838 418 213 807 051 7.56
55–59 340 585 379 684 720 269 6.74
60–64 320 930 366 665 687 595 6.44
65-69 288 274 327 034 615 308 5.76
70-74 261 202 309 037 570 239 5.34
75-79 200 470 246 135 446 605 4.18
80-84 161 684 227 332 389 016 3.64
85-89 98 597 148 795 247 392 2.32
90-94 41 160 58 052 99 212 0.93
95-99 12 188 14 445 26 633 0.25
100-104 4 334 4 190 8 524 0.08
105-109 1 370 2 047 3 417 0.03
110+ 523 987 1 510 0.01
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 775 897 734 839 1 510 736 14.15
15–64 3 350 349 3 409 691 6 760 040 63.30
65+ 1 069 802 1 338 054 2 407 856 22.55

Other demographic statistics

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2019.

  • One birth every 6 minutes
  • One death every 4 minutes
  • Net loss of one person every 21 minutes
  • One net migrant every 53 minutes
Demographics Of Greece 
Population pyramid of Greece in 1928

Demographic statistics according to the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

Demographics Of Greece 
Population pyramid of Greece in 2017
    Population
    10,413,982 (Jan 2023 est.) :10,718,565 (Jan 2020 est.)
    10,761,523 (July 2018 est.)
    10,768,477 (July 2017 est.)
    10,768,193 (Jan 2017 est.)
    Age structure
    0-14 years: 14.53% (male 794,918/female 745,909)
    15-24 years: 10.34% (male 577,134/female 519,819)
    25-54 years: 39.6% (male 2,080,443/female 2,119,995)
    55-64 years: 13.1% (male 656,404/female 732,936)
    65 years and over: 22.43% (male 1,057,317/female 1,322,176) (2020 est.)
    0-14 years: 13.83% (male 767,245/female 722,313)
    15-24 years: 9.67% (male 532,179/female 509,487)
    25-54 years: 42.45% (male 2,275,984/female 2,295,082)
    55-64 years: 13.13% (male 692,420/female 721,641)
    65 years and over: 20.91% (male 986,816/female 1,265,310) (2017 est.)
    0–14 years: 14.2% (male 787,143/female 741,356)
    15–64 years: 66.2% (male 3,555,447/female 3,567,383)
    65 years and over: 19.6% (male 923,177/female 1,185,630) (2011 est.)
    Median age
    total: 45.3 years. Country comparison to the world: 9th
    male: 43.7 years
    female: 46.8 years (2020 est.)
    total: 44.5 years
    male: 43.5 years
    female: 45.6 years (2017 est.)
    total: 42.5 years
    male: 41.4 years
    female: 43.6 years (2011 est.)
    Mother's mean age at first birth
    29.9 years (2017 est.)
    Total fertility rate
    1.39 children born/woman (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 225th
    Population growth rate
    -0.34% (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 221st
    Birth rate
    7.72 births/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 222nd
    8.4 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)
    Death rate
    12.05 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 14th
    Net migration rate
    0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 62nd
    Life expectancy at birth
    total population: 81.28 years. Country comparison to the world: 41st
    male: 78.73 years
    female: 84 years (2021 est.)
    Infant mortality rate
    total: 3.61 deaths/1,000 live births. Country comparison to the world: 204th
    male: 4 deaths/1,000 live births
    female: 3.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
    Ethnic groups

population: Greek 91.6%, Albanian 4.4%, other 4% (2011) Note: data represent citizenship, since Greece does not collect data on ethnicity

    Religions

Greek Orthodox (official) 81–90%, Muslim 2%, other 3%, none 4–15%, unspecified 1% (2015 est.)

    Urbanization
    urban population: 79.7% of total population (2020)
    rate of urbanization: 0.22% annual rate of change (2015–20 est.)
    Unemployment, youth ages 15–24
    total: 39.9%. Country comparison to the world: 11th
    male: 36.4%
    female: 43.9% (2018 est.)
    School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
    total: 20 years
    male: 20 years
    female: 20 years (2018)

Immigration

Demographics Of Greece 
Foreign citizens in Greece in 1998 by country of citizenship.

Greece has received a large number of immigrants since the early 1990s. The majority of them come from the neighbouring countries. As of 2011, the number of foreigners in an enumerated total of 10,815,197 people was 911,299.

Foreign-born by country (Eurostat): The Top-15 per year are displayed for consistency.

Country 2010 2014 2020 n-aEU 2020 EU 2021
Demographics Of Greece  Albania 384,600 337,719 346,918 374,926
Demographics Of Greece Demographics Of Greece  Bulgaria 45,700 40,914 72,777 35,444
Demographics Of Greece  Pakistan 20,100 18,040 19,167 35,309
Demographics Of Greece Demographics Of Greece  Romania 32,400 27,191 44,600 28,250
Demographics Of Greece  Georgia 62,600 45,061 23,050 26,083
Demographics Of Greece  Bangladesh 14,200 8,362 included into others 17,189
Demographics Of Greece  Ukraine 13,300 10,662 18,056 16,408
Demographics Of Greece  Afghanistan included into others 15,457
Demographics Of Greece  United Kingdom 5,200 10,736 14,752 13,517
Demographics Of Greece  Russia 55,700 42,959 14,772 13,415
Demographics Of Greece  Egypt 10,200 9,813 11,652 12,453
Demographics Of Greece  India 13,259 12,385
Demographics Of Greece Demographics Of Greece  Cyprus 10,200 10,881 13,850 12,362
Demographics Of Greece  Syria 7,500 8,306 included into others 10,785
Demographics Of Greece  Philippines 10,696 10,585
Demographics Of Greece Demographics Of Greece  Poland 10,800 16,635 13,560 included into others
Demographics Of Greece Demographics Of Greece  Germany 29,300 25,722 10,336 included into others
Demographics Of Greece  China 19,814 included into others
Demographics Of Greece  Turkey 9,500 12,469 included into others included into others
others 117,100 102,006 65,429 736,470 127,287
Total 828,400 727,477 524,813 906,345 761,855
Nationality of Greece over time
Nationality 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011 2021 2021
census
Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %
Demographics Of Greece  Greeks 7,602,230 99.60% 8,333,817 99.35% 8,675,804 98.94% 9,568,017 98.24% 10,092,624 98.37% 10,166,927 92.73% 9,903,268 91.57% 9,777,439 91.34% 9,716,889 92.70%
Foreigners 30,571 0.40% 54,736 0.65% 92,568 1.06% 171,424 1.76% 167,276 1.63% 797,093 7.27% 911,929 8.43% 921,485 8.61% 761,855 7.27%
Demographics Of Greece  EU-27 199,101 1.84% 168,550 1.57% 116,669 1.11%
Non-EU 752,900 7.1% 641,921 6.12%
Total 7,632,801 8,388,553 8,768,372 9,739,441 10,259,900 10,964,020 10,815,197 10,698,837 10,482,487

Illegal immigration

Greece has received many illegal immigrants beginning in the 1990s and continuing during the 2000s and 2010s. Migrants make use of the many islands in the Aegean Sea, directly west of Turkey. A spokesman for the European Union's border control agency said that the Greek-Albanian border is "one of Europe's worst-affected external land borders." Migrants across the Evros region bordering Turkey face land-mines. Principal illegal immigrants include Albanians, Indians, Kurds, Afghans, Iraqis and Somalis.

Ethnic groups, languages and religion

The population of northern Greece has primarily been ethnically, religiously and linguistically diverse. The Muslim minority of Greece is the only explicitly recognized minority in Greece by the government. The officials define it as a group of Greek Muslims numbering 98,000 people, consisting of Turks (50%), Pomaks (35%) and Romani (15%). No other minorities are officially acknowledged by the government. There is no official information for the size of the ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities because asking the population questions pertaining to the topic have been abolished since 1951.

Demographics Of Greece 
Map showing the distribution of major Modern Greek dialect areas
Demographics Of Greece 
Note: Greek is the dominant language throughout Greece; inclusion in a non-Greek language zone does not necessarily imply that the relevant minority language is still spoken there, or that its speakers consider themselves an ethnic minority.

Religion in Greece for the period 2006–2015 according to Swiss Metadatabse of Religious Affiliation in Europe

  Eastern Orthodoxy and other Christian (87.6%)
  Unaffiliated (6.1%)
  Islam (5.3%)
  others (0.8%)

Minorities in Greece according to Minority Rights Group International:

The official language of Greece is Greek, spoken by almost all as a second language at least. Additionally, there are a number of linguistic minority groups that are bilingual in a variety of non-Greek languages, and parts of these groups identify ethnically as Greeks.

Estimated historical population and census figures1:
Language (and religion) census 1879 estimate 1913 census 1928 census 1940 census 1951 census 1986
Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %
Greek 5,759,523 92.8 6,902,339 92.5 7,297,878 95.6
Turkish (altogether) 191,254 3.1 229,075 3.8 179,895 2.4
Turkish (and Orthodox Christian) 103,642 1.7
Turkish (and Muslim) 86,506 1.4
Slavic3 300,000- 500,000 6.3- 10.6 81,9842 1.3 86,086 1.2 41,017 0.5 180,180
Bulgarian (and Muslim) 16,775 0.3
Pomak 18,086 0.2 18,671 0.2
"Koutsovlach" 19,703 0.3 53,997 0.7 39,855 0.5
Albanian 49,632 0.7 22,7364 0.3
Albanian/Arvanitika 225,000
Albanian (and Muslim) 18,598 0.3
Armenian 33,634 0.5 26,827 0.4 8,990 0.1
Roma 4,998 0.1 8,141 0.1 7,429 0.1
Russian 3,295 0.1 8,126 0.1 3,815 0.1
French 4,518 0.1 2,101 0.0
Romanian 2,901 0.0 2,082 0.0
English 2,098 0.0 3,529 0.0 1,456 0.0
Spanish 63,200 1.0 53,125 0.7 1,339 0.0
German 3,401 0.0 1,301 0.0
Italian 3,199 0.1 4,426 0.1 894 0.0
Hebrew or Yiddish 34 0.0 853 0.0
Others 6,248 0.1 5,694 0.1 2,489 0.1
Total 1,679,775 4,734,990 6,204,684 7,344,860 7,632,801
Notes:
1 Census figures are considered "unreliable".

2The 1928 census figure (81,984) of the Slavic speakers does not reflect their actual strength due to either an official policy or reluctance of the concerned, and perhaps represents a number of speakers, who are lacking Greek national consciousness, while contemporary Greek reports estimate at least 200,000 Bulgarian-speaking inhabitants in the country.
3 The Slavic figure in the 1928, 1940 and 1951 census is referred to as a Macedonian Bulgarian dialect or Macedonian Slavic.
4 The Albanian figure (22,746) in the 1951 census is considered "certainly too small" and a research in the 1970s indicated a figure of at least 30,000 in Attica and Biotia alone.

Languages spoken in Greece:

Language Classification Speaking population Spoken by Ethnic population Region Notes
Greek classification
Cappadocian IE, Greek, Attic 2,800 (2015 M. Janse) Cappadocians Mandra, Neo Agioneri and Xirochori More distinct from standard Greek than Pontic Greek
Cretan 600,000 Cretans Crete
Greek IE, Greek, Attic 10,700,000 (2012 European Commission ) national scattered Lexical similarity: 84%–93% with Greek in Cyprus
Greek, Ancient IE, Greek, Attic no known L1 speakers scattered religious language
Pontic IE, Greek, Attic 200,000 (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)- 400,000 (2009 Z. Diakonikolaou) Pontians Macedonia and Epirus(Kilkis, Pella, and Serres; Thessaloniki, Drama and Imathia) Greek and Pontic speakers reportedly do not understand each other and Pontians do not speak standard Greek
Romano-Greek mixed Greek-Romani 30 (2000) Romani Thessaly, Central Greece Structured on Greek with heavy Romani lexicon
Sarakatsani IE, Greek, Doric 80,000 Sarakatsani Central Greece, Thessaly, Epirus
Tsakonian IE, Greek, Doric 200 (2007 Salminen)-1,500 (2010 M. Kisilier) Tsakonians Agios Andreas, Leonidio, Prastos, Kastanitsa, Melana, Pramatefti, Sapounakeika, Sitena, and Tyros Not inherently intelligible with modern Greek. Lexical similarity with standard Greek: 70% or less.
Other languages
Albanian, Arvanitika IE, Albanian, Tosk 50,000 (1993 Lunden, 2007 Salminen) Arvanites 150,000 southern Euboea, Salamis, Boeotia, Attica, Peloponnese, Western Greece and the Ionian Islands, Thessaly and Central Greece, Thrace Heavily influenced by Greek. Christian
Albanian, Tosk IE, Albanian, Tosk 10,000 (2002) Tosk Albanians Epirus and Western Macedonia(Central Florina, into Kastoria, Lehovo) Cham Tosk
Arabic Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South 28,000 Arabs
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, Aramaic, Eastern, Central, Northeastern 2,000 Assyrians
Armenian, Western IE, Armenian 20,000 (2007) Armenians scattered, Attica, Thessaly and Central Greece
Aromanian IE, Italic, Romance, Eastern 50,000 (1999 Salminen)- 200,000 (1995 Greek Monitor of Human and Minority Rights) Aromanians 700,000 (Trâ Armânami Association of French Aromanians) Pindus Mountains, around Trikala, Epirus, Thessaly, Macedonia Christian
Bulgarian IE, Balto-Slavic, Slavic, South, Eastern 56,200 (2014), 10–40,000 (Trudgill) Pomaks, Bulgarians Macedonia and Thrace Pomak, Muslim
English IE, Germanic, West 8,000
German IE, Germanic, West L1 users: 10,800 (2011 census), L2 users: 541,000 (2012 European Commission) L1 users based on nationality
Greek sign language Sign language 5,000 (2014 EUD)- 62,500 (2014 IMB) national scattered
Judeo-Italian IE, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Italo-Dalmatian 50 (2007 Salminen) Jews Peloponnese, Western Greece and the Ionian Islands
Kurdish, Northern IE, Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Western, Northwestern, Kurdish 22,500 Kurds
Ladino IE, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance, West Iberian, Castilian 2,000 Jews
Megleno-Romanian IE, Italic, Romance, Eastern 3,000 (2002)- 12,000 (1995) Megleno-Romanians Moglena
Romani, Balkan IE, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Intermediate Divisions, Western, Romani 40,000 (1996 B. Igla) Romani Attica; Macedonia, Peloponnese, Western Greece and the Ionian Islands, Epirus Christian, Muslim
Romani, Vlax IE, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Intermediate Divisions, Western, Romani 1,000 Romani Attica, Thessaly, Central Greece, Epirus, Western Macedonia Christian
Russian IE, Balto-Slavic, Slavic, East Russians
Serbian IE, Balto-Slavic, Slavic, South, Western Serbs
Slavic IE, Balto-Slavic, Slavic, South, Eastern 60–90,000 (Trudgill), 250,000 (2007 Boskov) Slavic-speakers of Greek Macedonia Macedonia (mainly Florina, Pella and Thessaloniki; Kastoria, Kozani, Kilkis, Imathia, Serres), Epirus (Ioannina) Christian
Turkish Turkic, Southern 40,000 (L1: 9,700, L2: 30,300, 2014) Turks, Karamanlides, Pomaks Macedonia and Thrace, Aegean Muslim, Christian
Turkish, Balkan Gagauz Turkic, Southern Gagauzes
Urum Turkic Urums
Religious population in Greece at the 1951 Census
Orthodox 7,472,559 (97.9%)
Muslim 112,665 (1.4%)
Catholic 28,430 (0.4%)
Protestant and other Christian 12,677 (0.2%)
Jewish 6,325 (0.1%)
Total 7,632,801

According to the Greek constitution, Eastern Orthodox Christianity is recognized as the "prevailing religion" in Greece. During the centuries that Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire, besides its spiritual mandate, the Orthodox Church, based in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), also functioned as an official representative of the Christian population of the empire. The Church is often credited with the preservation of the Greek language, values, and national identity during Ottoman times. The Church was also an important rallying point in the war for independence against the Ottoman Empire, although the official Church in Constantinople initially condemned the breakout of the armed struggle in fear of retaliation from the Ottoman side. The Church of Greece was established shortly after the formation of a Greek national state. Its authority to this day extends only to the areas included in the independent Greek state before the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913. There is a Muslim minority concentrated in Thrace and officially protected by the Treaty of Lausanne (1923). Besides Pomaks (Muslim Bulgarian speakers) and Roma, it consists mainly of ethnic Turks, who speak Turkish and receive instruction in Turkish at special government-funded schools. There are also a number of Jews in Greece, most of whom live in Thessaloniki. There are also some Greeks who adhere to a reconstruction of the ancient Greek religion. A place of worship has been recognized as such by court.

Education

Greek education is free and compulsory for children between the ages of 5 and 15. English study is compulsory from first grade through high school. University education, including books, is also free, contingent upon the student's ability to meet stiff entrance requirements. A high percentage of the student population seeks higher education. More than 100,000 students are registered at Greek universities, and 15% of the population currently holds a university degree. Admission in a university is determined by state-administered exams, the candidate's grade-point average from high school, and his/her priority choices of major. About one in four candidates gains admission to Greek universities.

Greek law does not currently offer official recognition to the graduates of private universities that operate in the country, except for those that offer a degree valid in another European Union country, which is automatically recognized by reciprocity. As a result, a large and growing number of students are pursuing higher education abroad. The Greek Government decides through an evaluation procedure whether to recognize degrees from specific foreign universities as qualification for public sector hiring. Other students attend private, post-secondary educational institutions in Greece that are not recognized by the Greek Government. At the moment extensive public talk is made for the reform of the Constitution to recognize private higher education in Greece as equal with public and to place common regulations for both.

The number of Greek students studying at European institutions is increasing along with EU support for educational exchange. In addition, nearly 5,000 Greeks are studying in the United States, about half of whom are in graduate school. Greek per capita student representation in the US (one every 2,200) is among the highest in Europe.

See also

Notes

References

Tags:

Demographics Of Greece Historical overviewDemographics Of Greece PopulationDemographics Of Greece Vital statistics from 1921Demographics Of Greece Other demographic statisticsDemographics Of Greece ImmigrationDemographics Of Greece Ethnic groups, languages and religionDemographics Of Greece EducationDemographics Of Greece

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