Demographics of Greece explained

Place:the Hellenic Republic
Size Of Population:10,413,982 (2023)[1]
Growth:-1.01 people/1,000 population (2010 est.)
Birth:7.9 births/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Death:12.3 deaths/1,000 population (July 2020 est.)
Life:82.2 years
Life Male:79.8 years
Life Female:84.7 years
Fertility:1.35 children born/woman (2018)[2]
Infant Mortality:3.75 deaths per 1,000 live births (2019 est)
Age 0-14 Years:14.1%
Age 15-64 Years:63.3%
Age 65 Years:22.6%
Sr Total Mf Ratio:0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Sr At Birth:1.06 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Sr Under 15:1.06 male(s)/female
Sr 15-64 Years:1.00 male(s)/female
Sr 65 Years Over:0.78 male(s)/female
Nation:noun: Greek(s) adjective: Greek
Major Ethnic:Greeks

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 in (including displaced refugees).

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,[3] 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

See main article: Demographic history of Greece.

See also: List of cities in Greece.

[4]

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.

CensusPopulationChange
19718,768,372
19819,739,58911.1%
199110,259,9005.3%
200110,964,0206.9%
201110,816,286-0.88%
202110,482,487-3.1%

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.

[5] [6] [7]

RegionPopulation (1971)Population (1981)Population (1991)Population (2001)Population (2011)Population (2021)Population (2023) [8]
Aegean Islands417,813 428,030 456,555 508,807 508,246 522,763 522,454
Central Greece3,532,248 4,125,463 4,366,900 4,591,568 4,586,626 4,514,663 4,484,296
Crete456,642 501.909 536,433 601,131 623,065 624,408 622,909
Epirus310,334 323.871 327,176 353,822 336,856 319,991 318,890
Ionian Islands184,443 182.327 189,338 212,984 207,855 204,532 202,185
Macedonia1,890,684 2,116,361 2,225,690 2,424,765 2,402,771 2,266,206 2,246,712
Peloponnese986,912 1,014,485 1,045,020 1,155,019 1,046,897 995,410 988,246
Thessaly659,913 695,724 729,268 753,888 732,762 688,255 682,189
Thrace329,582 341,180 340,755 362,038 371,208 346,259 346,101
Total8,768,372 9,729,350 10,223,392 10,964,020 10,816,286 10,482,487 10,413,982
/ = change since previous census

Fertility rate

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.

Life expectancy

See also: List of Greek regions by life expectancy.

PeriodLife expectancy in
Years
PeriodLife expectancy in
Years
1950–195565.81985–199075.6
1955–196067.21990–199577.4
1960–196569.31995–200078.1
1965–197070.12000–200579.1
1970–197571.82005–201080.0
1975–198072.82010–201580.6
1980–198574.52015–202081.2
Source: UN World Population Prospects[9]

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 group19711981199120012011
Population%Population%Population%Population%Population%
0–142,223,90425.42,307,29723.71,974,86719.21,664,08515.21,576,50014.4
15–645,587,35263.76,192,75163.66,880,68167.17,468,39568.17,122,83066.6
65+957,11610.91,239,54112.71,404,35213.71,831,54016.72,108,80719.0
Total8,768,3729,739,58910,259,90010,964,02010,816,286

Vital statistics from 1921

[10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]

Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority[16] and World Bank.[17]

Notable events in Greek demography:

YearAverage population (January 1 2001 onwards)Live births[18] DeathsNatural changeCrude birth rate (per 1000)Crude death rate (per 1000)Natural change (per 1000)crude migration change(per 1000)Total Fertility Rates[19]
19215,050,000107,00069,00038,00021.213.77.51.82.84
19225,097,000110,00082,00018,00021.616.15.5173.62.88
19236,010,000113,926102,04211,88419.017.02.0-3.72.55
19246,000,000117,01493,32023,69419.515.63.9-10.92.61
19255,958,000156,36788,63367,73426.214.911.42.73.52
19266,042,000181,27884,13697,14230.013.916.1-2.04.02
19276,127,000176,527100,02076,50728.816.312.51.03.86
19286,210,000189,250105,66583,58530.517.013.5-1.34.09
19296,286,000181,870115,56166,30928.918.410.52.43.87
19306,367,000199,565103,81195,75431.316.315.00.14.19
19316,463,000199,243114,36984,87430.817.713.1-0.63.83
19326,544,000185,523117,59367,93028.418.010.42.03.8
19336,625,000189,583111,44778,13628.616.811.83.63.84
19346,727,000208,929100,651108,27831.115.016.10.34.16
19356,837,000192,511101,41691,09528.214.813.31.23.77
19366,936,000193,343105,00588,33827.915.112.70.73.68
19377,029,000183,878105,67478,20426.215.011.12.13.51
19387,122,000184,50993,76690,74325.913.212.71.33.47
19397,222,000178,852100,45978,39324.813.910.92.53.32
19407,319,000179,50093,83085,67024.512.811.7-4.73.29
19417,370,000134,760125,7109,05018.317.11.2-3.93.19
19427,350,000132,640191,030-58,39018.026.0-7.9-1.63.08
19437,280,000122,170111,32010,85016.815.31.51.22.98
19447,300,000145,530110,81034,72019.915.24.8-3.42.88
19457,310,000183,47085,54097,93025.111.713.43.02.78
19467,430,000209,36073,500135,86028.29.918.3-6.22.68
19477,520,000206,40070,340136,06027.49.418.1-20.82.58
19487,500,000210,00096,000114,00028.012.815.2-17.82.48
19497,480,000139,10859,45079,65818.67.910.6-0.72.37
19507,554,000151,31453,75597,55920.07.112.9-0.72.47
19517,646,000155,42257,50897,91420.37.512.8-1.42.47
19527,733,000149,63753,37796,26019.46.912.4-1.52.48
19537,817,000143,76556,68087,08518.47.311.1-1.42.49
19547,893,000151,89255,62596,26719.27.012.2-3.02.48
19557,966,000154,26354,78199,48219.46.912.5-4.32.47
19568,031,000158,20359,46096,72719.47.412.0-3.92.44
19578,096,000155,94061,66493,52819.27.611.6-2.12.42
19588,173,000155,35958,16097,19919.07.111.9-1.52.38
19598,258,000160,19960,85299,34719.47.412.0-2.82.36
19608,304,698157,23960,56396,67618.97.311.6-3.92.33
19618,363,490150,71663,95586,76117.97.610.3-4.32.32
19628,433,124152,15866,55485,60418.07.910.1-6.32.32
19638,463,290148,24966,81381,43617.57.99.6-6.12.34
19648,495,610153,10969,42983,68018.08.19.8-5.02.37
19658,525,408151,44867,26984,17917.77.89.8-2.42.41
19668,575,653154,61367,91286,70117.97.910.1-1.72.46
19678,651,739162,83971,97590,86418.78.310.5-4.22.51
19688,716,502160,33873,30987,02918.38.410.0-6.32.54
19698,765,894154,07771,82582,25217.68.29.4-7.12.56
19708,780,549144,92874,00970,91916.58.48.1-3.82.57
19718,805,194141,12673,81967,30716.08.47.6-1.02.57
19728,857,439140,89176,85964,03215.98.67.2-2.72.55
19738,920,359137,52677,64859,87815.48.76.7-3.02.54
19748,937,982144,06976,30367,76616.18.57.61.92.52
19758,986,203142,27380,07762,19615.78.96.96.42.33
19769,106,985146,56681,81864,74816.08.97.14.02.35
19779,269,459143,73983,75059,98915.49.06.57.12.28
19789,347,618146,58881,61564,97315.58.76.97.92.29
19799,512,347147,96582,33865,62715.58.66.94.52.26
19809,584,298148,13487,28260,85215.49.16.32.62.23
19819,700,893140,95386,26154,69214.58.95.60.72.10
19829,757,944137,27586,34550,93014.08.85.20.62.03
19839,821,279132,60890,58642,02213.59.24.30.71.94
19849,872,195125,72488,39737,32712.78.93.801.82
19859,919,539116,48192,88623,59511.79.42.40.91.68
19869,949,185112,81091,46920,78111.39.22.11.31.60
19879,985,374106,39295,23210,66710.69.51.12.51.50
198810,015,957107,50593,03114,63710.79.31.43.91.50
198910,058,127101,65792,7178,43210.09.20.96.11.40
199010,120,984102,22994,1528,07710.19.30.88.61.39
199110,272,768102,62095,4987,12210.09.30.710.31.37
199210,367,276104,08198,2315,85010.09.50.68.71.36
199310,431,200101,79997,4194,3809.79.30.47.91.32
199410,489,958103,76397,8075,9569.89.30.67.21.33
199510,536,004101,495100,1581,3379.59.40.17.01.28
199610,588,378100,718100,740-229.49.4-0.06.31.26
199710,629,378102,03899,7382,3009.59.30.25.21.27
199810,693,340100,894102,668-1,7749.39.5-0.24.61.24
199910,747,879100,643103,304-2,6619.29.5-0.33.51.23
200010,775,693103,274105,219-1,9529.59.6-0.1-7.41.25
200110,836,578102,282102,559-2779.49.40.04.81.25
200210,888,357103,569103,915-3469.59.50.02.51.28
200310,915,874104,420105,529-1,1099.69.7-0.12.41.29
200410,940,437105,655104,9427139.69.60.12.61.31
200510,969,984107,545105,0912,4549.89.60.23.01.34
200611,004,784112,042105,4766,56610.29.60.62.21.40
200711,036,789111,926109,8952,03110.19.90.22.11.41
200811,060,985118,302107,97910,32310.79.70.92.21.50
200911,094,768 117,933108,3169,61710.69.80.91.31.50
201011,119,102114,766109,0845,68210.39.80.5-0.11.48
201111,123,400106,428111,099-4,6719.610.0-0.4-2.91.40
201211,086,459100,371116,668-16,2979.110.6-1.5-6.01.34
201311,003,68794,134111,794-17,6608.610.2-1.6-5.41.29
201410,926,85992,149113,740-21,5918.510.4-2.04.31.30
201510,858,49891,847121,183-29,3368.511.2-2.7-4.21.33
201610,783,72992,898118,788-25,8908.611.0-2.41.01.38
201710,768,29088,553124,495-35,9428.211.6-3.30.81.35
201810,741,24486,440120,291-33,8518.111.2-3.21.81.35
201910,726,59883,756124,954-41,1987.811.7-3.83.11.32
202010,718,56584,764131,064-46,3007.912.3-4.3-0.71.37
202110,664,97285,346143,919-58,5738.213.8-5.6-1.41.38
202210,590,317 76,541140,801-64,2607.213.2-6.0-10.71.33
2023p10,523,49272,244129,587-57,3436.912.4-5.5

Current vital statistics

Period[20] Live birthsDeathsNatural increase
January - July 202341,38978,248-36,859
January - July 202439,93575,870-35,935
Difference -1,454 (-3.51%) -2,378 (-3.04%) +924

Structure of the population

Age GroupMaleFemaleTotal%
Total5 303 2235 513 063 10 816 286100
0–4274 788262 455537 2434.97
5–9262 432 250 164 512 5964.74
10–14265 787253 642519 4294.80
15–19286 386266 890553 2765.12
20–24325 127301 970627 0975.80
25–29371 617352 154723 7716.69
30–34417 861404 614822 4757.60
35–39409 681403 148 812 8297.51
40–44414 026418 640832 6667.70
45–49367 086381 343748 4296.92
50–54355 552375 934731 4866.76
55–59321 466338 902660 3686.11
60–64301 589324 180625 7695.79
65-69241 832266 444508 2764.70
70-74246 264295 901542 1655.01
75-79209 983265 094475 0774.39
80-84146 455205 918352 3733.26
85-8960 93398 908 159 8411.48
90-9418 76034 68553 4450.49
95-994 94810 239 15 1870.14
100+6501 8382 4880.02
Age group MaleFemaleTotalPercent
0–14803 007766 2611 569 26814.51
15–643 570 3913 567 7757 138 16665.99
65+929 8251 179 0272 108 85219.50
Age GroupMaleFemaleTotal%
Total5 196 0485 482 584 10 678 632100
0–4232 962221 004453 9664.25
5–9256 724 242 916499 6404.68
10–14286 211270 919557 1305.22
15–19286 473261 827548 3005.13
20–24295 675267 375563 0505.27
25–29289 021268 852557 8735.22
30–34292 391293 623586 0145.49
35–39351 172348 759699 9316.55
40–44397 038400 046797 0847.46
45–49388 226 404 647792 8737.42
50–54388 838418 213807 0517.56
55–59340 585379 684720 2696.74
60–64320 930366 665687 5956.44
65-69288 274327 034615 3085.76
70-74261 202309 037570 2395.34
75-79200 470246 135446 6054.18
80-84161 684 227 332389 0163.64
85-8998 597148 795247 3922.32
90-9441 16058 05299 2120.93
95-9912 18814 44526 6330.25
100-1044 3344 1908 524 0.08
105-1091 3702 0473 4170.03
110+5239871 5100.01
Age group MaleFemaleTotalPercent
0–14775 897734 8391 510 73614.15
15–643 350 3493 409 6916 760 04063.30
65+1 069 8021 338 0542 407 85622.55

Other demographic statistics

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2019.

Demographic statistics according to the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[21]

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
    Dependency ratios:
  • total dependency ratio: 56.1
  • youth dependency ratio: 21.3
  • elderly dependency ratio: 34.8
  • potential support ratio
  • 2.9 (2020 est.)
    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

    See main article: Immigration to Greece. 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):[22] The Top-15 per year are displayed for consistency.

    Country201020142020 [23] 2020 EU[24] 2021[25]
    Albania384,600337,719346,918374,926
    Bulgaria45,70040,91472,77735,444
    Pakistan20,10018,04019,16735,309
    Romania32,40027,19144,60028,250
    Georgia62,60045,06123,05026,083
    Bangladesh14,2008,36217,189
    Ukraine13,30010,66218,05616,408
    Afghanistan15,457
    United Kingdom5,20010,73614,75213,517
    55,70042,95914,77213,415
    Egypt10,2009,81311,65212,453
    India13,25912,385
    Cyprus10,20010,88113,85012,362
    7,5008,30610,785
    Philippines10,69610,585
    Poland10,80016,63513,560
    Germany29,30025,72210,336
    China19,814
    Turkey9,50012,469
    others117,100102,00665,429<--31,164 outside the top 15-->736,470127,287
    Total828,400727,477524,813906,345761,855
    Nationality! colspan="2"
    19511961197119811991200120112021[26] 2021
    census
    Number%Number%Number%Number%Number%Number%Number%Number%Number%
    Greeks7,602,23099.60%8,333,81799.35%8,675,80498.94%9,568,01798.24%10,092,62498.37%10,166,92792.73%9,903,26891.57%9,777,43991.34%9,716,88992.70%
    Foreigners30,5710.40%54,7360.65%92,5681.06%171,4241.76%167,2761.63%797,0937.27%911,9298.43%921,4858.61%761,8557.27%
    EU-27199,1011.84%168,5501.57%116,6691.11%
    Non-EU752,9007.1%641,9216.12%
    Total7,632,8018,388,5538,768,3729,739,44110,259,90010,964,02010,815,19710,698,83710,482,487

    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.[27] [28]

    Ethnic groups, languages and religion

    See main article: Minorities in Greece, Languages of Greece and Religion in Greece.

    The population of northern Greece has primarily been ethnically, religiously and linguistically diverse.[29] 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.[30] [31] [32] 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.[33] [34]

    Minorities in Greece according to Minority Rights Group International in 2015:[35]

    265,000

    100,000–200,000

    95,000

    90,000

    35,000–40,000

    5,000

    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[36] [37] estimate 1913[38] census 1928[39] [40] census 1940[41] census 1951census 1986[42]
    Number%Number%Number%Number%Number%Number%
    Greek5,759,52392.86,902,33992.57,297,87895.6
    Turkish (altogether)191,2543.1229,0753.8179,8952.4
    Turkish (and Orthodox Christian)103,6421.7
    Turkish (and Muslim)86,5061.4
    Slavic3300,000- 500,0006.3- 10.681,98421.386,0861.241,0170.5180,180
    Bulgarian (and Muslim)16,7750.3
    Pomak18,0860.218,6710.2
    "Koutsovlach"19,7030.353,9970.739,8550.5
    Albanian49,6320.722,73640.3
    Albanian/Arvanitika225,000
    Albanian (and Muslim)18,5980.3
    Armenian33,6340.526,8270.48,9900.1
    Roma4,9980.18,1410.17,4290.1
    Russian3,2950.18,1260.13,8150.1
    French4,5180.12,1010.0
    Romanian2,9010.02,0820.0
    English2,0980.03,5290.01,4560.0
    Spanish63,2001.053,1250.71,3390.0
    German3,4010.01,3010.0
    Italian3,1990.14,4260.18940.0
    Hebrew or Yiddish340.08530.0
    Others6,2480.15,6940.12,4890.1
    Total1,679,7754,734,9906,204,6847,344,8607,632,801
    Notes:
    1 Census figures are considered "unreliable".[43]

    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.[44]
    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:
    LanguageClassificationSpeaking populationSpoken byEthnic populationRegionNotes
    Greek classification
    CappadocianIE, Greek, Attic2,800 (2015 M. Janse)CappadociansMandra, Neo Agioneri and XirochoriMore distinct from standard Greek than Pontic Greek
    Cretan600,000CretansCrete
    GreekIE, Greek, Attic10,700,000 (2012 European Commission)nationalscatteredLexical similarity: 84%–93% with Greek in Cyprus
    Greek, AncientIE, Greek, Atticno known L1 speakersscatteredreligious language
    Pontic[45] [46] IE, Greek, Attic200,000 (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)- 400,000 (2009 Z. Diakonikolaou)PontiansMacedonia 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-Greekmixed Greek-Romani30 (2000)RomaniThessaly, Central GreeceStructured on Greek with heavy Romani lexicon
    Sarakatsani IE, Greek, Doric80,000SarakatsaniCentral Greece, Thessaly, Epirus
    Tsakonian[47] IE, Greek, Doric200 (2007 Salminen)-1,500 (2010 M. Kisilier)TsakoniansAgios Andreas, Leonidio, Prastos, Kastanitsa, Melana, Pramatefti, Sapounakeika, Sitena, and TyrosNot inherently intelligible with modern Greek. Lexical similarity with standard Greek: 70% or less.
    Other languages
    Albanian, Arvanitika[48] IE, Albanian, Tosk50,000 (1993 Lunden, 2007 Salminen)Arvanites150,000southern Euboea, Salamis, Boeotia, Attica, Peloponnese, Western Greece and the Ionian Islands, Thessaly and Central Greece, ThraceHeavily influenced by Greek. Christian
    Albanian, ToskIE, Albanian, Tosk10,000 (2002)Tosk AlbaniansEpirus and Western Macedonia(Central Florina, into Kastoria, Lehovo)Cham Tosk
    Arabic[49] Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South28,000Arabs
    Assyrian Neo-AramaicAfro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, Aramaic, Eastern, Central, Northeastern2,000Assyrians
    Armenian, WesternIE, Armenian20,000 (2007)Armeniansscattered, Attica, Thessaly and Central Greece
    AromanianIE, Italic, Romance, Eastern50,000 (1999 Salminen)- 200,000 (1995 Greek Monitor of Human and Minority Rights)Aromanians700,000 (Trâ Armânami Association of French Aromanians)Pindus Mountains, around Trikala, Epirus, Thessaly, MacedoniaChristian
    Bulgarian[50] IE, Balto-Slavic, Slavic, South, Eastern56,200 (2014), 10–40,000 (Trudgill)Pomaks, BulgariansMacedonia and ThracePomak, Muslim
    EnglishIE, Germanic, West8,000
    GermanIE, Germanic, WestL1 users: 10,800 (2011 census), L2 users: 541,000 (2012 European Commission)L1 users based on nationality
    Greek sign languageSign language5,000 (2014 EUD)- 62,500 (2014 IMB)nationalscattered
    Judeo-ItalianIE, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Italo-Dalmatian50 (2007 Salminen)JewsPeloponnese, Western Greece and the Ionian Islands
    Kurdish, NorthernIE, Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Western, Northwestern, Kurdish22,500Kurds
    LadinoIE, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance, West Iberian, Castilian2,000Jews
    Megleno-RomanianIE, Italic, Romance, Eastern3,000 (2002)- 12,000 (1995)Megleno-RomaniansMoglena
    Romani, BalkanIE, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Intermediate Divisions, Western, Romani40,000 (1996 B. Igla)RomaniAttica
    Macedonia, Peloponnese, Western Greece and the Ionian Islands, Epirus
    Christian, Muslim
    Romani, VlaxIE, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Intermediate Divisions, Western, Romani1,000RomaniAttica, Thessaly, Central Greece, Epirus, Western MacedoniaChristian
    RussianIE, Balto-Slavic, Slavic, EastRussians
    SerbianIE, Balto-Slavic, Slavic, South, WesternSerbs
    SlavicIE, Balto-Slavic, Slavic, South, Eastern60–90,000 (Trudgill), 250,000 (2007 Boskov)Slavic-speakers of Greek MacedoniaMacedonia (mainly Florina, Pella and Thessaloniki; Kastoria, Kozani, Kilkis, Imathia, Serres), Epirus (Ioannina)Christian
    TurkishTurkic, Southern40,000 (L1: 9,700, L2: 30,300, 2014)Turks, Karamanlides, PomaksMacedonia and Thrace, AegeanMuslim, Christian
    Turkish, Balkan GagauzTurkic, SouthernGagauzes
    UrumTurkicUrums
    Religious population in Greece at the 1951 Census[51]
    Orthodox7,472,559 (97.9%)
    Muslim112,665 (1.4%)
    Catholic28,430 (0.4%)
    Protestant and other Christian12,677 (0.2%)
    Jewish6,325 (0.1%)
    Total7,632,801

    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[52] 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.[53] A place of worship has been recognized as such by court.[54]

    Education

    See main article: Education in Greece. 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

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Στοιχεία Υπολογιζόμενου Πληθυσμού (1.1.2023) και Μεταναστευτικών Ροών της Χώρας (2022) - ELSTAT. www.statistics.gr.
    2. Web site: Hellenic Statistical Authority Demographic indicators / 2018 . 7 August 2020.
    3. [Mogens Herman Hansen]
    4. Note: Crude migration change (per 1000) is a trend analysis, an extrapolation based average population change (current year minus previous) minus natural change of the current year (see table vital statistics). As average population is an estimate of the population in the middle of the year and not end of the year.
    5. Web site: Statistics - ELSTAT . 2023-02-25 . www.statistics.gr.
    6. Web site: Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός (προσωρινά στοιχεία) - ELSTAT . 2023-02-25 . www.statistics.gr.
    7. Web site: Census of Population and Housing 2021 . 2023-04-23 . www.census2021.cystat.gov.cy.
    8. Web site:
    9. Web site: World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations. 2017-07-15.
    10. Web site: Statistics - ELSTAT. www.statistics.gr.
    11. Web site: Statistics - ELSTAT. www.statistics.gr.
    12. Web site: ypes.gr.
    13. B.R. Mitchell. European historical statistics, 1750–1975.
    14. Book: Demographic Yearbook 1948. https://web.archive.org/web/20110728143216/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dybsets/1948%20DYB.pdf . 2011-07-28 . live. United Nations in collaboration with the Department of Social Affairs. Statistical Office of the United Nations. 1949. 6 February 2017.
    15. Web site: Population and Social Conditions: Demography. Hellenic Statistical Authority. 6 January 2017.
    16. Web site: Main Page ELSTAT - ELSTAT. www.statistics.gr.
    17. Web site: Population growth (annual %) - Greece Data . 2023-03-18 . data.worldbank.org.
    18. 1932–1940 and 1955–2017: Web site: 2019-07-20. Statistics – ELSTAT – 01. Births – Absolute numbers and rates (1932–2017). www.statistics.gr. Web page contains link to data in XLS spreadsheet format.
    19. Web site: Greek Women Have Fewer Children than EU Average . GreekReporter.com. Philip. Chrysopoulos.
    20. Web site: Statistics of Registry Deeds PSMIPOL .
    21. Web site: Europe: Greece . . . 28 November 2019 .
    22. Book: International Migration Outlook 2016. OECD Publishing. Paris, France. 1999-124X. 10.1787/1999124x. 371. 19 September 2016. 6 February 2017. 9789264258440.
    23. https://migration.gov.gr/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/%CE%A3%CE%A4%CE%91%CE%A4%CE%99%CE%A3%CE%A4%CE%99%CE%9A%CE%91_%CE%91%CE%94_20200131.zip ΣΤΑΤΙΣΤΙΚΑ_ΑΔ_20200131
    24. Web site: Population on 1 January by age group, sex and citizenship . European Commission . 18 December 2023.
    25. https://www.statistics.gr/documents/20181/17286366/A1602_SAM03_TB_DC_00_2011_A02_F_BI.xlsx/
    26. Web site: File:Tab04 Non-national population by group of citizenship, 1 January 2021 rev.png . 2023-02-25 . ec.europa.eu . en.
    27. Web site: Destabilization Through Illegal Immigration in Greece. Research Institute for European and American Analysis. 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110721083021/http://rieas.gr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=812&Itemid=89. 21 July 2011.
    28. News: Niki. Kitsantonis. Greece struggles to curb influx of illegal immigrants. The New York Times. 4 October 2007. 6 February 2017.
    29. Encyclopedia: Greece: People: Ethnic groups. Britannica online. 6 February 2017.
    30. Web site: Greek Helsinki Monitor . 14 August 2015.
    31. Web site: http://www.hri.org/MFA/foreign/musmingr.htm. el:Μουσουλμανικη Μειονοτητα Θρακησ. Muslim Minority of Thrace. el. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hellenic Resources Network. Athens, Greece. June 1999. 6 January 2016.
      Web site: http://www.waterinfo.gr/eedyp/papers/apografi.html. el:Στοιχεια Απο Την Προσφατη Απογραφη Του Πληθυσμου. Figures from the recent Population Census. el. Water Info. 2001. 6 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20110721084124/http://www.waterinfo.gr/eedyp/papers/apografi.html. 21 July 2011. dead.
    32. Web site: Macedonia Fights for Its Name. 25 March 2008. 30 January 2019. Newsweek. 'Greece is one of the rare countries of the EU that does not recognize the phrase 'minority rights.' They still have a concept of a pure nation—one state, one nation, one religion, one culture, everything Greek. And they do not want to recognize that in Greece there is a big Turkish minority, a big Albanian minority and one small Macedonian minority.'.
    33. Web site: Shendruk . Amanda . 8 July 2021 . Are you even trying to stop racism if you don't collect data on race? . 2022-07-04 . Quartz . en.
    34. Book: Fassmann. Heinz. Reeger. Ursula. Sievers. Wiebke. Statistics and Reality: Concepts and Measurements of Migration in Europe. 27 March 2016. 2009. Amsterdam University Press. 978-90-8964-052-9. 237.
    35. Web site: MRG Directory: Greece. Greece Overview. 19 June 2015 . MRG. 14 August 2015.
    36. Book: Zervas . Theodore G.. Formal and informal education during the rise of Greek nationalism: learning to be Greek . Springer . 9781137484147 . 52 . An 1879 Greek census found that, in the Peloponnese, Central Greece, Euboea and the island of Andros, there were nearly 225,000 Albanian/ Arvanitic speakers. 8 December 2016 .
    37. Book: Martin . Frederick . The statesman's year-book statistical and historical annual of the states of the civilised world for the year 1882 . 1924 . Oxford University . 288 . Greece, at the last census, taken June 1879, had a total population of 1,679,775.
    38. Peter Trudgill & Daniel Schreier, "Greece and Cyprus", in: Sociolinguistics (HSK 3.3), 2nd ed., Berlin & New York: de Gruyter, p. 1881-1889, esp. p. 1885
    39. Angelopoulos . Ath . Population Distribution of Greece Today According to Language, National Consciousness, and Religion . Balkan Studies . 43 . Thessaloniki . 2241-1674 . 126–131.
    40. Mavrogordatos. George Th.. Ιστορία Της Ελλάδας Του 20Ού Αιώνα, Επιμ. Χ. Χατζηιωσήφ, Τόμος Β2. Αθήνα: Βιβλιόραμα, 2003 . https://www.academia.edu/2363351. el:Οι εθνικές μειονότητες. The National Minorities. el. academia.edu. 2003. 7 February 2017.
    41. Book: Shea, John. Macedonia and Greece: The Struggle to Define a New Balkan Nation. 7 February 2017. 1997. McFarland. 978-0-7864-0228-1. 129.
    42. Web site: Gordon. Raymond G. Jr. . 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Fifteenth. Dallas, Texas. SIL International .
    43. Book: Clogg, Richard. Richard Clogg. Minorities in Greece: aspects of a plural society . limited . Hurst & Co . 9781850657064 . 112 . Census figures are unreliable, and Greece has long since ceased to include linguistic minorities in its census. January 2002 .
    44. Book: Mavrogordatos . George . Stillborn republic: social coalitions and party strategies in Greece, 1922–1936 . University of California Press . 9780520043589 . 247 . In any event, those of the 1928 Census for the Slavo-Macedonian-speaking population as a whole clearly do not reflect its actual strength, as a result of either official policy, or reluctance on the part of those concerned, or both. Contemporary Greek reports estimate as many as 200,000 "Bulgarian"-speaking inhabitants in Macedonia, of whom no more than 80,000–90,000 are considered to be lacking a Greek national consciousness – a number equivalent to that of the census, perhaps not accidentally. (49. See the reports of P. Demetriades to the Association for the Dissemination of Greek Letters, 13 August 1927 and 23 December 1927, VA File 373. Given the confidential nature and policy orientation of these reports, they should be rated as more reliable than public statements. On the actual number of Slavomacedonians, see also Christidès, pp. 64–65.). January 1983 .
    45. Web site: Simons. Gary F.. Charles D.. Fennig. 2018. Ethnologue: Languages of the World . Twenty-first . Dallas, Texas. SIL International . en.
    46. Web site: Lewis. M. Paul. 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Sixteenth. Dallas, Texas. SIL International.
    47. Web site: Lewis. M. Paul. Gary F.. Simons. Charles D.. Fennig. 2016. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Nineteenth. Dallas, Texas. SIL International. Ethnologue . en.
    48. Book: Trudgill. Peter. Schreier. Daniel. Peter Trudgill. Ulrich Ammon. Norbert Dittmar. Klaus J. Mattheier. Peter Trudgill. https://books.google.com/books?id=LMZm0w0k1c4C&pg=PA1883. Sociolinguistics: An International Handbook of the Science of Language and Society. 2nd. 3. 2006. Greece and Cyprus. Walter de Gruyter. 978-3-11-018418-1. 1881–1889, esp. p. 1883. 7 February 2017.
    49. Web site: Grimes. Barbara F.. 2000. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Fourteenth. Dallas, Texas. SIL International. www.ethnologue.com.
    50. Web site: Simons. Gary F.. Charles D.. Fennig. 2017. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Twentieth. Dallas, Texas. SIL International. Ethnologue . en.
    51. Book: Clogg, Richard. Richard Clogg. Minorities in Greece: Aspects of a Plural Society. https://books.google.com/books?id=-71s8jEHWJsC&pg=PR11. 7 February 2017. 2002. C. Hurst & Co.. 978-1-85065-705-7. xi. Introduction.
    52. Book: Gordon. Raymond G. Jr. http://www.ethnologue.com/14/show_language.asp?code=BLG. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Bulgarian. SIL International. Dallas, Texas. 2005. 15th. 3 January 2017. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090116140346/http://www.ethnologue.com/14/show_language.asp?code=BLG. 16 January 2009.
    53. News: Brabant. Malcolm. Ancient Greek gods' new believers. BBC News. 21 January 2007. 7 February 2017.
    54. News: Smith. Helena. Greek gods prepare for comeback. The Guardian. London. 4 May 2006. 24 August 2008. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20130830033342/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/may/05/greece. 30 August 2013.