Greece Flag

Greece

Capital:
Athens
Continent:
Europe
Region(s):
Southern Europe
Largest Cities:
Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra
Abbreviation:
GRC

9.9M
Total Population
95
Population Rank
77.11
Density (km²)
-109.0K -1.46%
Annual Population Growth

Population of Greece

Greece's population structure shows a somewhat lower male to female ratio of 0.94 to 1, with a median male age of 45.46 years old and a median female age of 49.04 years old. The highest concentration of adults under 75 years old is in the 55 and 54 year-old age groups, while the lowest concentration is in the 30 and 26 year-old age groups.

Greece Population

Data after 2022 is projected based on recent change

Greece Population Clock

Greece Population*
9,954,156
Births per Day
187
Deaths per Day
343
Immigrations per Day
46
Net Change per Day
111
2025 Population Change*
4,773

* As of 2/12/2025

1 birth

Every 7.7 minutes

1 death

Every 4.2 minutes

1 immigrant

Every 31.3 minutes

1 person

Every 13.0 minutes

Population by City

City
2025 Pop.
Athens664,046
Thessaloniki354,290
Patra168,034
Piraeus163,688
Larisa144,651
Peristeri139,981
Irakleion137,154
Kallithea100,641

Greece Overview

Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is located in southeastern Europe with the mainland at the south end of the Balkan Peninsula. Greece is bordered by Bulgaria, Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, the Ionian Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Aegean Sea, and Turkey.

Greece Demographics

Millions of Greeks have migrated abroad to the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Canada, and Australia over the last century, which has led to a great Greek diaspora. Until the 1990s, most of the influx of migration into Greece was returning Greek migrants from Turkey, Georgia, Russia, and the Czech Republic.

According to the 2001 census, there were 762,000 people in Greece without Greek citizenship, or about 7% of the population. Of non-citizens, about 49,000 were EU nationals and 17,000 were Cypriots with privileged status. Most came from Eastern European countries, including Albania (56%), Bulgaria (5%) and Romania (3%).

The 2011 census found the population was comprised of Greek citizens (91%), Albanian citizens (4.5%), Bulgarian citizens (0.7%), Romanian citizens (0.4%), Pakistani citizens (0.3%) and Georgian citizens (0.25%).

Greece, as well as Spain and Italy, continue to face large numbers of illegal immigrants attempting to enter. Most illegal immigrants entering Greece do so from its border with Turkey.

Greece Religion, Economy and Politics

Greece is now in its 8th straight year of recession, which is the longest on record for an advanced western economy. The country also has the highest unemployment rate in the Eurozone at almost 28%. The problem is so severe that many hospitals in Athens say social workers report growing numbers of uninsured migrant mothers who are fleeing the hospital at night with their babies and failing to register for fear of paying a delivery rate of about $600-$1,200 that most can’t afford.

The current median age of the population in Greece is 44.5 years of age with a life expectancy of 80.7. 8.1% of the national GDP is spent on healthcare, resulting in a fairly high physician and hospital bed density, the respective numbers are at 6.26 physicians per 1,000 residents and 4.3 beds per 1,000 individuals residing within Greece. 100% of the population has access to clean drinking water, and only 1% struggle with access to improved sanitation facilities. The literacy rate of the population at or over the age of 15 is 97.7. Greece ranks in at number 79 in the World Happiness Report, giving a rating of 5.3 on a scale of 0-10 for overall happiness.

Greece Population History

The history of Greece goes back to ancient times, but the country didn’t gain its independence from the Ottoman Empire until the early 1800s. 100 years later in 1913, Greece gained additional territories from the Ottomans: Epirus, Macedonia, Crete, and the north Aegean Islands. Greece fell to the Germans during World War II and more than 100,000 died of starvation in 1941. Post-WWII, Greece became a parliamentary democracy and joined Nato.

A 1999 earthquake killed dozens and left thousands more homeless. A fire in 2007 left dozens more dead and destroyed forests across the country. Another fire in 2009 forced 10,000 to relocate. In the past decade, Greece has been struggling with crippling amounts of debt and unemployment.