Greece faces record population decline of 500,000 amid falling birth rates

Greece is confronting a significant demographic crisis, with its population shrinking by over 500,000 people since 2011.

A recent study by the University of Thessaly’s Laboratory of Demographic and Social Analyses, led by Assistant Professor Ifigeneia Kokkali, warns that this downward trend is likely to continue for decades.

In 2023, Greece recorded just 72,300 births, roughly half the annual average seen between 1951 and 1970.

Fertility rates remain among the lowest in the European Union at 1.26 children per woman, far below the replacement level of 2.07.

Meanwhile, nearly 23% of the population is over 65, with seniors outnumbering children by around one million.

Brain drain, migration patterns

Since 2011, Greece has faced a negative natural population balance, with more deaths than births, compounded by persistent emigration.

Between 2011 and 2024, the country lost nearly 500,000 people, many of them young professionals and university graduates seeking employment abroad.

A human brain placed on a suitcase next to an airplane against a blue background, illustrating the concept of brain drain. (Adobe Stock Photo)

This brain drain has critical repercussions:

• Economic impact: Loss of skilled labor reduces innovation, productivity, and economic competitiveness.
• Demographic impact: Young emigrants are typically those of childbearing age, further reducing the birth rate.
• Social impact: Emigration disrupts family structures and community continuity, weakening social cohesion.

Reversing this trend requires not only financial incentives but also meaningful improvements in employment opportunities, wages, and social infrastructure.

Housing crisis

The rising cost of housing, particularly in Athens, Thessaloniki, and other urban centers, is a major deterrent to family formation.

Young adults face skyrocketing rents and property prices, often forcing them to delay marriage and parenthood or continue living with parents well into adulthood.

This housing instability intersects with economic uncertainty, creating a scenario where starting a family becomes financially risky.

Urban areas, which historically attracted young people for jobs and education, now paradoxically discourage family growth because of living costs.

A mother holds her daughter, showing care and the connection between them. (Adobe Stock Photo)

Rising childlessness, shifting social norms and personal choices

Approximately one in five Greeks born around 1980 remains childless, a figure that reflects not only economic and housing challenges but also changing societal attitudes toward family life.

• Delayed family formation: Many delay parenthood to focus on careers, education, or personal freedom.
• Cultural shifts: Individualism and alternative life priorities are increasingly valued over traditional family structures.
• Economic realities: Childbearing is often postponed or forgone due to job insecurity, high costs of living, and insufficient social support.

The trend of rising childlessness, combined with low fertility rates, threatens the long-term demographic sustainability of Greece, making it one of the most rapidly aging nations in Europe.

August 25, 2025 02:20 PM GMT+03:00