Panic in Greece as ’empty villages’ and plunging births leaves country ‘scrambling’ | World | News
Greece is currently grappling with a rapidly declining population, leaving officials “scrambling for solutions”, according to new reports.
The country’s population could decrease by up to 25 percent by 2070, significantly higher than the EU average of four percent, according to Euronews, who described Greek villages as “empty”.
In 2022, Greece registered its lowest number of births in nearly a century, fewer than 77,000 births. In turn, deaths almost doubled that number the same year, reaching 140,000.
With no signs of this trend reversing, concerns are mounting about the long-term consequences for the country’s social and economic stability.
“The demographic collapse is literally becoming an existential challenge for our future,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.
The 2021 population census revealed a 3.1 percent decline in Greece’s population over the last decade, leaving the country with less than 10.5 million residents.
The drop largely coincides with Greece’s recent economic turmoil, which saw about half a million Greeks, particularly young and educated citizens, emigrate in search of better opportunities abroad.
Those who remained still face a challenging economic landscape, marked by high unemployment rates and low wages, making it difficult to establish careers and families. This harsh reality has pushed many to seek opportunities elsewhere.
“If you have to work 10 to 12 hours a day and not earn as much money as you want to, how can you buy a house? And how can you raise a family? You can’t,” Mary and her partner Nikos, both Greek nationals who left Greece for the United States two years ago and only return for holidays, explained.
The country’s fertility rate is alarmingly low at just 1.32 births per woman, while life expectancy continues to rise, leading to an aging and shrinking population. This shift is not only a social concern but also an economic one.
“The main problem is that you are going to have a smaller number of people who are working. And now these people, they will have to support a large population of older people,” Greek economist Nikos Vettas explained.
Vettas also suggested potential solutions to alleviate the impact, including boosting productivity, adopting new technologies, and encouraging the immigration of workers in high-skill, high-productivity sectors.
Recognising the gravity of the situation, the Greek government established its first-ever ministry dedicated to demographic issues in 2023.
Sofia Zacharaki, who bears the official title of “Minister of Social Cohesion and Family of Greece”, has implemented measures like tax incentives and increased state allowances for newborns to promote higher birth rates, which she believes are crucial first steps. Measures were even introduced as early as last Thursday.
She called Greece’s demographic decline “the biggest threat that Greece is faced with,” and reiterated the need for continued efforts to address the looming crisis.
