2021 Edition

Background

Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and other anti-communist and communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. In 1967, a group of military officers seized power, establishing a military dictatorship that suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country. In 1974 following the collapse of the dictatorship, democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 2001. Greece has suffered a severe economic crisis since late 2009, due to nearly a decade of chronic overspending and structural rigidities. Beginning in 2010, Greece entered three bailout agreements - with the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB), the IMF, and the third in 2015 with the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) - worth in total about $300 billion. The Greek Government formally exited the third bailout in August 2018.

Area

land

130,647 sq km

total

131,957 sq km

water

1,310 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Alabama

Climate

temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

Coastline

13,676 km

Elevation

highest point

Mount Olympus 2,917

lowest point

Mediterranean Sea 0 m

mean elevation

498 m

note

note: Mount Olympus actually has 52 peaks but its highest point, Mytikas (meaning "nose"), rises to 2,917 meters; in Greek mythology, Olympus' Mytikas peak was the home of the Greek gods

Geographic coordinates

39 00 N, 22 00 E

Geography - note

strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, possessing an archipelago of about 2,000 islands

Irrigated land

15,550 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

border countries

Albania 212 km, Bulgaria 472 km, Macedonia 234 km, Turkey 192 km

total

1,110 km

Land use

agricultural land

63.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 19.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 8.9% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 34.8% (2018 est.)

forest

30.5% (2018 est.)

other

6.1% (2018 est.)

Location

Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

continental shelf

200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

territorial sea

6 nm

Natural hazards

severe earthquakesvolcanism: Santorini (367 m) has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; although there have been very few eruptions in recent centuries, Methana and Nisyros in the Aegean are classified as historically active

Natural resources

lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential

Population distribution

one-third of the population lives in and around metropolitan Athens; the remainder of the country has moderate population density mixed with sizeable urban clusters

Terrain

mountainous with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands

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.)

Birth rate

7.72 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

NA

Contraceptive prevalence rate

NA

Current Health Expenditure

7.7% (2018)

Death rate

12.05 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

34.8

potential support ratio

2.9 (2020 est.)

total dependency ratio

56.1

youth dependency ratio

21.3

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 100% of population

improved: total

total: 100% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 0% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

Education expenditures

3.6% of GDP (2018)

Ethnic groups

Greek 91.6%, Albanian 4.4%, other 4% (2011)

note

note: data represent citizenship; Greece does not collect data on ethnicity

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.2% (2020 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

<100 (2020 est.)

note

note: estimate does not include children

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

17,000 (2020 est.)

note

note: estimate does not include children

Hospital bed density

4.2 beds/1,000 population (2018)

Infant mortality rate

female

3.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

male

4 deaths/1,000 live births

total

3.61 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Languages

Greek (official) 99%, other (includes English and French) 1%

major-language sample(s)

Το Παγκόσμιο Βιβλίο Δεδομένων, η απαραίτητη πηγή βασικών πληροφοριών. (Greek)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

female

84 years (2021 est.)

male

78.73 years

total population

81.28 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

97.4% (2018)

male

98.5%

total population

97.9%

Major urban areas - population

3.153 million ATHENS (capital), 813,000 Thessaloniki (2021)

Maternal mortality ratio

3 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Median age

female

46.8 years (2020 est.)

male

43.7 years

total

45.3 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

29.9 years (2019 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Greek

noun

Greek(s)

Net migration rate

0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

24.9% (2016)

Physicians density

5.48 physicians/1,000 population (2017)

Population

10,569,703 (July 2021 est.)

Population distribution

one-third of the population lives in and around metropolitan Athens; the remainder of the country has moderate population density mixed with sizeable urban clusters

Population growth rate

-0.34% (2021 est.)

Religions

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

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: 100% of population

improved: total

total: 100% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 0% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

20 years (2019)

male

20 years

total

20 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.07 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.11 male(s)/female

25-54 years

0.98 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.9 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.8 male(s)/female

at birth

1.07 male(s)/female

total population

0.95 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.39 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

39.3% (2020 est.)

male

31.4%

total

35%

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.11% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

80% of total population (2021)

Administrative divisions

13 regions (perifereies, singular - perifereia) and 1 autonomous monastic state* (aftonomi monastiki politeia); Agion Oros* (Mount Athos), Anatoliki Makedonia kai Thraki (East Macedonia and Thrace), Attiki (Attica), Dytiki Ellada (West Greece), Dytiki Makedonia (West Macedonia), Ionia Nisia (Ionian Islands), Ipeiros (Epirus), Kentriki Makedonia (Central Macedonia), Kriti (Crete), Notio Aigaio (South Aegean), Peloponnisos (Peloponnese), Sterea Ellada (Central Greece), Thessalia (Thessaly), Voreio Aigaio (North Aegean)

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology

Athens is the oldest European capital city; according to tradition, the city is named after Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom; in actuality, the appellation probably derives from a lost name in a pre-Hellenic language

geographic coordinates

37 59 N, 23 44 E

name

Athens

time difference

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth

no

citizenship by descent only

at least one parent must be a citizen of Greece

dual citizenship recognized

yes

residency requirement for naturalization

10 years

Constitution

amendments

proposed by at least 50 members of Parliament and agreed by three-fifths majority vote in two separate ballots at least 30 days apart; passage requires absolute majority vote by the next elected Parliament; entry into force finalized through a "special parliamentary resolution"; articles on human rights and freedoms and the form of government cannot be amended; amended 1986, 2001, 2008, 2019

history

many previous; latest entered into force 11 June 1975

Country name

conventional long form

Hellenic Republic

conventional short form

Greece

etymology

the English name derives from the Roman (Latin) designation "Graecia," meaning "Land of the Greeks"; the Greeks call their country "Hellas" or "Ellada"

former

Hellenic State, Kingdom of Greece

local long form

Elliniki Dimokratia

local short form

Ellas or Ellada

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Geoffrey R. PYATT (since 24 October 2016)

consulate(s) general

Thessaloniki

email address and website

athensamericancitizenservices@state.govhttps://gr.usembassy.gov/

embassy

91 Vasillisis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens

FAX

[30] (210) 724-5313

mailing address

7100 Athens Place, Washington DC  20521-7100

telephone

[30] (210) 721-2951

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2217 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Alexandra PAPADOPOULOU (since 6 February 2021)

consulate(s)

Atlanta, Houston

consulate(s) general

Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Tampa (FL), San Francisco

email address and website

gremb.was@mfa.grhttps://www.mfa.gr/usa/en/the-embassy/

FAX

[1] (202) 939-1324

telephone

[1] (202) 939-1300

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister 

chief of state

President Ekaterini SAKELLAROPOULOU (since 13 March 2020)

election results

Katerina SAKELLAROPOULOU (independent) elected president by Parliament - 261 of 300 votes; note - SAKELLAROPOULOU is Greece's first woman president

elections/appointments

president elected by Hellenic Parliament for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 22 January 2020 (next to be held by February 2025); president appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party or coalition in the Hellenic Parliament

head of government

Prime Minister Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS (since 8 July 2019)

Flag description

nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; a blue square bearing a white cross appears in the upper hoist-side corner; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country; there is no agreed upon meaning for the nine stripes or for the colors

note

note: Greek legislation states that the flag colors are cyan and white, but cyan can mean "blue" in Greek, so the exact shade of blue has never been set and has varied from a light to a dark blue over time; in general, the hue of blue normally encountered is a form of azure

Government type

parliamentary republic

Independence

3 February 1830 (from the Ottoman Empire); note - 25 March 1821, outbreak of the national revolt against the Ottomans; 3 February 1830, signing of the London Protocol recognizing Greek independence by Great Britain, France, and Russia

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

highest courts

Supreme Civil and Criminal Court or Areios Pagos (consists of 56 judges, including the court presidents); Council of State (supreme administrative court) (consists of the president, 7 vice presidents, 42 privy councilors, 48 associate councilors and 50 reporting judges, organized into six 5- and 7-member chambers; Court of Audit (government audit and enforcement) consists of the president, 5 vice presidents, 20 councilors, and 90 associate and reporting judges

judge selection and term of office

Supreme Court judges appointed by presidential decree on the advice of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), which includes the president of the Supreme Court, other judges, and the prosecutor of the Supreme Court; judges appointed for life following a 2-year probationary period; Council of State president appointed by the Greek Cabinet to serve a 4-year term; other judge appointments and tenure NA; Court of Audit president appointed by decree of the president of the republic on the advice of the SJC; court president serves a 4-year term or until age 67; tenure of vice presidents, councilors, and judges NA

subordinate courts

Courts of Appeal and Courts of First Instance (district courts)

Legal system

civil legal system based on Roman law

Legislative branch

description

unicameral Hellenic Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats; 280 members in multi-seat constituencies and 12 members in a single nationwide constituency directly elected by open party-list proportional representation vote; 8 members in single-seat constituencies elected by simple majority vote; members serve up to 4 years);  note - only parties surpassing a 3% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats; parties need 10 seats to become formal parliamentary groups but can retain that status if the party participated in the last election and received the minimum 3% threshold

election results

percent of vote by party - ND 39.9%, SYRIZA 31.5%, KINAL 8.1%, KKE 5.3%, Greek Solution 3.7%, MeRA25 3.4%, other 8.1%; seats by party - ND 158, SYRIZA 86, KINAL 22, KKE 15, Greek Solution 10, MeRA25 9; composition - men 244, women 56, percent of women 18.7%

elections

last held on 7 July 2019 (next to be held by July 2023)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Dionysios SOLOMOS/Nikolaos MANTZAROS

name

"Ymnos eis tin Eleftherian" (Hymn to Liberty)

note

note: adopted 1864; the anthem is based on a 158-stanza poem by the same name, which was inspired by the Greek Revolution of 1821 against the Ottomans (only the first two stanzas are used); Cyprus also uses "Hymn to Liberty" as its anthem

National holiday

Independence Day, 25 March (1821)

National symbol(s)

Greek cross (white cross on blue field, arms equal length); national colors: blue, white

Political parties and leaders

Anticapitalist Left Cooperation for the Overthrow or ANTARSYA [collective leadership]Coalition of the Radical Left or SYRIZA [Alexios (Alexis) TSIPRAS]Communist Party of Greece or KKE [Dimitrios KOUTSOUMBAS]Democratic Left or DIMAR [Athanasios (Thanasis) THEOCHAROPOULOS]European Realistic Disobedience Front or MeRA25 [Ioannis (Yanis) VAROUFAKIS]Greek Solution [Kyriakos VELOPOULOS]Independent Greeks or ANEL [Panagiotis (Panos) KAMMENOS]Movement for Change or KINAL [Nikos ANDROULAKIS] New Democracy or ND [Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS]Popular Unity or LAE [Nikolaos CHOUNTIS]Union of Centrists or EK [Vasileios (Vasilis) LEVENTIS]

Suffrage

17 years of age; universal and compulsory

Agricultural products

maize, olives, wheat, milk, peaches/nectarines, oranges, tomatoes, grapes, milk, potatoes

Budget

expenditures

96.35 billion (2017 est.)

revenues

97.99 billion (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

0.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Credit ratings

Fitch rating

BB (2020)

Moody's rating

Ba3 (2020)

Standard & Poors rating

BB- (2019)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2018

-$6.245 billion (2018 est.)

Current account balance 2019

-$3.114 billion (2019 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 2018

$478.646 billion (2018 est.)

Debt - external 2019

$484.888 billion (2019 est.)

Economic overview

Greece has a capitalist economy with a public sector accounting for about 40% of GDP and with per capita GDP about two-thirds that of the leading euro-zone economies. Tourism provides 18% of GDP. Immigrants make up nearly one-fifth of the work force, mainly in agricultural and unskilled jobs. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid, equal to about 3.3% of annual GDP.The Greek economy averaged growth of about 4% per year between 2003 and 2007, but the economy went into recession in 2009 as a result of the world financial crisis, tightening credit conditions, and Athens' failure to address a growing budget deficit. By 2013, the economy had contracted 26%, compared with the pre-crisis level of 2007. Greece met the EU's Growth and Stability Pact budget deficit criterion of no more than 3% of GDP in 2007-08, but violated it in 2009, when the deficit reached 15% of GDP. Deteriorating public finances, inaccurate and misreported statistics, and consistent underperformance on reforms prompted major credit rating agencies to downgrade Greece's international debt rating in late 2009 and led the country into a financial crisis. Under intense pressure from the EU and international market participants, the government accepted a bailout program that called on Athens to cut government spending, decrease tax evasion, overhaul the civil-service, health-care, and pension systems, and reform the labor and product markets. Austerity measures reduced the deficit to 1.3% in 2017. Successive Greek governments, however, failed to push through many of the most unpopular reforms in the face of widespread political opposition, including from the country's powerful labor unions and the general public.In April 2010, a leading credit agency assigned Greek debt its lowest possible credit rating, and in May 2010, the IMF and euro-zone governments provided Greece emergency short- and medium-term loans worth $147 billion so that the country could make debt repayments to creditors. Greece, however, struggled to meet the targets set by the EU and the IMF, especially after Eurostat - the EU's statistical office - revised upward Greece's deficit and debt numbers for 2009 and 2010. European leaders and the IMF agreed in October 2011 to provide Athens a second bailout package of $169 billion. The second deal called for holders of Greek government bonds to write down a significant portion of their holdings to try to alleviate Greece’s government debt burden. However, Greek banks, saddled with a significant portion of sovereign debt, were adversely affected by the write down and $60 billion of the second bailout package was set aside to ensure the banking system was adequately capitalized.In 2014, the Greek economy began to turn the corner on the recession. Greece achieved three significant milestones: balancing the budget - not including debt repayments; issuing government debt in financial markets for the first time since 2010; and generating 0.7% GDP growth — the first economic expansion since 2007.Despite the nascent recovery, widespread discontent with austerity measures helped propel the far-left Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) party into government in national legislative elections in January 2015. Between January and July 2015, frustrations grew between the SYRIZA-led government and Greece’s EU and IMF creditors over the implementation of bailout measures and disbursement of funds. The Greek government began running up significant arrears to suppliers, while Greek banks relied on emergency lending, and Greece’s future in the euro zone was called into question. To stave off a collapse of the banking system, Greece imposed capital controls in June 2015, then became the first developed nation to miss a loan payment to the IMF, rattling international financial markets. Unable to reach an agreement with creditors, Prime Minister Alexios TSIPRAS held a nationwide referendum on 5 July on whether to accept the terms of Greece’s bailout, campaigning for the ultimately successful "no" vote. The TSIPRAS government subsequently agreed, however, to a new $96 billion bailout in order to avert Greece’s exit from the monetary bloc. On 20 August 2015, Greece signed its third bailout, allowing it to cover significant debt payments to its EU and IMF creditors and to ensure the banking sector retained access to emergency liquidity. The TSIPRAS government — which retook office on 20 September 2015 after calling new elections in late August — successfully secured disbursal of two delayed tranches of bailout funds. Despite the economic turmoil, Greek GDP did not contract as sharply as feared, boosted in part by a strong tourist season.In 2017, Greece saw improvements in GDP and unemployment. Unfinished economic reforms, a massive non-performing loan problem, and ongoing uncertainty regarding the political direction of the country hold the economy back. Some estimates put Greece’s black market at 20- to 25% of GDP, as more people have stopped reporting their income to avoid paying taxes that, in some cases, have risen to 70% of an individual’s gross income.

Exchange rates

currency

euros (EUR) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2013

0.7634 (2013 est.)

Exchange rates 2014

0.885 (2014 est.)

Exchange rates 2018

0.87789 (2018 est.)

Exchange rates 2019

0.90338 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

0.82771 (2020 est.)

Exports

Exports 2018

$81.87 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

Exports 2019

$81.18 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

Exports 2020

$59.02 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)

Exports - commodities

refined petroleum, packaged medicines, aluminum plating, computers, cotton (2019)

Exports - partners

Italy 10%, Germany 7%, Turkey 5%, Cyprus 5%, Bulgaria 5% (2019)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

33.4% (2017 est.)

government consumption

20.1% (2017 est.)

household consumption

69.6% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services

-34.7% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital

12.5% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories

-1% (2017 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

4.1% (2017 est.)

industry

16.9% (2017 est.)

services

79.1% (2017 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$209.79 billion (2019 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2011

35.7 (2011)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2017

34.4 (2017 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

26.7% (2015 est.)

lowest 10%

1.7%

Imports

Imports 2018

$85.8 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

Imports 2019

$83.19 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

Imports 2020

$71.76 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)

Imports - commodities

crude petroleum, refined petroleum, packaged medicines, cars, ships (2019)

Imports - partners

Germany 11%, China 9%, Italy 8%, Iraq 7%, Russia 6%, Netherlands 5% (2019)

Industrial production growth rate

3.5% (2017 est.)

Industries

tourism, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017

1.1% (2017 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018

0.6% (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019

0.2% (2019 est.)

Labor force

4 million (2020 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

12.6%

industry

15%

services

72.4% (30 October 2015 est.)

Population below poverty line

17.9% (2018 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2016

183.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

Public debt 2017

181.8% of GDP (2017 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

note

note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018

$312.87 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$318.68 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$292.4 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2017

1.44% (2017 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2018

1.91% (2018 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2019

1.87% (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita

note

note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2018

$29,200 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2019

$29,700 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$27,300 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2015

$6.026 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017

$7.807 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

48.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2018

19.34% (2018 est.)

Unemployment rate 2019

17.3% (2019 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

39.3% (2020 est.)

male

31.4%

total

35%

Crude oil - exports

3,229 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Crude oil - imports

484,300 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Crude oil - production

4,100 bbl/day (2018 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

10 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Electricity - consumption

56.89 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - exports

1.037 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

57% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

14% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

29% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - imports

9.833 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

19.17 million kW (2016 est.)

Electricity - production

52.05 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2020)

Natural gas - consumption

4.927 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - imports

4.984 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - production

8 million cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

991.1 million cu m (1 January 2018 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

304,100 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

371,900 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

192,200 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

655,400 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

40.84 (2020 est.)

total

4,257,026 (2020)

Broadcast media

broadcast media dominated by the private sector; roughly 150 private TV channels, about 10 of which broadcast nationwide; 1 government-owned terrestrial TV channel with national coverage; 3 privately owned satellite channels; multi-channel satellite and cable TV services available; upwards of 1,500 radio stations, all of them privately owned; government-owned broadcaster has 2 national radio stations

Internet country code

.gr

Internet users

percent of population

78.12% (2020 est.)

total

8.39 million (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open-wire connections; submarine cable to offshore islands; 48 per 100 for fixed-line and 114 per 100 for mobile-cellular (2019)

general assessment

telecom market is susceptible to country’s volatile economy, but renewed confidence has been renewed through foreign and European Commission investment; increasing urban population with well-developed mobile market; growing adoption of IoT technology; steady development of broadband; investment in LTE and launch of 5G; government project for ultra-fast broadband, largely funded by European Commission with focus on underserved areas (2020)

international

country code - 30; landing points for the SEA-ME-WE-3, Adria-1, Italy-Greece 1, OTEGLOBE, MedNautilus Submarine System, Aphrodite 2, AAE-1 and Silphium optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, Asia and Australia;  tropospheric scatter; satellite earth stations - 4 (2 Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat - Indian Ocean region) (2019)

note

note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

45.51 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions

4,743,310 (2020)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

109.5 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions

11,412,995 (2020)

Airports

total

77 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

19

2,438 to 3,047 m

15

914 to 1,523 m

18

over 3,047 m

6

total

68

under 914 m

10 (2017)

Airports - with unpaved runways

914 to 1,523 m

2

total

9

under 914 m

7 (2013)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

SX

Heliports

9 (2013)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 158, container ship 5, general cargo 89, oil tanker 337, other 647 (2021)

total

1,236

National air transport system

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

21.91 million mt-km (2018)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

15,125,933 (2018)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

97

number of registered air carriers

11 (2020)

Pipelines

1466 km gas, 94 km oil (2013)

Ports and terminals

container port(s) (TEUs)

Piraeus (5,648,000) (2019)

LNG terminal(s) (import)

Revithoussa

major seaport(s)

Aspropyrgos, Pachi, Piraeus, Thessaloniki

oil terminal(s)

Agioi Theodoroi

Railways

narrow gauge

961 km 1.000-m gauge (2014)

note

22 0.750-m gauge

standard gauge

1,565 km 1.435-m gauge (764 km electrified) (2014)

total

2,548 km (2014)

Roadways

total

117,000 km (2018)

Waterways

6 km (the 6-km-long Corinth Canal crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; it shortens a sea voyage by 325 km) (2012)

Military - note

Greece joined NATO in 1952

Military and security forces

Hellenic Armed Forces: Hellenic Army (Ellinikos Stratos, ES; includes National Guard reserves), Hellenic Navy (Elliniko Polemiko Navtiko, EPN), Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polemiki Aeroporia, EPA; includes air defense) (2021)

Military and security service personnel strengths

the Hellenic Armed Forces have approximately 130,000 active duty personnel (90,000 Army; 15,000 Navy; 25,000 Air Force); approximately 35,000 National Guard (2021)

Military deployments

approximately 1,000 Cyprus; 110 Kosovo (NATO); 150 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (Sep 2021)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the inventory of the Hellenic Armed Forces consists mostly of a mix of imported weapons from Europe and the US, as well as a limited number of domestically produced systems, particularly naval vessels; France, Germany, and the US are the leading suppliers of weapons systems to Greece since 2010; Greece's defense industry is capable of producing naval vessels and associated subsystems (2020)

note

note - in addition to finalizing an update to the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement with the US, Greece also entered into a security agreement with France in 2021 that included the sale of frigates and fighter aircraft to augment its aging weapons systems

Military expenditures

Military Expenditures 2017

2.38% of GDP (2017)

Military Expenditures 2018

2.54% of GDP (2018)

Military Expenditures 2019

2.36% of GDP (2019)

Military Expenditures 2020

2.65% of GDP (2020)

Military Expenditures 2021

3.82% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military service age and obligation

19-45 years of age for compulsory military service; during wartime the law allows for recruitment beginning January of the year of inductee's 18th birthday, thus including 17 year olds; 18 years of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation is 1 year for the Army and 9 months for the Air Force and Navy; women are eligible for voluntary military service (2021)

Disputes - international

Greece and Turkey continue discussions to resolve their complex maritime, air, territorial, and boundary disputes in the Aegean Sea; the mass migration of unemployed Albanians still remains a problem for developed countries, chiefly Greece and Italy

Illicit drugs

a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling cannabis products and heroin from the Middle East and Southwest Asia to the West and precursor chemicals to the East; some South American cocaine transits or is consumed in Greece; money laundering related to drug trafficking and organized crime

Refugees and internally displaced persons

note

note: 1,213,983 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-December 2021); as of the end of December 2020, an estimated 119,700 migrants and refugees were stranded in Greece since 2015-16

refugees (country of origin)

36,448 (Syria), 21,456 (Afghanistan), 11,840 (Iraq) (2020)

stateless persons

5,557 (2020)

Terrorist group(s)

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Revolutionary Struggle

note

note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions

62.43 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

9.8 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

15.69 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

Climate

temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

Environment - current issues

air pollution; air emissions from transport and electricity power stations; water pollution; degradation of coastal zones; loss of biodiversity in terrestrial and marine ecosystems; increasing municipal and industrial waste

Environment - international agreements

party to

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds

Land use

agricultural land

63.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 19.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 8.9% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 34.8% (2018 est.)

forest

30.5% (2018 est.)

other

6.1% (2018 est.)

Revenue from coal

coal revenues

0.04% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

forest revenues

0.01% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total renewable water resources

68.4 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

9.041 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial

208.3 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

municipal

1.991 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.11% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

80% of total population (2021)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

5,477,424 tons (2014 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually

1,040,711 tons (2014 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled

19% (2014 est.)