Greece records slight drop in population

A new decrease, albeit a marginal one, has been recorded in Greece’s population which, according to data of the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), will stand at 10,718,565 people (5,215,488 men and 5,503,077 women) as of January 1.

The figure is 0.06% less than the corresponding population of January 1, 2019, which was 10,724,599 people. The decrease was small mainly due to the inclusion of migrants who entered the country and are registered as permanent residents, including those who remain in the country due to the refugee crisis.

Net migration in 2019 was estimated at 34,439, with 129,459 incoming and 95,020 outgoing migrants. Net migration in 2018 was 16,440 (119,489 incoming and 103,049 outgoing migrants).

The death toll remained much higher than births for another year, with the gap widening. In 2019, 83,628 children were born and 124,101 people died, amounting to a drop of 40,473. 

Broken down, the data showed that people aged 0-14 years amounted to 14.2% of the total population, compared with 63.5% of the population aged 15-64 years and 22.3% of the population aged 65 years and over. 

The aging index (population aged 65 and over compared to the population aged 0-14 years) came to 156.2.

Most people (3,738,901 or 34.9%) live in Attica, followed by Central Macedonia with 17.5%, Thessaly with 6.7% and 6.1% in the region of Western Greece. 

The island of Crete is home to 5.9% of the population, with 5.6% in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace 5.6%, and 5.3% in the Peloponnese.

Interestingly, on January 1, 2020 there were 12,1347 people aged over 100 years old, while 121,071 were between 90-99 years old. 

​​​​​​Furthermore, 244,208 people were aged between 85 and 89 years old, while 395,824 people were 80-84 years old.