Capital

Griechenland

name: Athens

geographic coordinates: 37 59 N, 23 44 E

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

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

Citizenship

Griechenland

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

Legal system

Griechenland

civil legal system based on Roman law

Suffrage

Griechenland

17 years of age; universal and compulsory

Area

Griechenland

total: 131,957 sq km

land: 130,647 sq km

water: 1,310 sq km

Land use

Griechenland

agricultural land: 63.4% (2018 est.)

arable land: 19.7% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 8.9% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 34.8% (2018 est.)

forest: 30.5% (2018 est.)

other: 6.1% (2018 est.)

Location

Griechenland

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

Age structure

Griechenland

0-14 years: 14.02% (male 758,311/female 713,794)

15-64 years: 62.66% (male 3,285,484/female 3,292,524)

65 years and over: 23.31% (2023 est.) (male 1,086,188/female 1,361,294)

Birth rate

Griechenland

7.5 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Griechenland

12 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Griechenland

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

Griechenland

total population: 81.7 years (2023 est.)

male: 79.2 years

female: 84.4 years

Major urban areas - population

Griechenland

3.154 million ATHENS (capital), 815,000 Thessaloniki (2023)

Median age

Griechenland

total: 46.2 years (2023 est.)

male: 44.3 years

female: 47.9 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Griechenland

30.7 years (2020 est.)

Net migration rate

Griechenland

1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Griechenland

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

Griechenland

-0.35% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Griechenland

1.4 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Griechenland

urban population: 80.7% of total population (2023)

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

Education expenditures

Griechenland

4.4% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Griechenland

total: 20 years

male: 20 years

female: 20 years (2020)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Griechenland

0.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Griechenland

10.67% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Griechenland

4.619 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Griechenland

17.9% (2018 est.)

Unemployment rate

Griechenland

14.8% (2021 est.)

16.3% (2020 est.)

17.31% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Griechenland

252.29% of GDP (2020 est.)

212.38% of GDP (2019 est.)

208.84% of GDP (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Griechenland

1.22% (2021 est.)

-1.25% (2020 est.)

0.25% (2019 est.)

Exports

Griechenland

$87.521 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$59.022 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$81.184 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - partners

Griechenland

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

Imports

Griechenland

$103.532 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$71.758 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$83.192 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - partners

Griechenland

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

Airports

Griechenland

77 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Griechenland

total: 4,257,026 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 41 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Griechenland

total: 7.8 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 78% (2021 est.)

Railways

Griechenland

total: 2,345 km (2020) 731 km electrified

Roadways

Griechenland

total: 117,000 km (2018)

Telephones - fixed lines

Griechenland

total subscriptions: 4,913,036 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 47 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Griechenland

total subscriptions: 11,494,008 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 110 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Griechenland

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

Disputes - international

Griechenland

Greece and Turkey continue discussions to resolve their complex maritime, air, territorial, and boundary disputes in the Aegean Sea; Greece has a security wall along a portion of its land border with Turkey to deter border crossings by migrants and has announced intentions to extend the wall along the entire border