Greece’s population decreased by 4%
Greece’s population is set to decline over the next 20 years, and to shrink by 24% by 2100 to 8.1 million, according to research by the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE) presented at the Demographics 2022 conference in central Athens.
More specifically, IOBE data showed that Greece’s population decreased by 4%, or 441,000 people, in the decade 2011-21 as both the natural balance (births-deaths) and the migrant balance are negative.
IOBE predicts that in the most optimistic scenario, which presupposes high migration, the population will decrease by 16%, to 8.9 million, between 2022 and 2100. Moreover, in the case of zero migration flows, the population contraction is expected to be in the order of 45%.
It is also estimated that real GDP in 2100 will be 58 billion euros lower, the workforce will lose 2.1 million people, budget revenues will drop by 14 billion euros and per capita GDP by about 1,740 euros.
The decline in births compared to deaths began as early as 1980, and the problem was exacerbated during the financial crisis of the previous decade, which saw some 450,000 working-age people migrating to foreign shores in the quest for brighter economic prospects.
