Population shrinks by over 58,000 in 2024 as births decline and divorces dise

Greece's population continued to decline in 2024, shrinking by 58,449 people—roughly the size of a small town—as the number of deaths once again surpassed births. At the same time, the country saw fewer marriages and civil partnerships, while divorces increased, according to new data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).

Fewer births, slight drop in deaths

In 2024, 68,467 births were recorded (35,216 boys and 33,251 girls), representing a 4.2% decrease from 2023, which saw 71,455 births. The number of stillbirths rose to 454, up 5.1% from 432 the previous year.

Meanwhile, deaths totaled 126,916 (64,144 men and 62,772 women), a slight decrease of 0.9% compared to 2023's figure of 128,101. However, infant deaths under the age of one rose to 261, raising the infant mortality rate from 3.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023 to 3.8 in 2024.

Marriages and partnerships down, divorces up

Greece also saw a significant decline in both marriages and civil partnerships:

Marriages: 36,649 in total (19,695 religious and 16,954 civil), down 9.2% from 40,351 in 2023.

This included 101 marriages between men and 81 between women.

Civil partnerships: 14,486 recorded, a 3.9% drop from 15,069 the previous year.

Of these, 192 were between men and 96 between women.

In contrast, divorces rose to 15,532, an increase of 2.8% from 2023 (15,114 divorces).

82.4% (12,805) of divorces were consensual,

12.1% (1,886) were contentious,

In 5.4% (841) of cases, the type of divorce was not specified.

Notably, 66.4% of divorces (10,314 cases) involved marriages that had lasted 10 years or more.

Rising divorce-to-marriage ratio

The divorce-to-marriage ratio climbed to 42.4 divorces per 100 marriages in 2024. This marks a continued upward trend from previous years:

37.5 in 2023

33.4 in 2022

34.2 in 2021

41.2 in 2020