Introduction
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 in 2001. From 2009 until 2019, Greece suffered a severe economic crisis, due to nearly a decade of chronic overspending and structural rigidities. Beginning in 2010, Greece entered three bailout agreements - the first two with the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and the IMF; and the third in 2015 with the European Stability Mechanism - worth in total about $300 billion. The Greek Government formally exited the third bailout in August 2018.
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Geography
Location
Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey
Geographic coordinates
39 00 N, 22 00 E
Map references
Europe
Land boundaries
total: 1,110 km
border countries (4): Albania 212 km; Bulgaria 472 km; North Macedonia 234 km; Turkey 192 km
Coastline
13,676 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 6 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate
temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers
Terrain
mountainous with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands
Elevation
highest point: Mount Olympus 2,917
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
mean elevation: 498 m
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
Natural resources
lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential
Land use
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.)
Irrigated land
11,853 sq km (2019)
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
Natural hazards
severe earthquakes
volcanism: 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
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
People and Society
Nationality
noun: Greek(s)
adjective: Greek
Ethnic groups
Greek 91.6%, Albanian 4.4%, other 4% (2011 est.)
note: data represent citizenship; Greece does not collect data on ethnicity
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.
Religions
Greek Orthodox 81-90%, Muslim 2%, other 3%, none 4-15%, unspecified 1% (2015 est.)
Age structure
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)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 57.7
youth dependency ratio: 22.2
elderly dependency ratio: 35.5
potential support ratio: 2.8 (2021 est.)
Median age
total: 45.3 years
male: 43.7 years
female: 46.8 years (2020 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
Urbanization
urban population: 80.7% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.11% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
3.154 million ATHENS (capital), 815,000 Thessaloniki (2023)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
30.7 years (2020 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
8 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151Infant mortality rate
total: 3.49 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 3.89 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 81.71 years
male: 79.18 years
female: 84.4 years (2023 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.68 (2023 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Current health expenditure
9.5% of GDP (2020)
Physicians density
6.31 physicians/1,000 population (2019)
Hospital bed density
4.2 beds/1,000 population (2018)
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
total: 6.33 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 2.13 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 2.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 1.45 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
total: 33.5% (2020 est.)
male: 36.5% (2020 est.)
female: 30.5% (2020 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
54.1% (2023 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.9%
male: 98.5%
female: 97.4% (2018)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 20 years
male: 20 years
female: 20 years (2020)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
total: 36.9%
male: 33.5%
female: 41.5% (2021 est.)
Environment
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
Air pollutants
particulate matter emissions: 15.69 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 62.43 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 9.8 megatons (2020 est.)
Climate
temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers
Land use
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.)
Urbanization
urban population: 80.7% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.11% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
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.)
Total water withdrawal
municipal: 1.69 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 330 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 8.11 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Total renewable water resources
68.4 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Government
Country name
conventional long form: Hellenic Republic
conventional short form: Greece
local long form: Elliniki Dimokratia
local short form: Ellas or Ellada
former: Hellenic State, Kingdom of 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"
Government type
parliamentary republic
Capital
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
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)
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
National holiday
Independence Day, 25 March (1821)
Constitution
history: many previous; latest entered into force 11 June 1975
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
Legal system
civil legal system based on Roman law
International law organization participation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
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
Suffrage
17 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch
chief of state: President Ekaterini SAKELLAROPOULOU (since 13 March 2020)
head of government: Prime Minister Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS (since 8 July 2019)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
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
election results: 2020: Katerina SAKELLAROPOULOU (independent) elected president by Parliament - 261 of 300 votes; note - SAKELLAROPOULOU is Greece's first woman president
2015: Prokopis PAVLOPOULOS (ND) elected president by Parliament - 233 of 300 votes
Legislative branch
description: unicameral Hellenic Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats; 280 members in multi-seat and single-seat constituencies and 15 members - including 3 seats for Greek diaspora - in a single nationwide constituency directly elected by open party-list proportional representation 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
elections: last held on 7 July 2019 (next to be held on 21 May 2023)
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%
Judicial branch
highest court(s): 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)
Political parties and leaders
Anticapitalist Left Cooperation for the Overthrow or ANTARSYA [collective leadership]
Coalition of the Radical Left-Progressive Alliance or SYRIZA-PS [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]
National Party-Greeks [Anastasios (Tasos) KANELLOPOULOS]
New Democracy or ND [Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS]
PASOK - Movement for Change or PASOK-KINAL [Nikolaos (Nikos) ANDROULAKIS]
Popular Unity or LAE [Nikolaos CHOUNTIS]
Union of Centrists or EK [Vasileios (Vasilis) LEVENTIS]
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, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Alexandra PAPADOPOULOU (since 6 February 2020)
chancery: 2217 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-1300
FAX: [1] (202) 939-1324
email address and website:
gremb.was@mfa.gr
https://www.mfa.gr/usa/en/the-embassy/
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Tampa (FL), San Francisco
consulate(s): Atlanta, Houston
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador George James TSUNIS (since 10 May 2022)
embassy: 91 Vasillisis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens
mailing address: 7100 Athens Place, Washington DC 20521-7100
telephone: [30] (210) 721-2951
FAX: [30] (210) 724-5313
email address and website:
athensamericancitizenservices@state.gov
https://gr.usembassy.gov/
consulate(s) general: Thessaloniki
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: 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
National symbol(s)
Greek cross (white cross on blue field, arms equal length); national colors: blue, white
National anthem
name: "Ymnos eis tin Eleftherian" (Hymn to Liberty)
lyrics/music: Dionysios SOLOMOS/Nikolaos MANTZAROS
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 heritage
total World Heritage Sites: 18 (16 cultural, 2 mixed)
selected World Heritage Site locales: Acropolis, Athens (c); Archaeological site of Delphi (c); Meteora (m); Medieval City of Rhodes (c); Archaeological site of Olympia (c); Archaeological site of Mycenae and Tiryns (c); Old Town of Corfu (c); Mount Athos (m); Delos (c); Archaeological Site of Philippi (c)
Economy
Economic overview
tourism- and shipping-based EU economy; clientelism economic culture and systemic corruption; new structural reforms for fiscal solvency; high public debts and unemployment; increasing Chinese port control; oil and gas disputes with Turkey
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$314.427 billion (2021 est.)
$289.97 billion (2020 est.)
$318.662 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
Real GDP growth rate
8.43% (2021 est.)
-9% (2020 est.)
1.88% (2019 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$29,500 (2021 est.)
$27,100 (2020 est.)
$29,700 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
GDP (official exchange rate)
$209.79 billion (2019 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
1.22% (2021 est.)
-1.25% (2020 est.)
0.25% (2019 est.)
Credit ratings
Fitch rating: BB (2020)
Moody's rating: Ba3 (2020)
Standard & Poors rating: BB- (2019)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
agriculture: 4.1% (2017 est.)
industry: 16.9% (2017 est.)
services: 79.1% (2017 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use
household consumption: 69.6% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 20.1% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 12.5% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: -1% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 33.4% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -34.7% (2017 est.)
Agricultural products
maize, olives, wheat, milk, peaches/nectarines, oranges, tomatoes, grapes, milk, potatoes
Industries
tourism, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture: 12.6%
industry: 15%
services: 72.4% (30 October 2015 est.)
Unemployment rate
14.8% (2021 est.)
16.3% (2020 est.)
17.31% (2019 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
total: 36.9%
male: 33.5%
female: 41.5% (2021 est.)
Population below poverty line
17.9% (2018 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
33.1 (2019 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122Average household expenditures
on food: 17.1% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
on alcohol and tobacco: 4.9% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 1.7%
highest 10%: 26.7% (2015 est.)
Budget
revenues: $98.523 billion (2019 est.)
expenditures: $97.277 billion (2019 est.)
Public debt
252.29% of GDP (2020 est.)
212.38% of GDP (2019 est.)
208.84% of GDP (2018 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Current account balance
-$13.858 billion (2021 est.)
-$12.413 billion (2020 est.)
-$3.112 billion (2019 est.)
Exports
$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
Italy 10%, Germany 7%, Turkey 5%, Cyprus 5%, Bulgaria 5% (2019)
Exports - commodities
refined petroleum, packaged medicines, aluminum plating, cotton, cheese, copper piping (2021)
Imports
$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
Germany 11%, China 9%, Italy 8%, Iraq 7%, Russia 6%, Netherlands 5% (2019)
Imports - commodities
crude petroleum, refined petroleum, packaged medicines, cars, ships (2019)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$14.447 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
$11.931 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$8.507 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
Debt - external
$484.888 billion (2019 est.)
$478.646 billion (2018 est.)
Exchange rates
euros (EUR) per US dollar -
0.845 (2021 est.)
0.876 (2020 est.)
0.893 (2019 est.)
0.847 (2018 est.)
0.885 (2017 est.)
Energy
Electricity access
electrification - total population: 100% (2020)
Electricity
installed generating capacity: 21.545 million kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 46.18 billion kWh (2020 est.)
exports: 967 million kWh (2020 est.)
imports: 9.831 billion kWh (2020 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 3.256 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Electricity generation sources
fossil fuels: 56.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 10.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 23% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 8.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 1.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Coal
production: 13.851 million metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 13.828 million metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 7,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 305,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 2.876 billion metric tons (2019 est.)
Petroleum
total petroleum production: 4,800 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 309,600 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 4,100 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 491,300 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 10 million barrels (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum products - production
655,400 bbl/day (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 28Natural gas
production: 5.748 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
consumption: 5,831,987,000 cubic meters (2020 est.)
exports: 33.244 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
imports: 5,219,409,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
proven reserves: 991 million cubic meters (2021 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
70.163 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 13.404 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 46.401 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 10.358 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
Energy consumption per capita
108.022 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
country comparison to the world: 51Communications
Telephones - fixed lines
total subscriptions: 4,913,036 (2021 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 47 (2021 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular
total subscriptions: 11,494,008 (2021 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 110 (2021 est.)
Telecommunication systems
general assessment: Greece’s telecom market is susceptible to the country’s volatile economy, and as a result revenue among the key networks has been variable; broadband subscriptions in Greece are developing steadily despite the difficult economic conditions; the main networks are concentrating investment on fiber-based next generation networks, enabling them to reach the European broadband targets for 2025; their work is also supported by government ultra-fast broadband projects, largely funded by the EC and aimed at delivering a service of at least 100Mb/s to under served areas; Greece’s well-developed mobile market is dominated by the three MNOs; Networks continue to invest in LTE infrastructure and technologies to provide networks capable of meeting customer demand for data services; after extensive trials of 5G, the MNOs were able to launch commercial services in early 2021 following the December 2020 allocation of frequencies in a range of bands; the rapid rollout of 5G encouraged the shut down of the 3G network (a process expected to be completed by the end of 2021) and reallocate for LTE and 5G. (2022)
domestic: 47 per 100 subscribers for fixed-line and 110 per 100 for mobile-cellular (2021)
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)
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 users
total: 7.8 million (2021 est.)
percent of population: 78% (2021 est.)
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
total: 4,257,026 (2020 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 41 (2020 est.)
Transportation
National air transport system
number of registered air carriers: 11 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 97
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 15,125,933 (2018)
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 21.91 million (2018) mt-km
Airports - with paved runways
68
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
9
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
Heliports
9 (2021)
Pipelines
1,466 km gas, 94 km oil (2013)
Waterways
6 km (2012) (the 6-km-long Corinth Canal crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; it shortens a sea voyage by 325 km)
country comparison to the world: 117Merchant marine
total: 1,234
by type: bulk carrier 146, container ship 5, general cargo 83, oil tanker 311, other 689 (2022)
Ports and terminals
major seaport(s): Aspropyrgos, Pachi, Piraeus, Thessaloniki
oil terminal(s): Agioi Theodoroi
container port(s) (TEUs): Piraeus (5,311,810) (2021)
LNG terminal(s) (import): Revithoussa
Military and Security
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); Ministry of Shipping Affairs and Island Policy: Coast Guard (2022)
note: the police (under the Ministry of Citizen Protection) and the armed forces (Ministry of National Defense) share law enforcement duties in certain border areas; border protection is coordinated by a deputy minister for national defense
Military expenditures
3.6% of GDP (2022 est.)
3.6% of GDP (2021)
2.9% of GDP (2020)
2.3% of GDP (2019)
2.5% of GDP (2018)
Military and security service personnel strengths
approximately 125,000 active duty personnel (90,000 Army; 15,000 Navy; 20,000 Air Force); approximately 35,000 National Guard (2022)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the military's inventory consists of a mix of imported weapons from Europe and the US, as well as a limited number of domestically produced systems; Greece's defense industry is capable of producing a range of military hardware, including naval vessels and associated subsystems (2022)
note: as of 2022, Greece was in the midst of a significant military modernization program which included major acquisitions of fighter aircraft and naval ships from France; it had also boosted purchases of US equipment, including fighter aircraft upgrades, helicopters, and naval patrol craft
Military service age and obligation
19-45 years of age for compulsory military service for men; 12-month obligation for all services (note - as an exception, the duration of the full military service is 9 instead of 12 months if conscripts, after the initial training, serve the entire remaining time in certain areas of the eastern borders, in Cyprus, or in certain military units); 18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (2023)
note 1: compulsory service applies to any individual whom the Greek authorities consider to be Greek, regardless of whether the individual considers himself Greek, has a foreign citizenship and passport, or was born or lives outside of Greece; Greek citizens living permanently outside of Greece have the right to postpone their conscription; they are permanently exempted from their military obligations when they reach the age of 45 years old
note 2: up to 50% of the Greek military is comprised of conscripts
note 3: as of 2019, women comprised approximately 19% of the military's full-time personnel
Military deployments
approximately 1,000 Cyprus; 100 Kosovo (NATO); 100 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (2022)
Military - note
Greece joined NATO in 1952
Terrorism
Terrorist group(s)
Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Revolutionary Struggle; Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C)
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
Transnational Issues
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
Refugees and internally displaced persons
refugees (country of origin): 41,594 (Syria), 33,549 (Afghanistan), 14,228 (Iraq), 6,366 (West Bank and Gaza) (mid-year 2022); 22,704 (Ukraine) (as of 31 March 2023)
stateless persons: 4,488 (2022)
note: 1,238,391 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-May 2023)
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