Greece

parliamentary republic

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: the origin of the name is uncertain; according to tradition, the city is named after Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, but the name is probably pre-Hellenic

chief of state: President Konstantinos TASOULAS (since 13 March 2025) head of government: Prime Minister Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS (since 26 June 2023) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister election/appointment process: president elected by Hellenic Parliament for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); president appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party or coalition in the Hellenic Parliament most recent election date: 12 February 2025 election results: 2025: Konstantinos TASOULAS (ND) elected president by Parliament - 160 of 300 votes 2020: Katerina SAKELLAROPOULOU (independent) elected president by Parliament - 261 of 300 votes expected date of next election: 2030

legislature name: Hellenic Parliament (Vouli Ton Ellinon) legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 300 (all directly elected) electoral system: proportional representation scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 4 years most recent election date: 6/25/2023 parties elected and seats per party: New Democracy (ND) (158); Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) (47); Panhellenic Socialist Movement - Movement for Change (PASOK-KINAL) (32); Communist Party (KKE) (21); Other (42) percentage of women in chamber: 22.9% expected date of next election: June 2027 note: only parties surpassing a 3% vote 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

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 after 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)

history: many previous; latest entered into force 11 June 1975 amendment process: 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

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, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

2.9% of GDP (2025 est.) 2.7% of GDP (2024 est.) 2.8% of GDP (2023 est.) 3.9% of GDP (2022 est.) 3.7% of GDP (2021 est.)

Hellenic Armed Forces (HAF; Ellinikes Enoples Dynamis, EED): Hellenic Army (Ellinikos Stratos, ES; includes National Guard), Hellenic Navy (Elliniko Polemiko Navtiko, EPN), Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polemiki Aeroporia, EPA; includes air defense) (2025) note 1: the police (under the Ministry of Citizen Protection) and the armed forces (Ministry of National Defense) share law enforcement duties in certain border areas; the Greek Coast Guard is under the Ministry of Shipping Affairs and Island Policy note 2: the National Guard was established in 1982 as an official part of the Army to help protect Greece and provide reinforcements and support to the Army in peacetime and in times of mobilization and war

18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; all Greek men 19-45 are subject to compulsory military service; 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) (2026) note 1: in July 2025, the Greek Government unveiled several defense reforms which went into effect on 1 January 2026, including abolishing mandatory military service for the Air Force and Navy, with exceptions only for specialized roles such as aircraft engineers and ship captains; all conscripts are to be classified exclusively into the Army; ground forces will also take over facility security duties previously managed by the other branches note 2: as of 2025, women comprised about 17% of the military's full-time personnel

the Hellenic Armed Forces (HAF) are responsible for protecting Greece s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; the HAF also maintains a presence on Cyprus (the Hellenic Force in Cyprus or ELDYK) to assist and support the Cypriot National Guard; as a member of the EU, NATO, and other international organizations, the HAF participates in multinational peacekeeping and other security missions abroad, taking a particular interest in missions occurring in the near regions, such as the Balkans, the Mediterranean and Aegean seas, the Middle East, and North Africa; areas of focus for the HAF include instability in the Balkans, territorial disputes with Turkey, and support to European security through the EU and NATO Greece s NATO membership is a key component of its security; it became a NATO member in 1952 and occupies a strategic location in the Eastern Mediterranean on NATO s southern flank; Greece is host to several NATO facilities, including the Deployable Corps Greece (NDC-GR) headquarters in Thessaloniki, the Combined Air Operations Center in Larissa, the Multinational Peace Support Operations Training Center in Kilkis, the Multinational Sealift Coordination Center in Athens, and the Naval Base, Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Centre, and NATO Missile Firing Installation at Souda, Crete (2025)

approximately 1,000 Cyprus; 120 Kosovo (NATO); 130 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (2025) note: Greece also has air and naval units deployed in support of NATO missions

$392.205 billion (2024 est.) $383.493 billion (2023 est.) $374.753 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$37,800 (2024 est.) $36,900 (2023 est.) $35,900 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

2.3% (2024 est.) 2.3% (2023 est.) 5.7% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

2.7% (2024 est.) 3.5% (2023 est.) 9.6% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

190.6% of GDP (2023 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP

$108.424 billion (2024 est.) $107.218 billion (2023 est.) $106.189 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$122.408 billion (2024 est.) $119.234 billion (2023 est.) $127.82 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

10.2% (2024 est.) 11.1% (2023 est.) 12.5% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $111.938 billion (2023 est.) expenditures: $114.497 billion (2023 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

tourism, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum

maize, wheat, sheep milk, oranges, tomatoes, milk, peaches/nectarines, grapes, watermelons, barley (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 10,424,536 (2025 est.) male: 5,105,879 female: 5,318,657

-0.35% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 13.8% (male 742,131/female 699,079) 15-64 years: 62.6% (male 3,278,906/female 3,267,140) 65 years and over: 23.6% (2024 est.) (male 1,096,825/female 1,377,010)

7.38 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

11.99 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 81.9 years (2024 est.) male: 79.4 years female: 84.6 years

urban population: 80.7% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 0.11% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Greek 91.6%, Albanian 4.4%, other 4% (2011 est.) note: data represent citizenship; Greece does not collect data on ethnicity

Greek (official) 99%, other (includes English and French) 1% major-language sample(s): ό ί έ , ί ή ώ ώ . (Greek) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Greek Orthodox 81-90%, Muslim 2%, other 3%, none 4-15%, unspecified 1% (2015 est.)

lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Revolutionary Struggle (RS); 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 the Terrorism reference guide

refugees: 144,694 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 3,743 (2024 est.)

82 (2025)

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

total: 1,215 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 132, container ship 4, general cargo 79, oil tanker 299, other 701

total subscriptions: 11.4 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 114 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 85% (2023 est.)