Greece

total: 4,257,026 (2020) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 40.84 (2020 est.)

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

.gr

total: 8.39 million (2021 est.) percent of population: 78.12% (2020 est.)

general assessment: telecom market is susceptible to country s volatile economy, but renewed confidence has been renewed through foreign and European Commission investment; increasing urban population with well-developed mobile market; growing adoption of IoT technology; steady development of broadband; investment in LTE and launch of 5G; government project for ultra-fast broadband, largely funded by European Commission with focus on underserved areas (2020) domestic: microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open-wire connections; submarine cable to offshore islands; 48 per 100 for fixed-line and 114 per 100 for mobile-cellular (2019) 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) note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments

total subscriptions: 4,743,310 (2020) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 45.51 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions: 11,412,995 (2020) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 109.5 (2020 est.)

maize, olives, wheat, milk, peaches/nectarines, oranges, tomatoes, grapes, milk, potatoes

revenues: 97.99 billion (2017 est.) expenditures: 96.35 billion (2017 est.)

0.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Fitch rating: BB (2020) Moody's rating: Ba3 (2020) Standard & Poors rating: BB- (2019)

-$3.114 billion (2019 est.) -$6.245 billion (2018 est.)

$484.888 billion (2019 est.) $478.646 billion (2018 est.)

Greece has a capitalist economy with a public sector accounting for about 40% of GDP and with per capita GDP about two-thirds that of the leading euro-zone economies. Tourism provides 18% of GDP. Immigrants make up nearly one-fifth of the work force, mainly in agricultural and unskilled jobs. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid, equal to about 3.3% of annual GDP. The Greek economy averaged growth of about 4% per year between 2003 and 2007, but the economy went into recession in 2009 as a result of the world financial crisis, tightening credit conditions, and Athens' failure to address a growing budget deficit. By 2013, the economy had contracted 26%, compared with the pre-crisis level of 2007. Greece met the EU's Growth and Stability Pact budget deficit criterion of no more than 3% of GDP in 2007-08, but violated it in 2009, when the deficit reached 15% of GDP. Deteriorating public finances, inaccurate and misreported statistics, and consistent underperformance on reforms prompted major credit rating agencies to downgrade Greece's international debt rating in late 2009 and led the country into a financial crisis. Under intense pressure from the EU and international market participants, the government accepted a bailout program that called on Athens to cut government spending, decrease tax evasion, overhaul the civil-service, health-care, and pension systems, and reform the labor and product markets. Austerity measures reduced the deficit to 1.3% in 2017. Successive Greek governments, however, failed to push through many of the most unpopular reforms in the face of widespread political opposition, including from the country's powerful labor unions and the general public. In April 2010, a leading credit agency assigned Greek debt its lowest possible credit rating, and in May 2010, the IMF and euro-zone governments provided Greece emergency short- and medium-term loans worth $147 billion so that the country could make debt repayments to creditors. Greece, however, struggled to meet the targets set by the EU and the IMF, especially after Eurostat - the EU's statistical office - revised upward Greece's deficit and debt numbers for 2009 and 2010. European leaders and the IMF agreed in October 2011 to provide Athens a second bailout package of $169 billion. The second deal called for holders of Greek government bonds to write down a significant portion of their holdings to try to alleviate Greece’s government debt burden. However, Greek banks, saddled with a significant portion of sovereign debt, were adversely affected by the write down and $60 billion of the second bailout package was set aside to ensure the banking system was adequately capitalized. In 2014, the Greek economy began to turn the corner on the recession. Greece achieved three significant milestones: balancing the budget - not including debt repayments; issuing government debt in financial markets for the first time since 2010; and generating 0.7% GDP growth — the first economic expansion since 2007. Despite the nascent recovery, widespread discontent with austerity measures helped propel the far-left Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) party into government in national legislative elections in January 2015. Between January and July 2015, frustrations grew between the SYRIZA-led government and Greece’s EU and IMF creditors over the implementation of bailout measures and disbursement of funds. The Greek government began running up significant arrears to suppliers, while Greek banks relied on emergency lending, and Greece’s future in the euro zone was called into question. To stave off a collapse of the banking system, Greece imposed capital controls in June 2015, then became the first developed nation to miss a loan payment to the IMF, rattling international financial markets. Unable to reach an agreement with creditors, Prime Minister Alexios TSIPRAS held a nationwide referendum on 5 July on whether to accept the terms of Greece’s bailout, campaigning for the ultimately successful "no" vote. The TSIPRAS government subsequently agreed, however, to a new $96 billion bailout in order to avert Greece’s exit from the monetary bloc. On 20 August 2015, Greece signed its third bailout, allowing it to cover significant debt payments to its EU and IMF creditors and to ensure the banking sector retained access to emergency liquidity. The TSIPRAS government — which retook office on 20 September 2015 after calling new elections in late August — successfully secured disbursal of two delayed tranches of bailout funds. Despite the economic turmoil, Greek GDP did not contract as sharply as feared, boosted in part by a strong tourist season. In 2017, Greece saw improvements in GDP and unemployment. Unfinished economic reforms, a massive non-performing loan problem, and ongoing uncertainty regarding the political direction of the country hold the economy back. Some estimates put Greece’s black market at 20- to 25% of GDP, as more people have stopped reporting their income to avoid paying taxes that, in some cases, have risen to 70% of an individual’s gross income.

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.82771 (2020 est.) 0.90338 (2019 est.) 0.87789 (2018 est.) 0.885 (2014 est.) 0.7634 (2013 est.)

$59.02 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.) $81.18 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.) $81.87 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

refined petroleum, packaged medicines, aluminum plating, computers, cotton (2019)

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

calendar year

$209.79 billion (2019 est.)

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.)

agriculture: 4.1% (2017 est.) industry: 16.9% (2017 est.) services: 79.1% (2017 est.)

34.4 (2017 est.) 35.7 (2011)

lowest 10%: 1.7% highest 10%: 26.7% (2015 est.)

$71.76 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.) $83.19 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.) $85.8 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

crude petroleum, refined petroleum, packaged medicines, cars, ships (2019)

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

3.5% (2017 est.)

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

0.2% (2019 est.) 0.6% (2018 est.) 1.1% (2017 est.)

4 million (2020 est.)

agriculture: 12.6% industry: 15% services: 72.4% (30 October 2015 est.)

17.9% (2018 est.)

181.8% of GDP (2017 est.) 183.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

$292.4 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.) $318.68 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.) $312.87 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.) note: data are in 2010 dollars

1.87% (2019 est.) 1.91% (2018 est.) 1.44% (2017 est.)

$27,300 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.) $29,700 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.) $29,200 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.) note: data are in 2010 dollars

$7.807 billion (31 December 2017 est.) $6.026 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

48.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

17.3% (2019 est.) 19.34% (2018 est.)

total: 35% male: 31.4% female: 39.3% (2020 est.)

3,229 bbl/day (2017 est.)

484,300 bbl/day (2017 est.)

4,100 bbl/day (2018 est.)

10 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

56.89 billion kWh (2016 est.)

1.037 billion kWh (2016 est.)

57% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

14% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

29% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

9.833 billion kWh (2016 est.)

19.17 million kW (2016 est.)

52.05 billion kWh (2016 est.)

electrification - total population: 100% (2020)

4.927 billion cu m (2017 est.)

0 cu m (2017 est.)

4.984 billion cu m (2017 est.)

8 million cu m (2017 est.)

991.1 million cu m (1 January 2018 est.)

304,100 bbl/day (2017 est.)

371,900 bbl/day (2017 est.)

192,200 bbl/day (2017 est.)

655,400 bbl/day (2017 est.)

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.)

temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

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

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

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.)

coal revenues: 0.04% of GDP (2018 est.)

forest revenues: 0.01% of GDP (2018 est.)

68.4 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

municipal: 1.991 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) industrial: 208.3 million cubic meters (2017 est.) agricultural: 9.041 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

urban population: 80% of total population (2021) rate of urbanization: 0.11% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

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: 131,957 sq km land: 130,647 sq km water: 1,310 sq km

slightly smaller than Alabama

temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

13,676 km

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

39 00 N, 22 00 E

strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, possessing an archipelago of about 2,000 islands

15,550 sq km (2012)

total: 1,110 km border countries (4): Albania 212 km, Bulgaria 472 km, Macedonia 234 km, Turkey 192 km

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.)

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

Europe

territorial sea: 6 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

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

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

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

mountainous with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands

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)

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 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

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

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"

chief of mission: Ambassador Geoffrey R. PYATT (since 24 October 2016) 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

chief of mission: Ambassador Alexandra PAPADOPOULOU (since 6 February 2021) 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

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: Katerina SAKELLAROPOULOU (independent) elected president by Parliament - 261 of 300 votes; note - SAKELLAROPOULOU is Greece's first woman president

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

parliamentary republic

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

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

highest courts: 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)

civil legal system based on Roman law

description: unicameral Hellenic Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats; 280 members in multi-seat constituencies and 12 members in a single nationwide constituency directly elected by open party-list proportional representation vote; 8 members in single-seat constituencies elected by simple majority 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 by July 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%

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

Independence Day, 25 March (1821)

Greek cross (white cross on blue field, arms equal length); national colors: blue, white

Anticapitalist Left Cooperation for the Overthrow or ANTARSYA [collective leadership] Coalition of the Radical Left or SYRIZA [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] Movement for Change or KINAL [Nikos ANDROULAKIS] New Democracy or ND [Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS] Popular Unity or LAE [Nikolaos CHOUNTIS] Union of Centrists or EK [Vasileios (Vasilis) LEVENTIS]

17 years of age; universal and compulsory

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 (EMU) in 2001. Greece has suffered a severe economic crisis since late 2009, due to nearly a decade of chronic overspending and structural rigidities. Beginning in 2010, Greece entered three bailout agreements - with the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB), the IMF, and the third in 2015 with the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) - worth in total about $300 billion. The Greek Government formally exited the third bailout in August 2018.

Greece joined NATO in 1952

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) (2021)

the Hellenic Armed Forces have approximately 130,000 active duty personnel (90,000 Army; 15,000 Navy; 25,000 Air Force); approximately 35,000 National Guard (2021)

approximately 1,000 Cyprus; 110 Kosovo (NATO); 150 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (Sep 2021)

the inventory of the Hellenic Armed Forces consists mostly of a mix of imported weapons from Europe and the US, as well as a limited number of domestically produced systems, particularly naval vessels; France, Germany, and the US are the leading suppliers of weapons systems to Greece since 2010; Greece's defense industry is capable of producing naval vessels and associated subsystems (2020) note - in addition to finalizing an update to the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement with the US, Greece also entered into a security agreement with France in 2021 that included the sale of frigates and fighter aircraft to augment its aging weapons systems

3.82% of GDP (2021 est.) 2.65% of GDP (2020) 2.36% of GDP (2019) 2.54% of GDP (2018) 2.38% of GDP (2017)

19-45 years of age for compulsory military service; during wartime the law allows for recruitment beginning January of the year of inductee's 18th birthday, thus including 17 year olds; 18 years of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation is 1 year for the Army and 9 months for the Air Force and Navy; women are eligible for voluntary military service (2021)

0-14 years: 14.53% (male 794,918/female 745,909) 15-24 years: 10.34% (male 577,134/female 519,819) 25-54 years: 39.6% (male 2,080,443/female 2,119,995) 55-64 years: 13.1% (male 656,404/female 732,936) 65 years and over: 22.43% (male 1,057,317/female 1,322,176) (2020 est.)

7.72 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

NA

NA

7.7% (2018)

12.05 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio: 56.1 youth dependency ratio: 21.3 elderly dependency ratio: 34.8 potential support ratio: 2.9 (2020 est.)

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 (2017 est.)

3.6% of GDP (2018)

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

0.2% (2020 est.)

note: estimate does not include children

17,000 (2020 est.) note: estimate does not include children

4.2 beds/1,000 population (2018)

total: 3.61 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

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.

total population: 81.28 years male: 78.73 years female: 84 years (2021 est.)

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.9% male: 98.5% female: 97.4% (2018)

3.153 million ATHENS (capital), 813,000 Thessaloniki (2021)

3 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

total: 45.3 years male: 43.7 years female: 46.8 years (2020 est.)

29.9 years (2019 est.)

noun: Greek(s) adjective: Greek

0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

24.9% (2016)

5.48 physicians/1,000 population (2017)

10,569,703 (July 2021 est.)

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

-0.34% (2021 est.)

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

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 (2017 est.)

total: 20 years male: 20 years female: 20 years (2019)

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

1.39 children born/woman (2021 est.)

total: 35% male: 31.4% female: 39.3% (2020 est.)

urban population: 80% of total population (2021) rate of urbanization: 0.11% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Revolutionary Struggle 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

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

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

refugees (country of origin): 36,448 (Syria), 21,456 (Afghanistan), 11,840 (Iraq) (2020) stateless persons: 5,557 (2020) note: 1,213,983 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-December 2021); as of the end of December 2020, an estimated 119,700 migrants and refugees were stranded in Greece since 2015-16

total: 77 (2013)

total: 68 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 10 (2017)

total: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 7 (2013)

SX

9 (2013)

total: 1,236 by type: bulk carrier 158, container ship 5, general cargo 89, oil tanker 337, other 647 (2021)

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 mt-km (2018)

1466 km gas, 94 km oil (2013)

major seaport(s): Aspropyrgos, Pachi, Piraeus, Thessaloniki oil terminal(s): Agioi Theodoroi container port(s) (TEUs): Piraeus (5,648,000) (2019) LNG terminal(s) (import): Revithoussa

total: 2,548 km (2014) standard gauge: 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge (764 km electrified) (2014) narrow gauge: 961 km 1.000-m gauge (2014) 22 0.750-m gauge

total: 117,000 km (2018)

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