Greece
Hellenic RepublicElliniki Dimokratia
parliamentary republicIndependence 3 February 1830 (from the Ottoman Empire)
Greece as the 2017 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 164 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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. Since 2010, Greece has entered three bailout agreements with the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB), the IMF, and with the third, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). The Greek Government agreed to its current, $96 billion bailout in August 2015, which will conclude in August 2018.
Geography
Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey
19 fieldsLocation
Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey
Natural resources
lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential
Land use
- agricultural land:
- 63.4%;
- arable land 19.7%;
- permanent crops 8.9%;
- permanent pasture 34.8%
- forest:
- 30.5%
- other:
- 6.1% (2011 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
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
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
- signed, but not ratified:
- Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds
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
33 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2017 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2017 est.)
Male · female
Ethnic groups
population: Greek 93%, other (foreign citizens) 7% (2001 census) note: data represent citizenship, since Greece does not collect data on ethnicity
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
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- 0-14 years:
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- 15-24 years:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 25-54 years:
- 0.99 male(s)/female
- 55-64 years:
- 0.96 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.78 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.95 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
Government
Parliamentary republic; President Prokopios (Prokopis) PAVLOPOULOS (since 13 March 2015); Prime Minister Alexios TSIPRAS (since 21 September 2015)
22 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Hellenic Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon, 300 seats, elected 20 September 2015one dot, one seat
Percent of vote
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"
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
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
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 (2016)
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
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Prokopios (Prokopis) PAVLOPOULOS (since 13 March 2015)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Alexios TSIPRAS (since 21 September 2015);
- note - Vassiliki THANOU-CHRISTOFILOU served as interim prime minister beginning on 27 August 2015 after the resignation of Alexios TSIPRAS on 20 August 2015;
- she was Greece's first female prime minister
- 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 18 February 2015 (next to be held by February 2020);
- president appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party or coalition in the Hellenic Parliament
- election results:
- Prokopios PAVLOPOULOS (ND) elected president by Parliament - 233 of 300 votes
Legislative branch
- description:
- unicameral Hellenic Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats; 288 members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 12 seats are filled from nationwide party lists; 50 seats allocated to the party with the highest total valid vote count and remaining seats are apportioned according to each party's or coalition's vote percentage; members serve up to 4 years)
- elections:
- last held on 20 September 2015 (next to be held by 2019);
- note - snap elections were called because of upheaval in the governing SYRIZA party over a new bailout deal with international creditors
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - SYRIZA 35.5%, ND 28.1%, Golden Dawn 7.0%, PASOK-DIMAR 6.3%, KKE 5.6%, To Potami (The River) 4.1%, ANEL 3.7%, EK 3.4%, other 6.3%;
- seats by party - SYRIZA 145, ND 75, Golden Dawn 18, PASOK-DIMAR 17, KKE 15, To Potami 11, ANEL 10, EK 9;
- 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
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, vice president, 42 privy councillors, and 98 associate and reporting judges, organized into 5- and 7-member chambers;
- Hellenic Court of Audit (government audit and enforcement) consists of the president, 5 vice presidents, 20 councillors, 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 to serve a 4-year term with an age limit of 67
- 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 or SYRIZA [Alexios (Alexis) TSIPRAS]
- Communist Party of Greece or KKE [Dimitrios KOUTSOUMBAS]
- Democratic Left or DIMAR [Athanasios (Thanasis) THEOCHAROPOULOS]
- Independent Greeks or ANEL [Panagiotis (Panos) KAMMENOS]
- Movement of Democratic Socialists or KIDISO [Georgios PAPANDREOU]
- New Democracy or ND [Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS]
- Panhellenic Socialist Movement or PASOK [Foteini (Fofi) GENIMMATA]
- People's Association-Golden Dawn [Nikolaos MICHALOLIAKOS]
- Popular Unity or LAE [Panagiotis LAFAZANIS]
- To Potami (The River) [Stavros THEODORAKIS]
- Union of Centrists or EK [Vasilis LEVENTIS]
Political pressure groups and leaders
- Supreme Administration of Civil Servants Unions or ADEDY [Spyros PAPASPYROS]
- Federation of Greek Industries or SEV [Theodore FESSAS]
- General Confederation of Greek Workers or GSEE [Ioannis PANAGOPOULOS]
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, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Theocharis LALAKOS (since 27 June 2016)
- chancery:
- 2217 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 939-1300
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 939-1324
- 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 Geoffrey R. PYATT (since 24 October 2016)
- embassy:
- 91 Vasillisis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens
- mailing address:
- PSC 108, APO AE 09842-0108
- telephone:
- [30] (210) 721-2951
- FAX:
- [30] (210) 645-6282
- 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
Economy
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.
41 fieldsGDP - composition, by sector of origin(2016 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
By end use% of GDP
Economy - overview
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 4.5% in 2016. 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 between the SYRIZA-led government and Greece’s EU and IMF creditors over the implementation of bailout measures and disbursement of funds led the Greek government to run up significant arrears to suppliers and Greek banks to rely on emergency lending, and also called into question Greece’s future in the euro zone.
To stave off a collapse of the banking system, Greece imposed capital controls in June 2015 shortly before rattling international financial markets by becoming the first developed nation to miss a loan payment to the IMF. 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, Greece signed its third bailout which allowed it to cover significant debt payments to its EU and IMF creditors and ensure the banking sector retained access to emergency liquidity.
The TSIPRAS government — which retook office on 20 September 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, with official estimates of a -0.2% contraction in 2015, boosted in part by a strong tourist season.
In 2016, Greece saw slight improvements in GDP and unemployment. The economy remains stagnant, because of unfinished economic reforms, a massive non-performing loan problem, and ongoing uncertainty regarding the political direction of the country. 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. These issues will continue to be a drag on the economy in 2017 and further delay recovery from the financial crisis.
Gross national saving
9.9% of GDP (2016 est.) · 9.9% of GDP (2015 est.) · 10.2% of GDP (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 155
Agriculture - products
wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; beef, dairy products
Industries
tourism, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum
Distribution of family income - Gini index
36.7 (2012 est.) · 35.7 (2011) country comparison to the world: 83
Central bank discount rate
0.05% (31 March 2016) · 0.15% (11 June 2014) note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area country comparison to the world: 148
Commercial bank prime lending rate
5.62% (31 December 2016 est.) · 5.89% (31 December 2015 est.) country comparison to the world: 128
Stock of narrow money
$86.53 billion (31 December 2016 est.) · $86.69 billion (31 December 2015 est.) note: see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 18 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders country comparison to the world: 39
Stock of broad money
$138.9 billion (31 December 2016 est.) · $141.5 billion (31 December 2015 est.) country comparison to the world: 49
Stock of domestic credit
$231.4 billion (31 December 2016 est.) · $259.6 billion (31 December 2015 est.) country comparison to the world: 42
Current account balance
$-1.238 billion (2016 est.); $228.3 million (2015 est.) country comparison to the world: 134
Exports - commodities
food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$6.893 billion (31 December 2016 est.) · $6.026 billion (31 December 2015 est.) country comparison to the world: 84
Debt - external
$506.6 billion (31 March 2016 est.) · $468.2 billion (31 March 2015 est.) country comparison to the world: 22
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home
$30.8 billion (31 December 2016 est.) · $27.73 billion (31 December 2015 est.) country comparison to the world: 69
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad
$32.91 billion (31 December 2016 est.) · $32.17 billion (31 December 2015 est.) country comparison to the world: 48
Exchange rates
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.9214 (2016 est.) · 0.885 (2015 est.) · 0.885 (2014 est.) · 0.7634 (2013 est.) · 0.7752 (2012 est.)
Energy
24 fieldsElectrification% of population · (2016)
Installed generating capacity, 18.94 million kW(2015 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
991.1 million cu m (1 January 2017 es) country comparison to the world: 104
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy
78 million Mt (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 46
Communications
6 fieldsPer 100 inhabitants(July 2016 est.)
Telephone system
- general assessment:
- adequate, modern networks reach all areas; good mobile telephone and international service
- domestic:
- microwave radio relay trunk system;
- extensive open-wire connections;
- submarine cable to offshore islands
- international:
- country code - 30;
- landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to Europe, Middle East, and Asia;
- a number of smaller submarine cables provide connectivity to various parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Cyprus;
- tropospheric scatter;
- satellite earth stations - 4 (2 Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat - Indian Ocean region) (2015)
Broadcast media
- Broadcast media dominated by the private sector;
- roughly 150 private TV channels, about ten 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 (2014)
Transportation
12 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
National air transport system
- number of registered air carriers:
- 9; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 93
- annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:
- 12,583,541
- annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:
- 27,452,961 mt-km (2015)
Railways
- total:
- 2,548 km
- standard gauge:
- 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge (764 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge (2014)
country comparison to the world: 65
Roadways
- total:
- 116,960 km
- paved:
- 41,357 km (includes 1,091 km of expressways)
- unpaved:
- 75,603 km (2010)
country comparison to the world: 41
Waterways
6 km (the 6-km-long Corinth Canal crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; it shortens a sea voyage by 325 km) (2012) country comparison to the world: 106
Merchant marine
- total:
- 860
- by type:
- bulk carrier 262, cargo 49, carrier 1, chemical tanker 68, container 35, liquefied gas 13, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 109, petroleum tanker 302, roll on/roll off 14
- foreign-owned:
- 42 (Belgium 17, Bermuda 3, Cyprus 3, Italy 5, UK 6, US 8)
- registered in other countries:
- 2,459 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Bahamas 225, Barbados 14, Belize 2, Bermuda 8, Brazil 1, Cabo Verde 1, Cambodia 2, Cayman Islands 9, Comoros 4, Curacao 1, Cyprus 201, Dominica 4, Egypt 8, Gibraltar 8, Honduras 4, Hong Kong 27, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 62, Italy 7, Jamaica 3, Liberia 505, Malta 469, Marshall Islands 408, Mexico 2, Moldova 1, Panama 379, Philippines 5, Portugal 2, Saint Kitts and Nevis 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 42, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Saudi Arabia 4, Singapore 22, UAE 3, Uruguay 1, Vanuatu 3, Venezuela 4, unknown 10) (2010)
country comparison to the world: 13
Ports and terminals
- major seaport(s):
- Aspropyrgos, Pachi, Piraeus, Thessaloniki
- oil terminal(s):
- Agioi Theodoroi
- container port(s):
- Piraeus (3,360,000) (2015)
- LNG terminal(s) (import):
- Revithoussa
Military and Security
Hellenic Army (Ellinikos Stratos, ES), Hellenic Navy (Elliniko Polemiko Navtiko, EPN), Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polemiki Aeroporia, EPA) (2013)
3 fieldsMilitary branches
Hellenic Army (Ellinikos Stratos, ES), Hellenic Navy (Elliniko Polemiko Navtiko, EPN), Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polemiki Aeroporia, EPA) (2013)
Military service age and obligation
- 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 (2014)
Transnational Issues
3 fieldsDisputes - international
- Greece and Turkey continue discussions to resolve their complex maritime, air, territorial, and boundary disputes in the Aegean Sea;
- Greece rejects the use of the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia;
- 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):
- 14,420 (Syria);
- 11,440 (Afghanistan);
- 8,161 (Iraq) (2016)
- stateless persons:
- 198 (2016)
note: 1,063,265 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015 - November 2017); as of September 2017, an estimated 62,000 migrants and asylum seekers were stranded in Greece
Illicit drugs
- a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling cannabis 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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Greece.” The World Factbook 2017. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/greece/2017.