Greece

• temperate;
• mild, wet winters;
• hot, dry summers

• 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

noun:

Greek(s)

adjective:

Greek

total:

46.5 years (2024 est.)

male:

44.6 years

female:

48.3 years

• 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

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 (2024 est.)

total:

3.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

3.8 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

3 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

81.9 years (2024 est.)

male:

79.4 years

female:

84.6 years

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.)

total:

33.5% (2020 est.)

male:

36.5% (2020 est.)

female:

30.5% (2020 est.)

• 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

• temperate;
• mild, wet winters;
• hot, dry summers

urban population:

80.7% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

0.11% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

14.62 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

62.43 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

9.8 megatons (2020 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.)

municipal:

1.69 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

330 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

8.11 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

total global geoparks and regional networks:

9 (2024)

global geoparks and regional networks:

• Chelmos Vouraikos;
• Grevena - Kozani;
• Kefalonia-Ithaca;
• Lavreotiki;
• Lesvos Island;
• Meteora Pyli;
• Psiloritis;
• Sitia;
• Vikos - Aoos (2024)

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"

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

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)

• 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

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

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

chief of state:

President Ekaterini SAKELLAROPOULOU (since 13 March 2020)

head of government:

Prime Minister Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS (since 26 June 2023)

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

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)

elections:

last held on 25 June 2023 (next to be held in 2027)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - ND 40.6%, SYRIZA-PS 17.8%, PASOK-KINAL 11.9%, KKE 7.7%, Spartans 4.6%, Greek Solution 4.4%, NIKI 3.7%, Course of Freedom 3.2%, other 6.1%;
• seats by party - ND 158, SYRIZA-PS 48, PASOK-KINAL 32, KKE 20, Spartans 12, Greek Solution 12, NIKI 10, Course of Freedom 8;
• composition - men 231, women 69, percentage women 23%

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 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)

• Coalition of the Radical Left-Progressive Alliance or SYRIZA-PS
• Communist Party of Greece or KKE
• Course of Freedom
• Democratic Patriotic Movement-Victory or NIKI
• Greek Solution
• New Democracy or ND
• PASOK - Movement for Change or PASOK-KINAL
• Spartans

chief of mission:

Ambassador Ekaterini NASSIKA (since 27 February 2024)

chancery:

2217 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 939-1300

FAX:

[1] (202) 939-1324

email address and website:

[email protected]; 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 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:

[email protected]; https://gr.usembassy.gov/

consulate(s) general:

Thessaloniki

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

total World Heritage Sites:

19 (17 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)

• developed EU and eurozone economy;
• strong post-COVID growth driven by tourism, shipping industry, exports, and foreign investment supported by EU cohesion funds;
• public debt remains high despite recent budget surplus;
• challenges from negative household savings, high unemployment, corruption, and competitiveness gaps

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.

agriculture:

3.8% (2023 est.)

industry:

15.7% (2023 est.)

services:

67.6% (2023 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

26.6% (2023 est.)

male:

24.3% (2023 est.)

female:

29.5% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

on food:

18.8% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

5% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.6% (2021 est.)

highest 10%:

24.8% (2021 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

production:

13.703 million metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption:

13.988 million metric tons (2022 est.)

exports:

362,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

71,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

2.876 billion metric tons (2022 est.)

total petroleum production:

5,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

303,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

10 million barrels (2021 est.)

production:

3.284 million cubic meters (2021 est.)

consumption:

5.173 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

exports:

10.647 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

imports:

15.946 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

991.09 million cubic meters (2021 est.)

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;
• 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. (2023)

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 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

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

total ports:

57 (2024)

large:

1

medium:

7

small:

7

very small:

42

ports with oil terminals:

13

key ports:

Alexandroupoli, Iraklion, Kerkira, Ormos Aliveriou, Piraievs, Soudha, Thessaloniki, Volos