Greece: Less than 10 births a year in one out of three of the 1035 Municipal Units”

Greece is facing a serious crisis, often referred to as a demographic problem. This, combined also with the current important financial and social issues, creates a dangerous situation, which may lead the country to face a serious population collapse.

The demographic problem is a real and serious national danger, however, it has not been discussed enough. The reduction of births in Greece it quite alarming. According to recent data, births have reduced by 37% from 1979-1983 to 2014-2019, and projections show that it will decrease by a further 13% still between 2020-2025.

The effects of this reduction also become apparent in the educational system, as recently the regional Directors announced the suspension of many Primary Schools and Kindergartens, many of which had already been closed for years due to low number of students.

The decline in births in Greece started around five decades ago, mainly due to a fall in fertility in successive generations. In fact, the fertility rate has fallen from 2.1 to 2.0 children per woman for women born between 1940 and 1960, and less than 1.5 children for those born after 1985.

According to a recent study by the Institute of Demographic Research and Studies, it was recorded that one in three of the country’s 1,035 Municipal Units have less than 10 births per year. This study, compiled by professors Byron Kotzamanis and Vassilis Pappas, emphasises the importance of the topic.

As the researchers point out, this situation is not only due to the different fertility capabilities of the couples, that is, to the fact that some women give birth to more children than others. It is directly connected to the change of total population in each region, which has been significantly affected by immigration, i.e. both internal and external immigration.

In areas with a recorded continued decline in number of births after 2014, this is already reflected in youth population (0-14 years old). The analysis of the data from IDRS proves that the 29.8% of the Municipal Units in the first six years and the 35.5% in the second, have up to 60 births every six years.

One in two of these units is seen to have a population of 1.000-3.600 people, while one in ten has less than 250 inhabitants.

The Municipal Units with very low birth rates are all understaffed and present rapid decline in their population. These areas have high rates of population aged 60 and over, with an increasing decline of young people and low rates of citizens aged 20-49 years. These areas are seen to usually have far fewer births than deaths, while the gender ratio is critically unbalanced across the ages of the family groups.

The existence of more than a 1/3 of the 1.035 Municipal Units with relatively few births has significant effects on the population composition of pre-school and school age children and cannot be attributed only to the decrease in fertility.

This problem also reflects the uneven distribution of the population in the country: 10% of the Municipal Units reflects less than 62% of the population and half the inhabitants live in barely 75 Local Communities that cover 2% of the country.

This inequality, which came from the post-war development model and the absence of spatial planning, has little visibility in public debate regarding demographic issues.

According to the researchers, the unequal distribution is accompanied by different demographic developments that have already caused the population collapse in many areas, which was also seen in the birth rates of the last decade.

The director of the Institute of Demographic Research and Studies, Professor Byron Kotzamanis states:

“Focusing too much on reduced fertility alone is problematic because many factors affect population and its distribution. OR mortality and immigration also play an important role, and must be considered in a future National Demographic Action Plan».