Greece Population
Greece had an estimated population of 10,413,962 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 93rd most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.13% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +0.08% a year.
Greece at a glance
How Greece's population is changing
Greece's population is roughly stable: +0.08% a year, which works out to about +8,832 people per year, or +24 a day. Births (6.6 per 1,000) and deaths (12.1 per 1,000) alone would give −0.55% a year; net migration adds about 16,636 people a year (+0.16%). Roughly one in every 789 people on Earth lives in Greece.
Population of Greece since 1960
In 1960, Greece had 8,331,725 people. By 2025 that was 10,413,962 — 1.2× larger. The population peaked in 2010 at 11,121,341 and has declined since. The fastest growth came between 1974 and 1984, when the population rose by 10%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 8,331,725 | — |
| 1970 | 8,792,806 | +5.5% |
| 1980 | 9,642,505 | +9.7% |
| 1990 | 10,196,792 | +5.7% |
| 2000 | 10,805,808 | +6.0% |
| 2010 | 11,121,341 | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 10,698,599 | −3.8% |
| 2025 | 10,413,962 | −2.7% |
Greece from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Greece at about 2,250,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 9,938,847 in 2025 (4× 1800) and projects 6,275,570 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2010 at 11,124,666 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 2,250,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 3,044,219 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 4,990,133 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 7,651,080 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 10,782,638 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 9,938,847 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 8,812,069 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 7,270,684 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 6,275,570 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Greece
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 10,413,962. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Athens | 3,101,979 | UN urban centre | 29.79% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Thessaloníki | 749,840 | UN urban centre | 7.20% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Pátra | 168,034 | GeoNames settlement | 1.61% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 4 | Piraeus | 163,688 | GeoNames settlement | 1.57% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Lárisa | 146,926 | GeoNames settlement | 1.41% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Peristéri | 139,981 | GeoNames settlement | 1.34% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Irákleion | 137,154 | GeoNames settlement | 1.32% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Kallithéa | 100,641 | GeoNames settlement | 0.97% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Volos | 100,418 | UN urban centre | 0.96% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 10 | Acharnés | 99,346 | GeoNames settlement | 0.95% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Greece compares
Greece has almost the same population as Azerbaijan (10,246,996).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Greece | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #91 |  Papua New Guinea | 10,762,817 | +3% | compare → |
| #92 |  Sweden | 10,596,620 | +2% | compare → |
| #94 |  Azerbaijan | 10,246,996 | −2% | compare → |
| #95 |  Israel | 10,122,800 | −3% | compare → |
Compare Greece with any country →
Same region (Europe & Central Asia): Russia, Türkiye, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy.
Explore around Greece
Land neighbours (4)
Türkiye 85,878,556 · 8.2× the population · compare
Bulgaria 6,433,302 · 1.6× smaller · compare
Albania 2,349,580 · 4.4× smaller · compare
North Macedonia 1,820,909 · 5.7× smaller · compare
Greece's 4 neighbours together hold 96,482,347 people — 9.3× Greece's population. The most populous is Türkiye (85,878,556).
In its region
Greece is the 19th most populous of the 58 economies in Europe & Central Asia, holding 1.1% of the region's 932,525,035 people.
Rankings featuring Greece
Cities
Athens, Thessaloníki, Pátra, Piraeus, Lárisa, Peristéri, Irákleion, Kallithéa — all Greece's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Greece when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.