The recent study by the Institute of Demographic Research (IDR) discovered that Greece’s population, recorded at 10.482 million in the latest census exhibits significant distributional imbalances.
According to the study, headed by IDR founding member Vassilis Pappas, 80% of the population in 2021 (8.39 million) was concentrated in 277 municipalities, covering a mere 25.2% of the total area of Greece. This concentration has doubled since 1951, when 80% of the population resided in 55.5% of the country.
Furthermore, out of the 332 municipalities, the 10 most populous (Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, Heraklion in Crete, Piraeus, Larissa, Volos, Peristeri, Rhodes, and Ioannina) collectively host 21% of the population (2.2 million people). Conversely, the 10 least populous municipalities (such as Tilos, Folegandros, Megisti in Kastellorizo, Halki, Psara, Anafi, Agios Efstratios, Sikinos, Agathonisi, and Gavdos) have only 4,100 inhabitants, representing a mere 0.04% of the total population.
The two most populous Regional Units, Thessaloniki and Central Athens, house 2.09 million people, accounting for 20% of the total population, yet occupy only 2.8% of Greece’s land area.
Similarly, the 10 most populous Regional Units out of the 74, six of which are in the Attica Region, house 53% of the population on just 12.8% of the country’s area. In stark contrast, the 10 least populous units, all of which are islands, account for only 0.86% of the population (89.9 thousand people) on 2.1% of land.
Internal disparities within regional units are also notable with the most populous municipalities within the regional units of Patras, Larissa, Xanthi, Komotini, Drama, and Trikala, housing more that 50% of the unit’s population, but covering less that 3% of the area.
This uneven distribution, Pappas notes, is a result of post-war development models and the absence of spatial planning, leading to disparities in the distribution of labor, economic activities, and wealth.
Such imbalances pose significant challenges to the social and economic development and territorial cohesion of the country. Compounded by an aging population and declining birth rates, particularly in low-density areas, the issue raises concerns about a potential demographic collapse.
