Greece Population

The estimated Greece population in 2006 is 10,688,058. Greece has a total area of 131, 940 sq kms. This includes 1,140 sq kms of water and 130,800 sq kms of land. Birth rate in Greece is 0.2%, much lower compared to the rest of Europe. Emigration has played an important role in the demographic pattern of Greece. The population of Athens, the capital city of Greece is 3,247,000 in the metro area and 747,300 in city proper. Other large cities are Thessaloniki with a population of 361,200, Piraeus with a population of 179,300 and Patras with a population of 167,000.

The population density in Greece is 80 per square km. The population density is high because a major portion of the Greece territory is mountainous and is uninhabited. Since World War II the population of Greece has shifted to Athens in the south and Thessloniki in the north. The late 19th century witnessed huge chunk of Greece population shifting to Athens. The economic reform by the government saw many agricultural workers shifting to cities.

The population growth in urban areas is 0.7%, relatively higher than the population growth in rural area which is 0.2%. 60% of the Greece population lives in the urban areas. 15% of the total population is under the age of 15, whereas, 18% of the population is above 65 years. The infant mortality rate is 5.4 in thousand births. Life expectancy Greece is 79.2 years. Life expectancy in Greece is higher than the rest of the world. The life expectancy for females at birth is 81 years but for males it is 76 years.

The literacy rate of the Greece population shows a positive trend . Female literacy rate in 96% as compared to the male literacy rate of 99%. Youth literacy rate between the ages 15-24 is 100% in Greece. 95% of the children in Greece have opted for primary school enrollment. Females have shown 88% enrollment in secondary school as against 85% of the male enrollment.

98% of the Greece population are Christians, belonging to the Greek orthodox church. Other 2 % of the remaining population belongs to Islam and other faiths.

Demographic forecasts in the early 1990s predicted that the Greece population would remain virtually stable showing a steady rise between the period 1999 to 2010.