Greece

Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey

39 00 N, 22 00 E

Europe

131,957 sq km

130,647 sq km

1,310 sq km

Slightly smaller than Alabama

1,110 km

Albania 212 km; Bulgaria 472 km; North Macedonia 234 km; Turkey 192 km

13,676 km

6 nm

200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

Mountainous with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands

Mount Olympus 2,917

Mediterranean Sea 0 m

498 m

Lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential

41.7% (2023 est.)

Arable land: 14.4% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops: 8% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture: 19.2% (2023 est.)

36.9% (2023 est.)

21.3% (2023 est.)

12,191 sq km (2021)

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

Severe earthquakes volcanism: Santorini (367 m) has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Methana and Nisyros in the Aegean are also classified as historically active

Strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, with an archipelago of about 2,000 islands

10,424,536 (2025 est.)

5,105,879

5,318,657

Greek(s)

Greek

Greek 91.6%, Albanian 4.4%, other 4% (2011 est.)

Greek (official) 99%, other (includes English and French) 1%

Το Παγκόσμιο Βιβλίο Δεδομένων, η απαραίτητη πηγή βασικών πληροφοριών. (Greek) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Greek Orthodox 81-90%, Muslim 2%, other 3%, none 4-15%, unspecified 1% (2015 est.)

13.8% (male 742,131/female 699,079)

62.6% (male 3,278,906/female 3,267,140)

23.6% (2024 est.) (male 1,096,825/female 1,377,010)

60.1 (2025 est.)

21.7 (2025 est.)

38.4 (2025 est.)

2.6 (2025 est.)

46.8 years (2025 est.)

44.6 years

48.3 years

-0.35% (2025 est.)

7.38 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

11.99 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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

80.7% of total population (2023)

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

3.154 million ATHENS (capital), 815,000 Thessaloniki (2023)

1.07 male(s)/female

1.06 male(s)/female

1 male(s)/female

0.8 male(s)/female

0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

30.7 years (2020 est.)

5 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

3.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

3.8 deaths/1,000 live births

3 deaths/1,000 live births

81.9 years (2024 est.)

79.4 years

84.6 years

1.42 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.69 (2025 est.)

Urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

9.2% of GDP (2021)

8.7% of national budget (2022 est.)

6.58 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

4.2 beds/1,000 population (2019 est.)

Urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

24.9% (2016)

6.33 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

2.13 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

2.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

1.45 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

27.3% (2025 est.)

30.3% (2025 est.)

24.6% (2025 est.)

52.4% (2023 est.)

3.4% of GDP (2022 est.)

6.4% national budget (2022 est.)

21 years (2022 est.)

21 years (2022 est.)

21 years (2022 est.)

Air pollution; air emissions from transport and electricity power stations; water pollution; degradation of coastal zones; loss of biodiversity; municipal and industrial waste disposal

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands

Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds

Temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

41.7% (2023 est.)

Arable land: 14.4% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops: 8% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture: 19.2% (2023 est.)

36.9% (2023 est.)

21.3% (2023 est.)

80.7% of total population (2023)

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

62.06 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

10.794 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

44.649 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

6.617 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

14.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

5.615 million tons (2024 est.)

22.4% (2022 est.)

1.687 billion cubic meters (2022)

279.8 million cubic meters (2022)

8.107 billion cubic meters (2022)

68 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

9 (2024)

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

Hellenic Republic

Greece

Elliniki Dimokratia

Ellas or Ellada

Hellenic State, Kingdom of Greece

The English name derives from the Roman (Latin) designation Graecia, meaning "Land of the Greeks"; the Greeks call their country Ellas or Ellada, which is probably derived from Hellas, the name of the mythical son of Deucalian

Parliamentary republic

Athens

37 59 N, 23 44 E

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

The origin of the name is uncertain; according to tradition, the city is named after Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, but the name is probably pre-Hellenic

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)

Civil legal system based on Roman law

Many previous; latest entered into force 11 June 1975

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

Accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

No

At least one parent must be a citizen of Greece

Yes

10 years

17 years of age; universal and compulsory

President Konstantinos TASOULAS (since 13 March 2025)

Prime Minister Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS (since 26 June 2023)

Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister

President elected by Hellenic Parliament for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); president appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party or coalition in the Hellenic Parliament

12 February 2025

2025: Konstantinos TASOULAS (ND) elected president by Parliament - 160 of 300 votes 2020: Katerina SAKELLAROPOULOU (independent) elected president by Parliament - 261 of 300 votes

2030

Hellenic Parliament (Vouli Ton Ellinon)

Unicameral

300 (all directly elected)

Proportional representation

Full renewal

4 years

6/25/2023

New Democracy (ND) (158); Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) (47); Panhellenic Socialist Movement - Movement for Change (PASOK-KINAL) (32); Communist Party (KKE) (21); Other (42)

22.9%

June 2027

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

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 after 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

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

Ambassador Ekaterini NASSIKA (since 27 February 2024)

2217 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

[1] (202) 939-1300

[1] (202) 939-1324

Gremb.was@mfa.gr https://www.mfa.gr/usa/en/the-embassy/

Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Tampa (FL), San Francisco

Atlanta, Houston

Ambassador Kimberly Ann GUILFOYLE (since 4 November 2025)

91 Vasillisis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens

7100 Athens Place, Washington DC 20521-7100

[30] (210) 721-2951

[30] (210) 724-5313

Athensamericancitizenservices@state.gov https://gr.usembassy.gov/

Thessaloniki

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

3 February 1830 (from the Ottoman Empire)

Independence Day, 25 March (1821)

Description: nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; a blue square with a white cross is in the upper-left corner meaning: the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion; there is no set meaning for the stripes and colors

Greek cross (white cross on a blue field)

Blue, white

The coat of arms was designed by Greek artist Kostas Grammatopoulos and has been in use since 1975; depicted in the national colors of blue and white; the white cross represents the country’s primary religion, Greek Orthodoxy, and the laurel branches symbolize victory

"Ymnos eis tin Eleftherian" (Hymn to Freedom)

Dionysios SOLOMOS/Nikolaos MANTZAROS

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 Freedom" as its anthem

20 (18 cultural, 2 mixed)

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); Minoan Palatial Centres (c)

High-income EU and eurozone economy; growth above euro average, supported by private consumption and EU fund investments; structural reforms strengthening public finances and enhancing resilience within banking system; declining unemployment but low labor productivity and skill shortages

$392.205 billion (2024 est.)

$383.493 billion (2023 est.)

$374.753 billion (2022 est.)

2.3% (2024 est.)

2.3% (2023 est.)

5.7% (2022 est.)

$37,800 (2024 est.)

$36,900 (2023 est.)

$35,900 (2022 est.)

$257.145 billion (2024 est.)

2.7% (2024 est.)

3.5% (2023 est.)

9.6% (2022 est.)

3.3% (2024 est.)

15.4% (2024 est.)

68% (2024 est.)

66.9% (2023 est.)

19.3% (2023 est.)

15.2% (2023 est.)

1.5% (2023 est.)

43.7% (2023 est.)

-48.4% (2023 est.)

Maize, wheat, sheep milk, oranges, tomatoes, milk, peaches/nectarines, grapes, watermelons, barley (2023)

Tourism, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum

6.1% (2024 est.)

4.655 million (2024 est.)

10.2% (2024 est.)

11.1% (2023 est.)

12.5% (2022 est.)

24.7% (2024 est.)

23.2% (2024 est.)

26.6% (2024 est.)

18.8% (2021 est.)

33.4 (2022 est.)

16.4% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

4.4% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

2.7% (2022 est.)

25.7% (2022 est.)

0.2% of GDP (2024 est.)

0.2% of GDP (2023 est.)

0.3% of GDP (2022 est.)

$111.938 billion (2023 est.)

$114.497 billion (2023 est.)

190.6% of GDP (2023 est.)

26.6% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

-$16.399 billion (2024 est.)

-$15.008 billion (2023 est.)

-$22.623 billion (2022 est.)

$108.424 billion (2024 est.)

$107.218 billion (2023 est.)

$106.189 billion (2022 est.)

Italy 12%, Germany 6%, Cyprus 6%, Bulgaria 4%, USA 4% (2023)

Refined petroleum, packaged medicine, aluminum, olive oil, tobacco (2023)

$122.408 billion (2024 est.)

$119.234 billion (2023 est.)

$127.82 billion (2022 est.)

Germany 10%, China 10%, Italy 8%, Iraq 7%, Netherlands 6% (2023)

Crude petroleum, refined petroleum, natural gas, cars, packaged medicine (2023)

$15.222 billion (2024 est.)

$13.608 billion (2023 est.)

$12.061 billion (2022 est.)

Euros (EUR) per US dollar -

0.924 (2024 est.)

0.925 (2023 est.)

0.95 (2022 est.)

0.845 (2021 est.)

0.876 (2020 est.)

100% (2022 est.)

24.169 million kW (2023 est.)

46.929 billion kWh (2023 est.)

3.24 billion kWh (2023 est.)

8.152 billion kWh (2023 est.)

5.346 billion kWh (2023 est.)

48.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

17.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

23.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

9.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

0.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

10.469 million metric tons (2023 est.)

10.091 million metric tons (2023 est.)

5 metric tons (2023 est.)

49,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

2.876 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

5,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

308,000 bbl/day (2024 est.)

10 million barrels (2021 est.)

1.323 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

3.344 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

8.362 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

11.619 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

991.09 million cubic meters (2021 est.)

92.693 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

4.69 million (2024 est.)

47 (2024 est.)

11.4 million (2024 est.)

114 (2024 est.)

Broadcast media dominated by the private sector; roughly 150 private TV channels, about 10 of which broadcast nationwide; 1 state-owned terrestrial TV channel with national coverage; 3 privately owned satellite channels; multi-channel satellite and cable TV services available; over 1,500 radio stations, all privately owned; state-owned broadcaster has 2 national radio stations

.gr

85% (2023 est.)

4.48 million (2023 est.)

44 (2023 est.)

SX

82 (2025)

59 (2025)

2,345 km (2020) 731 km electrified

1,215 (2023)

Bulk carrier 132, container ship 4, general cargo 79, oil tanker 299, other 701

57 (2024)

1

7

7

42

13

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

Hellenic Armed Forces (HAF; Ellinikes Enoples Dynamis, EED): Hellenic Army (Ellinikos Stratos, ES; includes National Guard), Hellenic Navy (Elliniko Polemiko Navtiko, EPN), Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polemiki Aeroporia, EPA; includes air defense) (2025)

2.9% of GDP (2025 est.)

2.7% of GDP (2024 est.)

2.8% of GDP (2023 est.)

3.9% of GDP (2022 est.)

3.7% of GDP (2021 est.)

Approximately 112,000 active-duty military personnel (2025)

The military's inventory consists of a mix of domestically produced and imported armaments from Europe and the US; in recent years, France, Germany, the UK, and the US have been major suppliers of weapons systems; Greece's defense industry is capable of producing a range of military hardware, including naval vessels and associated subsystems (2025)

18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; all Greek men 19-45 are subject to compulsory military service; 12-month obligation for all services (note - as an exception, the duration of the full military service is 9 instead of 12 months if conscripts, after the initial training, serve the entire remaining time in certain areas of the eastern borders, in Cyprus, or in certain military units) (2026)

Approximately 1,000 Cyprus; 120 Kosovo (NATO); 130 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (2025)

The Hellenic Armed Forces (HAF) are responsible for protecting Greece’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; the HAF also maintains a presence on Cyprus (the Hellenic Force in Cyprus or ELDYK) to assist and support the Cypriot National Guard; as a member of the EU, NATO, and other international organizations, the HAF participates in multinational peacekeeping and other security missions abroad, taking a particular interest in missions occurring in the near regions, such as the Balkans, the Mediterranean and Aegean seas, the Middle East, and North Africa; areas of focus for the HAF include instability in the Balkans, territorial disputes with Turkey, and support to European security through the EU and NATO Greece’s NATO membership is a key component of its security; it became a NATO member in 1952 and occupies a strategic location in the Eastern Mediterranean on NATO’s southern flank; Greece is host to several NATO facilities, including the Deployable Corps Greece (NDC-GR) headquarters in Thessaloniki, the Combined Air Operations Center in Larissa, the Multinational Peace Support Operations Training Center in Kilkis, the Multinational Sealift Coordination Center in Athens, and the Naval Base, Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Centre, and NATO Missile Firing Installation at Souda, Crete (2025)

Hellenic Space Center (HSC; aka Hellenic Space Agency; established 2018) (2025)

Focuses on building and operating satellites for communications and remote sensing (RS); researches and develops space-related technologies in a variety of sectors, including agriculture, defense, environmental studies, RS, and telecommunications; contributes to and participates in ESA capabilities and programs; also participates in EU space programs and cooperates bilaterally with European and US space agencies and commercial space sectors; has a commercial space sector that researches, develops, and produces a variety of space technologies and capabilities (2025)

1994 - signed first cooperation agreement with the ESA 2005 - first satellite (Hellas-Sat) for a domestic telecommunications satellite network launched by US; joined ESA (became member state in 2011) 2017 - first domestically manufactured communications satellite (UPSat) released from International Space Station 2019 - began participating in ESA’s quantum communications infrastructure (EuroQCI or “fiber in the sky”) and the US Gateway Lunar orbital/landing programs 2021 - launched ESA-assisted national program to develop, manufacture, launch, and operate small satellites 2024 - signed US-led Artemis Accords for space and Moon exploration 2025 - launched demonstrator/experimental RS cube satellite (DUTHSat-2) under ESA-assisted national small satellite program

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Revolutionary Struggle (RS); Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C)

144,694 (2024 est.)

3,743 (2024 est.)