Prior to 1829, the area of modern day Greece was largely under the control of the Ottoman Empire. In 1821, the Greeks declared their independence from the Ottomans, and achieved it within 8 years through the Greek War of Independence. The Independent Kingdom of Greece was established in 1829 and made up the southern half of present-day, mainland Greece, along with some Mediterranean islands. Over the next century, Greece's borders would expand and readjust drastically, through a number of conflicts and diplomatic agreements; therefore the population of Greece within those political borders** was much lower than the population in what would be today's borders. As there were large communities of ethnic Greeks living in neighboring countries during this time, particularly in Turkey, and the data presented here does not show the full extent of the First World War, Spanish Flu Pandemic and Greko-Turkish War on these Greek populations. While it is difficult to separate the fatalities from each of these events, it is estimated that between 500,000 and 900,000 ethnic Greeks died at the hands of the Ottomans between the years 1914 and 1923, and approximately 150,000 died due to the 1918 flu pandemic. These years also saw the exchange of up to one million Orthodox Christians from Turkey to Greece, and several hundred thousand Muslims from Greece to Turkey; this exchange is one reason why Greece's total population did not change drastically, despite the genocide, displacement and demographic upheaval of the 1910s and 1920s.
Greece in WWII
A new Hellenic Republic was established in 1924, which saw a decade of peace and modernization in Greece, however this was short lived. The Greek monarchy was reintroduced in 1935, and the prime minister, Ioannis Metaxas, headed a totalitarian government that remained in place until the Second World War. Metaxas tried to maintain Greek neutrality as the war began, however Italy's invasion of the Balkans made this impossible, and the Italian army tried invading Greece via Albania in 1940. The outnumbered and lesser-equipped Greek forces were able to hold off the Italian invasion and then push them backwards into Albania, marking the first Allied victory in the war. Following a series of Italian failures, Greece was eventually overrun when Hitler launched a German and Bulgarian invasion in April 1941, taking Athens within three weeks. Germany's involvement in Greece meant that Hitler's planned invasion of the Soviet Union was delayed, and Hitler cited this as the reason for it's failure (although most historians disagree with this). Over the course of the war approximately eight to eleven percent of the Greek population died due to fighting, extermination, starvation and disease; including over eighty percent of Greece's Jewish population in the Holocaust. Following the liberation of Greece in 1944, the country was then plunged into a civil war (the first major conflict of the Cold War), which lasted until 1949, and saw the British and American-supported government fight with Greek communists for control of the country. The government eventually defeated the Soviet-supported communist forces, and established American influence in the Aegean and Balkans throughout the Cold War.
Post-war Greece
From the 1950s until the 1970s, the Marshall Plan, industrialization and an emerging Tourism sector helped the Greek economy to boom, with one of the strongest growth rates in the world. Apart from the military coup, which ruled from 1967 to 1974, Greece remained relatively peaceful, prosperous and stable throughout the second half of the twentieth century. The population reached 11.2 million in the early 2000s, before going into decline for the past fifteen years. This decline came about due to a negative net migration rate and slowing birth rate, ultimately facilitated by the global financial crisis of 2007 and 2008; many Greeks left the country in search of work elsewhere, and the economic troubles have impacted the financial incentives that were previously available for families with many children. While the financial crisis was a global event, Greece was arguably the hardest-hit nation during the crisis, and suffered the longest recession of any advanced economy. The financial crisis has had a consequential impact on the Greek population, which has dropped by 800,000 in 15 years, and the average age has increased significantly, as thousands of young people migrate in search of employment.
Population of Greece from 1800 to 2020
(in 1,000s)
Characteristic
Population in thousands
2020
10,423.06
2019
10,473.45
2018
10,522.24
2017
10,569.45
2016
10,615.18
2015
10,659.74
2014
10,701.46
2013
10,740.5
2012
10,781.12
2011
10,829.07
2010
10,887.64
2009
10,959.27
2008
11,040.31
2007
11,120.37
2006
11,185.23
2005
11,224.8
2004
11,234.99
2003
11,218.88
2002
11,182.31
2001
11,134.45
2000
11,082.1
1999
11,027.9
1998
10,970.12
1997
10,906.25
1996
10,832.14
1995
10,745.5
1994
10,644.94
1993
10,533.81
1992
10,420.23
1991
10,315.11
1990
10,225.99
1989
10,155.72
1988
10,101.35
1987
10,057.29
1986
10,015.12
1985
9,968.23
1984
9,916.48
1983
9,860.73
1982
9,796.83
1981
9,719.84
1980
9,627
1979
9,515.74
1978
9,388.72
1977
9,254.98
1976
9,127.06
1975
9,014.09
1974
8,919.25
1973
8,840.31
1972
8,774.51
1971
8,716.87
1970
8,663.57
1969
8,614.04
1968
8,569.14
1967
8,528.03
1966
8,489.87
1965
8,453.82
1964
8,419.3
1963
8,385.44
1962
8,350.88
1961
8,314.01
1960
8,273.63
1959
8,229.11
1958
8,180.31
1957
8,127.48
1956
8,070.96
1955
8,011.13
1954
7,948.28
1953
7,882.6
1952
7,814.17
1951
7,742.94
1950
7,668.79
1949
7,620
1948
7,580
1947
7,550
1946
7,530
1945
7,500
1944
7,470
1943
7,440
1942
7,410
1941
7,370
1940
7,310
1939
7,240
1938
7,160
1937
7,060
1936
6,960
1935
6,870
1934
6,780
1933
6,680
1932
6,590
1931
6,510
1930
6,430
1929
6,350
1928
6,280
1927
6,210
1926
6,140
1925
6,080
1924
6,010
1923
5,950
1922
5,880
1921
5,830
1920
5,770
1919
5,720
1918
5,680
1917
5,640
1916
5,600
1915
5,560
1914
5,520
1913
5,480
1912
5,440
1911
5,410
1910
5,370
1909
5,330
1908
5,290
1907
5,250
1906
5,220
1905
5,180
1904
5,140
1903
5,110
1902
5,070
1901
5,030
1900
4,990
1899
4,950
1898
4,900
1897
4,850
1896
4,800
1895
4,750
1894
4,700
1893
4,650
1892
4,600
1891
4,560
1890
4,510
1889
4,460
1888
4,420
1887
4,370
1886
4,330
1885
4,280
1884
4,240
1883
4,200
1882
4,150
1881
4,110
1880
4,070
1879
4,030
1878
3,980
1877
3,940
1876
3,900
1875
3,860
1874
3,820
1873
3,780
1872
3,740
1871
3,710
1870
3,670
1869
3,630
1868
3,600
1867
3,570
1866
3,530
1865
3,500
1864
3,470
1863
3,440
1862
3,400
1861
3,370
1860
3,340
1859
3,310
1858
3,280
1857
3,250
1856
3,220
1855
3,190
1854
3,160
1853
3,130
1852
3,100
1851
3,070
1850
3,040
1849
3,020
1848
2,990
1847
2,960
1846
2,930
1845
2,910
1844
2,880
1843
2,850
1842
2,830
1841
2,800
1840
2,780
1839
2,750
1838
2,730
1837
2,700
1836
2,680
1835
2,650
1834
2,630
1833
2,600
1832
2,580
1831
2,560
1830
2,530
1829
2,510
1828
2,490
1827
2,470
1826
2,440
1825
2,420
1824
2,400
1823
2,380
1822
2,350
1821
2,340
1820
2,320
1819
2,310
1818
2,310
1817
2,300
1816
2,300
1815
2,300
1814
2,290
1813
2,290
1812
2,290
1811
2,280
1810
2,280
1809
2,280
1808
2,270
1807
2,270
1806
2,270
1805
2,270
1804
2,260
1803
2,260
1802
2,260
1801
2,250
1800
2,250
Zoomable Statistic: Select the range in the chart you want to zoom in on.
**The data refers to the population of the area of present day-Greece. Some population estimates (in thousands) and information regarding changes in Greece's political borders at the time are as follows:
1821: 939
1828: 753
1838: 752
1843: 915
1848: 987
1853: 1,036
1856: 1,063
1861: 1,097
Ionian Islands acquired from Britain in 1864.
1870: 1,458
1879: 1,679
Thessaly and Arta acquired from Turkey in 1881 (their estimated population was 294,000).
1889: 2,187
1896: 2,434
1907: 2,632
Crete, Epiros, Thrace and parts of Macedonia acquired from Turkey between 1907 and 1920.
1920: 5,017
1928: 6,205
1940: 7,345
Dodecanese Islands acquired from Italy in 1949 (their estimated population in 1951 was 121,000)
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
Gapminder, & Macmillan Publishers, & UN DESA. (August 31, 2019). Population of Greece from 1800 to 2020 (in 1,000s) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 24, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1014317/total-population-greece-1821-2020/
Gapminder, und Macmillan Publishers, und UN DESA. "Population of Greece from 1800 to 2020 (in 1,000s)." Chart. August 31, 2019. Statista. Accessed August 24, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1014317/total-population-greece-1821-2020/
Gapminder, Macmillan Publishers, UN DESA. (2019). Population of Greece from 1800 to 2020 (in 1,000s). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 24, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1014317/total-population-greece-1821-2020/
Gapminder, and Macmillan Publishers, and UN DESA. "Population of Greece from 1800 to 2020 (in 1,000s)." Statista, Statista Inc., 31 Aug 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1014317/total-population-greece-1821-2020/
Gapminder & Macmillan Publishers & UN DESA, Population of Greece from 1800 to 2020 (in 1,000s) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1014317/total-population-greece-1821-2020/ (last visited August 24, 2024)
Population of Greece from 1800 to 2020 (in 1,000s) [Graph], Gapminder, & Macmillan Publishers, & UN DESA, August 31, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1014317/total-population-greece-1821-2020/