Greece

Broadcast media

Broadcast media dominated by the private sector; roughly 150 private TV channels, about ten of which broadcast nationwide; 1 government-owned terrestrial TV channel with national coverage; 3 privately owned satellite channels; multi-channel satellite and cable TV services available; upwards of 1,500 radio stations, all of them privately owned; government-owned broadcaster has 2 national radio stations (2014)

Internet country code

.gr

Internet users

total: 7,443,016 | percent of population: 69.1% (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 56

Telephone system

general assessment: adequate, modern networks reach all areas; good mobile telephone and international service | domestic: microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open-wire connections; submarine cable to offshore islands | international: country code - 30; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to Europe, Middle East, and Asia; a number of smaller submarine cables provide connectivity to various parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Cyprus; tropospheric scatter; satellite earth stations - 4 (2 Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat - Indian Ocean region) (2015)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 5.126 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 48 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 29

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 12,538,927 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 116 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 72

Agriculture - products

wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; beef, dairy products

Budget

revenues: $96.8 billion | expenditures: $95.37 billion (2016 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

0.7% of GDP (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 31

Central bank discount rate

0.05% (31 March 2016) | 0.15% (11 June 2014) | note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area | country comparison to the world: 148

Commercial bank prime lending rate

5.62% (31 December 2016 est.) | 5.89% (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 128

Current account balance

$-1.238 billion (2016 est.) | $228.3 million (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 134

Debt - external

$506.6 billion (31 March 2016 est.) | $468.2 billion (31 March 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 22

Distribution of family income - Gini index

36.7 (2012 est.) | 35.7 (2011) | country comparison to the world: 83

Economy - overview

Greece has a capitalist economy with a public sector accounting for about 40% of GDP and with per capita GDP about two-thirds that of the leading euro-zone economies. Tourism provides 18% of GDP. Immigrants make up nearly one-fifth of the work force, mainly in agricultural and unskilled jobs. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid, equal to about 3.3% of annual GDP. | The Greek economy averaged growth of about 4% per year between 2003 and 2007, but the economy went into recession in 2009 as a result of the world financial crisis, tightening credit conditions, and Athens' failure to address a growing budget deficit. By 2013, the economy had contracted 26%, compared with the pre-crisis level of 2007. Greece met the EU's Growth and Stability Pact budget deficit criterion of no more than 3% of GDP in 2007-08, but violated it in 2009, when the deficit reached 15% of GDP. Deteriorating public finances, inaccurate and misreported statistics, and consistent underperformance on reforms prompted major credit rating agencies to downgrade Greece's international debt rating in late 2009 and led the country into a financial crisis. Under intense pressure from the EU and international market participants, the government accepted a bailout program that called on Athens to cut government spending, decrease tax evasion, overhaul the civil-service, health-care, and pension systems, and reform the labor and product markets. Austerity measures reduced the deficit to 4.5% in 2016. Successive Greek governments, however, failed to push through many of the most unpopular reforms in the face of widespread political opposition, including from the country's powerful labor unions and the general public. | In April 2010, a leading credit agency assigned Greek debt its lowest possible credit rating, and in May 2010, the IMF and euro-zone governments provided Greece emergency short- and medium-term loans worth $147 billion so that the country could make debt repayments to creditors. Greece, however, struggled to meet the targets set by the EU and the IMF, especially after Eurostat - the EU's statistical office - revised upward Greece's deficit and debt numbers for 2009 and 2010. European leaders and the IMF agreed in October 2011 to provide Athens a second bailout package of $169 billion. The second deal called for holders of Greek government bonds to write down a significant portion of their holdings to try to alleviate Greece’s government debt burden. However, Greek banks, saddled with a significant portion of sovereign debt, were adversely affected by the write down and $60 billion of the second bailout package was set aside to ensure the banking system was adequately capitalized. | In 2014, the Greek economy began to turn the corner on the recession. Greece achieved three significant milestones: balancing the budget - not including debt repayments; issuing government debt in financial markets for the first time since 2010; and generating 0.7% GDP growth — the first economic expansion since 2007. | Despite the nascent recovery, widespread discontent with austerity measures helped propel the far-left Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) party into government in national legislative elections in January 2015. Between January and July 2015, frustrations between the SYRIZA-led government and Greece’s EU and IMF creditors over the implementation of bailout measures and disbursement of funds led the Greek government to run up significant arrears to suppliers and Greek banks to rely on emergency lending, and also called into question Greece’s future in the euro zone. To stave off a collapse of the banking system, Greece imposed capital controls in June 2015 shortly before rattling international financial markets by becoming the first developed nation to miss a loan payment to the IMF. Unable to reach an agreement with creditors, Prime Minister Alexios TSIPRAS held a nationwide referendum on 5 July on whether to accept the terms of Greece’s bailout, campaigning for the ultimately successful “no” vote. The TSIPRAS government subsequently agreed, however, to a new $96 billion bailout in order to avert Greece’s exit from the monetary bloc. On 20 August, Greece signed its third bailout which allowed it to cover significant debt payments to its EU and IMF creditors and ensure the banking sector retained access to emergency liquidity. The TSIPRAS government — which retook office on 20 September after calling new elections in late August — successfully secured disbursal of two delayed tranches of bailout funds. Despite the economic turmoil, Greek GDP did not contract as sharply as feared, with official estimates of a -0.2% contraction in 2015, boosted in part by a strong tourist season. | In 2016, Greece saw slight improvements in GDP and unemployment. The economy remains stagnant, because of unfinished economic reforms, a massive non-performing loan problem, and ongoing uncertainty regarding the political direction of the country. Some estimates put Greece’s black market at 20- to 25% of GDP, as more people have stopped reporting their income to avoid paying taxes that, in some cases, have risen to 70% of an individual’s gross income. These issues will continue to be a drag on the economy in 2017 and further delay recovery from the financial crisis.

Exchange rates

euros (EUR) per US dollar - | 0.9214 (2016 est.) | 0.885 (2015 est.) | 0.885 (2014 est.) | 0.7634 (2013 est.) | 0.7752 (2012 est.)

Exports

$27.1 billion (2016 est.) | $27.5 billion (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 64

Exports - commodities

food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles

Exports - partners

Italy 11.2%, Germany 7.7%, Cyprus 6.4%, Turkey 5.3%, Bulgaria 5.2%, US 4.3%, UK 4.2%, Lebanon 4.1% (2016)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$194.6 billion (2016 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$289.3 billion (2016 est.) | $285.6 billion (2015 est.) | $283.2 billion (2014 est.) | note: data are in 2016 dollars | country comparison to the world: 58

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 70.6% | government consumption: 19.7% | investment in fixed capital: 11.3% | investment in inventories: -0.7% | exports of goods and services: 30.2% | imports of goods and services: -31% (2016 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 4% | industry: 15.8% | services: 80.2% (2016 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$26,800 (2016 est.) | $26,600 (2015 est.) | $26,500 (2014 est.) | note: data are in 2016 dollars | country comparison to the world: 71

GDP - real growth rate

0% (2016 est.) | -0.2% (2015 est.) | 0.4% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 191

Gross national saving

9.9% of GDP (2016 est.) | 9.9% of GDP (2015 est.) | 10.2% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 155

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.7% | highest 10%: 26.7% (2015 est.)

Imports

$45.45 billion (2016 est.) | $46.62 billion (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 51

Imports - commodities

machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners

Germany 11.1%, Italy 8.8%, China 6.6%, Russia 6.4%, Netherlands 5.5%, Iraq 5.4%, France 4.4%, South Korea 4.1% (2016)

Industrial production growth rate

1.6% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 124

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

0% (2016 est.) | -1.7% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 20

Labor force

4.785 million (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 85

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 12.6% | industry: 15% | services: 72.4% (30 October 2015 e)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$42.08 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $55.15 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $82.59 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 57

Population below poverty line

36% (2014 est.)

Public debt

179.4% of GDP (2016 est.) | 177.7% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 2

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$6.893 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $6.026 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 84

Stock of broad money

$138.9 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $141.5 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 49

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$32.91 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $32.17 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 48

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$30.8 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $27.73 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 69

Stock of domestic credit

$231.4 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $259.6 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 42

Stock of narrow money

$86.53 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $86.69 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | note: see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 18 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders | country comparison to the world: 39

Taxes and other revenues

49.8% of GDP (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 16

Unemployment rate

23.6% (2016 est.) | 25% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 191

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

78 million Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 46

Crude oil - exports

3,082 bbl/day (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 65

Crude oil - imports

477,400 bbl/day (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 21

Crude oil - production

3,172 bbl/day (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 85

Crude oil - proved reserves

10 million bbl (1 January 2017 es) | country comparison to the world: 93

Electricity - consumption

53.05 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 48

Electricity - exports

1.037 billion kWh (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 58

Electricity - from fossil fuels

56.8% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 137

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

14.2% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 105

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 102

Electricity - from other renewable sources

26.8% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 19

Electricity - imports

9.833 billion kWh (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 26

Electricity - installed generating capacity

18.94 million kW (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 46

Electricity - production

48.34 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 54

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 100% (2016)

Natural gas - consumption

4.354 billion cu m (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 71

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 115

Natural gas - imports

3.162 billion cu m (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 43

Natural gas - production

4 million cu m (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 100

Natural gas - proved reserves

991.1 million cu m (1 January 2017 es) | country comparison to the world: 104

Refined petroleum products - consumption

299,600 bbl/day (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 44

Refined petroleum products - exports

351,700 bbl/day (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 23

Refined petroleum products - imports

181,000 bbl/day (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 34

Refined petroleum products - production

626,000 bbl/day (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 28

Area

total: 131,957 sq km | land: 130,647 sq km | water: 1,310 sq km | country comparison to the world: 98

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Alabama

Climate

temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

Coastline

13,676 km

Elevation

mean elevation: 498 m | elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m | highest point: Mount Olympus 2,917 m

Environment - current issues

air pollution; water pollution

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands | signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds

Geographic coordinates

39 00 N, 22 00 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

15,550 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

total: 1,110 km | border countries (4): Albania 212 km, Bulgaria 472 km, Macedonia 234 km, Turkey 192 km

Land use

agricultural land: 63.4% | arable land 19.7%; permanent crops 8.9%; permanent pasture 34.8% | forest: 30.5% | other: 6.1% (2011 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm | continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Natural hazards

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; although there have been very few eruptions in recent centuries, Methana and Nisyros in the Aegean are classified as historically active

Natural resources

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

Population - distribution

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

Terrain

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

Administrative divisions

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)

Capital

name: Athens | geographic coordinates: 37 59 N, 23 44 E | time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) | daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no | citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Greece | dual citizenship recognized: yes | residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Constitution

history: many previous; latest entered into force 11 June 1975 | amendments: 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; amended 1986, 2001, 2008 (2016)

Country name

conventional long form: Hellenic Republic | conventional short form: Greece | local long form: Elliniki Dimokratia | local short form: Ellas or Ellada | former: Hellenic State, Kingdom of Greece | etymology: the English name derives from the Roman (Latin) designation "Graecia," meaning "Land of the Greeks"; the Greeks call their country "Hellas" or "Ellada"

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Geoffrey R. PYATT (since 24 October 2016) | embassy: 91 Vasillisis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens | mailing address: PSC 108, APO AE 09842-0108 | telephone: [30] (210) 721-2951 | FAX: [30] (210) 645-6282 | consulate(s) general: Thessaloniki

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Theocharis LALAKOS (since 27 June 2016) | chancery: 2217 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 | telephone: [1] (202) 939-1300 | FAX: [1] (202) 939-1324 | consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Tampa (FL), San Francisco | consulate(s): Atlanta, Houston

Executive branch

chief of state: President Prokopios (Prokopis) PAVLOPOULOS (since 13 March 2015) | head of government: Prime Minister Alexios TSIPRAS (since 21 September 2015); note - Vassiliki THANOU-CHRISTOFILOU served as interim prime minister beginning on 27 August 2015 after the resignation of Alexios TSIPRAS on 20 August 2015; she was Greece's first female prime minister | cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister | elections/appointments: president elected by Hellenic Parliament for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 18 February 2015 (next to be held by February 2020); president appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party or coalition in the Hellenic Parliament | election results: Prokopios PAVLOPOULOS (ND) elected president by Parliament - 233 of 300 votes

Flag description

nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; a blue square bearing a white cross appears in the upper hoist-side corner; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country; there is no agreed upon meaning for the nine stripes or for the colors | note: Greek legislation states that the flag colors are cyan and white, but cyan can mean "blue" in Greek, so the exact shade of blue has never been set and has varied from a light to a dark blue over time; in general, the hue of blue normally encountered is a form of azure

Government type

parliamentary republic

Independence

3 February 1830 (from the Ottoman Empire); note - 25 March 1821, outbreak of the national revolt against the Ottomans; 3 February 1830, signing of the London Protocol recognizing Greek independence by Great Britain, France, and Russia

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

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, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

highest court(s): 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, vice president, 42 privy councillors, and 98 associate and reporting judges, organized into 5- and 7-member chambers; Hellenic Court of Audit (government audit and enforcement) consists of the president, 5 vice presidents, 20 councillors, and 90 associate and reporting judges | judge selection and term of office: 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 following 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 to serve a 4-year term with an age limit of 67 | subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal and Courts of First Instance(district courts)

Legal system

civil legal system based on Roman law

Legislative branch

description: unicameral Hellenic Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats; 288 members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 12 seats are filled from nationwide party lists; 50 seats allocated to the party with the highest total valid vote count and remaining seats are apportioned according to each party's or coalition's vote percentage; members serve up to 4 years) | elections: last held on 20 September 2015 (next to be held by 2019); note - snap elections were called because of upheaval in the governing SYRIZA party over a new bailout deal with international creditors | election results: percent of vote by party - SYRIZA 35.5%, ND 28.1%, Golden Dawn 7.0%, PASOK-DIMAR 6.3%, KKE 5.6%, To Potami (The River) 4.1%, ANEL 3.7%, EK 3.4%, other 6.3%; seats by party - SYRIZA 145, ND 75, Golden Dawn 18, PASOK-DIMAR 17, KKE 15, To Potami 11, ANEL 10, EK 9; note - only parties surpassing a 3% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats; parties need 10 seats to become formal parliamentary groups but can retain that status if the party participated in the last election and received the minimum 3% threshold

National anthem

name: "Ymnos eis tin Eleftherian" (Hymn to Liberty) | lyrics/music: Dionysios SOLOMOS/Nikolaos MANTZAROS | note: 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 Liberty" as its anthem

National holiday

Independence Day, 25 March (1821)

National symbol(s)

Greek cross (white cross on blue field, arms equal length); national colors: blue, white

Political parties and leaders

Anticapitalist Left Cooperation for the Overthrow or ANTARSYA [collective leadership] | Coalition of the Radical Left or SYRIZA [Alexios (Alexis) TSIPRAS] | Communist Party of Greece or KKE [Dimitrios KOUTSOUMBAS] | Democratic Left or DIMAR [Athanasios (Thanasis) THEOCHAROPOULOS] | Independent Greeks or ANEL [Panagiotis (Panos) KAMMENOS] | Movement of Democratic Socialists or KIDISO [Georgios PAPANDREOU] | New Democracy or ND [Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS] | Panhellenic Socialist Movement or PASOK [Foteini (Fofi) GENIMMATA] | People's Association-Golden Dawn [Nikolaos MICHALOLIAKOS] | Popular Unity or LAE [Panagiotis LAFAZANIS] | To Potami (The River) [Stavros THEODORAKIS] | Union of Centrists or EK [Vasilis LEVENTIS]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Supreme Administration of Civil Servants Unions or ADEDY [Spyros PAPASPYROS] | Federation of Greek Industries or SEV [Theodore FESSAS] | General Confederation of Greek Workers or GSEE [Ioannis PANAGOPOULOS]

Suffrage

17 years of age; universal and compulsory

Background

Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and other anti-communist and communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. In 1967, a group of military officers seized power, establishing a military dictatorship that suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country. In 1974 following the collapse of the dictatorship, democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 2001. Greece has suffered a severe economic crisis since late 2009, due to nearly a decade of chronic overspending and structural rigidities. Since 2010, Greece has entered three bailout agreements with the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB), the IMF, and with the third, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). The Greek Government agreed to its current, $96 billion bailout in August 2015, which will conclude in August 2018.

Military branches

Hellenic Army (Ellinikos Stratos, ES), Hellenic Navy (Elliniko Polemiko Navtiko, EPN), Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polemiki Aeroporia, EPA) (2013)

Military expenditures

2.56% of GDP (2016) | 2.54% of GDP (2015) | 2.34% of GDP (2014) | 2.36% of GDP (2013) | 2.41% of GDP (2012) | country comparison to the world: 48

Military service age and obligation

19-45 years of age for compulsory military service; during wartime the law allows for recruitment beginning January of the year of inductee's 18th birthday, thus including 17 year olds; 18 years of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation is 1 year for the Army and 9 months for the Air Force and Navy; women are eligible for voluntary military service (2014)

Age structure

0-14 years: 13.83% (male 767,245/female 722,313) | 15-24 years: 9.67% (male 532,179/female 509,487) | 25-54 years: 42.45% (male 2,275,984/female 2,295,082) | 55-64 years: 13.13% (male 692,420/female 721,641) | 65 years and over: 20.91% (male 986,816/female 1,265,310) (2017 est.)

Birth rate

8.4 births/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 218

Death rate

11.3 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 27

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 52.7 | youth dependency ratio: 22.2 | elderly dependency ratio: 30.5 | potential support ratio: 3.3 (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 100% of population | rural: 100% of population | total: 100% of population | urban: 0% of population | rural: 0% of population | total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Ethnic groups

population: Greek 93%, other (foreign citizens) 7% (2001 census) | note: data represent citizenship, since Greece does not collect data on ethnicity

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA (2016 est.)

Health expenditures

8.1% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 53

Hospital bed density

4.8 beds/1,000 population (2009)

Infant mortality rate

total: 4.6 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 5 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 4.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 179

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 80.7 years | male: 78 years | female: 83.4 years (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 36

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 97.7% | male: 98.5% | female: 96.9% (2015 est.)

Major urban areas - population

ATHENS (capital) 3.052 million (2015)

Maternal mortality rate

3 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 184

Median age

total: 44.5 years | male: 43.5 years | female: 45.6 years (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 7

Mother's mean age at first birth

29.8 years (2014 est.)

Nationality

noun: Greek(s) | adjective: Greek

Net migration rate

2.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 42

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

24.9% (2016) | country comparison to the world: 54

Physicians density

6.26 physicians/1,000 population (2014)

Population

10,768,477 (July 2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 85

Population distribution

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

Population growth rate

-0.06% (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 205

Religions

Greek Orthodox (official) 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%

Sanitation facility access

urban: 99.2% of population | rural: 98.1% of population | total: 99% of population | urban: 0.8% of population | rural: 1.9% of population | total: 1% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 18 years | male: 18 years | female: 18 years (2014)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female | total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.43 children born/woman (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 208

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 49.8% | male: 45.2% | female: 55% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 3

Urbanization

urban population: 78.6% of total population (2017) | rate of urbanization: 0.31% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Disputes - international

Greece and Turkey continue discussions to resolve their complex maritime, air, territorial, and boundary disputes in the Aegean Sea; Greece rejects the use of the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia; the mass migration of unemployed Albanians still remains a problem for developed countries, chiefly Greece and Italy

Illicit drugs

a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling cannabis and heroin from the Middle East and Southwest Asia to the West and precursor chemicals to the East; some South American cocaine transits or is consumed in Greece; money laundering related to drug trafficking and organized crime

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 14,420 (Syria); 11,440 (Afghanistan); 8,161 (Iraq) (2016) | stateless persons: 198 (2016) | note: 1,063,265 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015 - November 2017); as of September 2017, an estimated 62,000 migrants and asylum seekers were stranded in Greece

Airports

77 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 69

Airports - with paved runways

total: 68 | over 3,047 m: 6 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 | 914 to 1,523 m: 18 | under 914 m: 10 (2017)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 9 | 914 to 1,523 m: 2 | under 914 m: 7 (2013)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

SX (2016)

Heliports

9 (2013)

Merchant marine

total: 860 | by type: bulk carrier 262, cargo 49, carrier 1, chemical tanker 68, container 35, liquefied gas 13, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 109, petroleum tanker 302, roll on/roll off 14 | foreign-owned: 42 (Belgium 17, Bermuda 3, Cyprus 3, Italy 5, UK 6, US 8) | registered in other countries: 2,459 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Bahamas 225, Barbados 14, Belize 2, Bermuda 8, Brazil 1, Cabo Verde 1, Cambodia 2, Cayman Islands 9, Comoros 4, Curacao 1, Cyprus 201, Dominica 4, Egypt 8, Gibraltar 8, Honduras 4, Hong Kong 27, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 62, Italy 7, Jamaica 3, Liberia 505, Malta 469, Marshall Islands 408, Mexico 2, Moldova 1, Panama 379, Philippines 5, Portugal 2, Saint Kitts and Nevis 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 42, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Saudi Arabia 4, Singapore 22, UAE 3, Uruguay 1, Vanuatu 3, Venezuela 4, unknown 10) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 13

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 9 | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 93 | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 12,583,541 | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 27,452,961 mt-km (2015)

Pipelines

gas 1,329 km; oil 94 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Aspropyrgos, Pachi, Piraeus, Thessaloniki | oil terminal(s): Agioi Theodoroi | container port(s): Piraeus (3,360,000) (2015) | LNG terminal(s) (import): Revithoussa

Railways

total: 2,548 km | standard gauge: 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge (764 km electrified) | narrow gauge: 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge (2014) | country comparison to the world: 65

Roadways

total: 116,960 km | paved: 41,357 km (includes 1,091 km of expressways) | unpaved: 75,603 km (2010) | country comparison to the world: 41

Waterways

6 km (the 6-km-long Corinth Canal crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; it shortens a sea voyage by 325 km) (2012) | country comparison to the world: 106