Greek Regions See Sharp Decline in Births Over Recent Years

(MENAFN) Birth rates have dropped dramatically across several mainland regions of Greece, with six areas recording a decline of more than half between 2009 and 2024, according to a demographic study cited in reports.

Across Greece as a whole, the number of births decreased by roughly 42% during the period, falling from about 117,440 in 2009 to approximately 68,310 in 2024.

The regions that recorded declines exceeding 50% were Thesprotia, Grevena, Phthiotis, Kozani, Evrytania and Florina.

The research was conducted by demographer Byron Kotzamanis at the Institute for Demographic Research and Studies and examined Greece’s longer-term demographic changes, identifying a sustained reduction in births over more than four decades.

Average annual births dropped from approximately 148,000 in 1979-80 to around 67,000 in 2024-25. At the same time, the average age at which women gave birth increased from 26.2 to 32.2.

The downward trend began in the late 1970s, with the exception of a limited recovery recorded between 2003 and 2009. The study associated that temporary increase largely with immigration that followed 1990.

The research also showed that successive generations of women have been having fewer children. Women born in the late 1950s had an average of two children, while the figure dropped below 1.5 among women born around 1985.

Greece’s total fertility rate declined from 2.2 children per woman in 1979-80 to 1.24 in 2024-25.

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