Greece

World Book Index

Introduction

Background
Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830 and became a kingdom. In 1974, it became a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EU.

Geography

Area
total : 131,957 sq km
land: 130,647 sq km
water: 1,310 sq km

Climate
temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

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

People and Society

Population
total: 10,461,091 (2024 est.)

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

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

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

Population growth rate
-0.35% (2024 est.)

Government

Government type
parliamentary republic

Capital
name: Athens

Executive branch
chief of state: President Konstantinos TASOULAS (since 13 March 2025)
head of government: Prime Minister Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS (since 26 June 2023)

Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Ekaterini NASSIKA (since 27 February 2024)

Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Josh HUCK (since 1 August 2025)

Economy

Economic overview
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

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$392.205 billion (2024 est.)
$383.493 billion (2023 est.)
$374.753 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita
$37,800 (2024 est.)
$36,900 (2023 est.)
$35,900 (2022 est.)

Exports
$108.424 billion (2024 est.)
$107.218 billion (2023 est.)
$106.189 billion (2022 est.)

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

Exports - commodities
refined petroleum, packaged medicine, aluminum, olive oil, tobacco (2023)

Imports
$122.408 billion (2024 est.)
$119.234 billion (2023 est.)
$127.82 billion (2022 est.)

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

Imports - commodities
crude petroleum, refined petroleum, natural gas, cars, packaged medicine (2023)

Human Development Index

The country's Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.908, ranking it 34th out of 193 countries tested. (more information)

World Happiness Report

The World Happiness Report ranked the country 55th out of 158 countries tested with a score of 6.058. (more information)