ATHENS – The article about the future of Greece in Euronews.com has a grim opening: “Empty villages, disillusioned young workers, and government officials scrambling for solutions: this is the stark reality Euronews uncovered in Greece, where the country is bracing for a major population collapse fuelled by plummeting numbers of births, mass emigration, and low fertility rates.”

In 2022 there were less than 77,000 births – the lowest in almost a century. Deaths were almost that 140,000. The article notes: “Nothing seems to indicate that this trend will change anytime soon.”

All things considered, Greece has had a fairly soft landing after the end of the recent financial bailout programs, but the site notes that “the country is now facing a new kind of emergency that could influence its social and economic structure: population decline. Projections suggest that by 2070, Greece’s population could shrink by as much as 25%, way above the EU average of 4%.”

Greek Prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has his eye on the ball, warning that “the demographic collapse is literally becoming an existential challenge for our future.”

The 3.1% drop in the overall population in just ten years revealed by latest population census in 2021, has left Greece with a population of less than 10.5 million people. “That decade broadly corresponds to the economic crisis that the country went through, which fuelled the exodus of about half a million Greeks, especially among the young and educated segments of the population. Those who stayed in the country still face a difficult labor market recovery, characterized by high unemployment and low wages, making it even more challenging to build stable careers and families,” the site explains.

In Chios, which has 50,000 year-round residents, Euronews spoke with Mary and Nikos, “a couple in their early thirties who left Greece for the United States two years ago, and only visit occasionally for holidays. They reflected on their decision to emigrate, citing economic difficulties as the main reason.”

“If you have to work 10 to 12 hours a day and not earn as much money as you want to, how can you buy a house? And how can you raise a family? You can’t” Mary said. Nikos, also speaking to the reporter, “echoed her sentiments, stating that while they love Greece, they cannot see themselves returning, even if conditions improved.”

People have been leaving Chios in search of opportunities elsewhere for generations. “Today, empty villages with only a handful of elderly residents are not uncommon, especially in the northern part of the island,” the writer observes.

The economic dimension of the problem centers on the fact that smaller numbers of people will be working to support a growing population of older people – there are  low fertility rates (1.32 births per woman) and higher life expectancies.

Greek economist Nikos Vettas highlights the economic consequences, especially the additional pressure on Greece’s pension and healthcare systems. “The main problem is that you are going to have a smaller number of people who are working. And now these people, they will have to support a large population of older people,” he said.

Vettas adds, however, that there are solutions: “You have to increase the productivity in the country. You have to bring in technology. You have to encourage the inflow of immigrants, especially in high productivity jobs.”

The Greek government is taking steps. In 2023 Athens established a ministry specifically dedicated to the demographic challenge. Sofia Zacharaki, the minister, has led the introduction of a series of measures, including tax breaks and increased state allowances for newborns, in hopes of encouraging higher birth rates.

She knows those actions alone won’t solve the problem, but she said they are a step in the right direction to solve what she calls “the biggest threat that Greece is faced with.”

(Material from Euronews.com was used in this report)