Statistical information Greece 2017

Greece in the World

Greece - Introduction 2017

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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.

Greece - Geography 2017

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

Geographic coordinates: 39 00 N 22 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 131,957 km²
Land: 130,647 km²
Water: 1310 km²
Rank: 98
Comparative: slightly smaller than Alabama

Land boundaries
Total: 1110 km
Border countries: (4) Albania 212 km; Bulgaria 472 km; Macedonia 234 km; Turkey 192 km

Coastline: 13,676 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate: temperate; mild wet winters; hot dry summers

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

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

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

Land use

Land use
Agricultural land: 63.4%

arable land: 19.7%
permanent crops: 8.9%
permanent pasture: 34.8%

Forest: 30.5%
Other: 6.1%

Irrigated land: 15,550 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: severe earthquakes
Volcanism: Santorini 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

Geography
Note: strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country possessing an archipelago of about 2000 islands

Greece - People 2017

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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: 10,768,477 (July 2017 est.)
Rank: 85
Growth rate: -0.06% (2017 est.)
Growth rate rank: 205
Below poverty line: 36% (2014 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Greek
Adjective: Greek

Ethnic groups: population: Greek 93% other (foreign citizens) 7% (2001 census)
Note: data represent citizenship since Greece does not collect data on ethnicity

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

Religions: Greek Orthodox (official) 98% Muslim 1.3% other 0.7%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Age structure
0-14 years: 13.83%
15-24 years: 9.67%
25-54 years: 42.45%
55-64 years: 13.13%
65 years and over: 20.91% (2017 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 52.7
Youth dependency ratio: 22.2
Elderly dependency ratio: 30.5
Potential support ratio: 3.3

Median age
Total: 44.5 years
Male: 43.5 years
Female: 45.6 years
Rank: 7

Population growth rate: -0.06% (2017 est.)
Rank: 205

Birth rate: 8.4 births/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 218

Death rate: 11.3 deaths/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 27

Net migration rate: 2.3 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 42

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

Urbanization
Urban population: 78.6% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.31% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: ATHENS (capital) 3.052 million (2015)

Environment
Current issues: air pollution; water pollution
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male/female
15-24 years: 1.05 male/female
25-54 years: 0.99 male/female
55-64 years: 0.96 male/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male/female
Total population: 0.95 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth: 29.8 years (2014 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.6 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 5 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 4.1 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 179

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 80.7 years
Male: 78 years
Female: 83.4 years
Rank: 36

Total fertility rate: 1.43 children born/woman (2017 est.)
Rank: 208

Contraceptive prevalence rate

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.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 6.26 physicians/1000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density: 4.8 beds/1000 population (2009)

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.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA (2016 est.)
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 24.9% (2016)
Rank: 54

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 97.7%
Male: 98.5%
Female: 96.9%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 18 years
Male: 18 years
Female: 18 years

Youth unemployment

Greece - Government 2017

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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 designation 'Graecia' meaning 'Land of the Greeks'; the Greeks call their country 'Hellas' or 'Ellada'

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Athens
Geographic coordinates: 37 59 N 23 44 E
Time difference: UTC+2
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

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)

Dependent areas

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

National holiday: Independence Day 25 March (1821)

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

Legal system: civil legal system based on Roman law

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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

Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Prokopios PAVLOPOULOS (since 13 March 2015)
Head of government: Prime Minister Alexios TSIPRAS ; 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
Electionsappointments: president elected by Hellenic Parliament for a 5-year 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 elected president by Parliament - 233 of 300 votes

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Hellenic Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon
Elections: last held on 20 September 2015 ; 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 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

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Civil and Criminal Court or Areios Pagos ; 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 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

Political parties and leaders:

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]

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Theocharis LALAKOS
In the us chancery: 2,217 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] 939-1300
In the us FAX: [1] 939-1324
In the us consulate general: Boston Chicago Los Angeles New York Tampa San Francisco
In the us consulate: Atlanta Houston
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Geoffrey R. PYATT
From the us embassy: 91 Vasillisis Sophias Avenue 10,160 Athens
From the us mailing address: PSC 108 APO AE 9,842-0108
From the us telephone: [30] 721-2,951
From the us FAX: [30] 645-6,282
From the us consulate general: Thessaloniki

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

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

National anthem
Name: 'Ymnos eis tin Eleftherian'
Lyrics and 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 ; Cyprus also uses 'Hymn to Liberty' as its anthem

National heritage

Greece - Economy 2017

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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.

Real 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
Rank: 58

Real gdp growth rate:

0% (2016 est.)
-0.2% (2015 est.)
0.4% (2014 est.)

Rank: 191

Real gdp per capita:

$26,800 (2016 est.)
$26,600 (2015 est.)
$26,500 (2014 est.)

Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 71

Gross national saving:

9.9% of GDP (2016 est.)
9.9% of GDP (2015 est.)
10.2% of GDP (2014 est.)

Rank: 155

Gdp composition by sector of origin

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%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4%
Industry: 15.8%
Services: 80.2%

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

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

Industrial production growth rate: 1.6% (2016 est.)
Rank: 124

Labor force: 4.785 million (2016 est.)
Rank: 85
By occupation agriculture: 12.6%
By occupation industry: 15%
By occupation services: 72.4%

Labor force

Unemployment rate:

23.6% (2016 est.)
25% (2015 est.)

Rank: 191

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 36% (2014 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.7%
Highest 10: 26.7%

Distribution of family income gini index:

36.7 (2012 est.)
35.7 (2011)

Rank: 83

Budget
Revenues: $96.8 billion
Expenditures: $95.37 billion
Surplus or deficit: 0.7% of GDP (2016 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 31

Taxes and other revenues: 49.8% of GDP (2016 est.)
Rank: 16

Public debt:

179.4% of GDP (2016 est.)
177.7% of GDP (2015 est.)

Rank: 2

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

0% (2016 est.)
-1.7% (2015 est.)

Rank: 20

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
Rank: 148

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

5.62% (31 December 2016 est.)
5.89% (31 December 2015 est.)

Rank: 128

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 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
Rank: 39

Stock of broad money:

$138.9 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$141.5 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Rank: 49

Stock of domestic credit:

$231.4 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$259.6 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Rank: 42

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.)

Rank: 57

Current account balance:

$-1.238 billion (2016 est.)
$228.3 million (2015 est.)

Rank: 134

Exports:

$27.1 billion (2016 est.)
$27.5 billion (2015 est.)

Rank: 64
Commodities: food and beverages manufactured goods petroleum products chemicals textiles
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)

Imports:

$45.45 billion (2016 est.)
$46.62 billion (2015 est.)

Rank: 51
Commodities: machinery transport equipment fuels chemicals
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)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$6.893 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$6.026 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Rank: 84

Debt external:

$506.6 billion (31 March 2016 est.)
$468.2 billion (31 March 2015 est.)

Rank: 22

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:

$30.8 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$27.73 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Rank: 69

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:

$32.91 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$32.17 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Rank: 48

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.)

Greece - Energy 2017

Greece - Communication 2017

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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 5.126 million
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 48
Fixed lines rank: 29
Mobile cellular total: 12,538,927
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 116
Mobile cellular rank: 72

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 (2015)

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 1500 radio stations all of them privately owned; government-owned broadcaster has 2 national radio stations (2014)

Internet
Country code: .gr
Users total: 7,443,016
Users percent of population: 69.1%
Users rank: 56

Broadband fixed subscriptions

Greece - Military 2017

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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)

Rank: 48

Military and security forces

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)

Space program

Terrorist groups

Greece - Transportation 2017

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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

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: SX (2016)

Airports: 77 (2013)
Rank: 69
With paved runways total: 68
With paved runways over 3047 m: 6
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 15
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 19
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 18
With paved runways under 914 m: 10
With unpaved runways total: 9
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 7

Heliports: 9 (2013)

Pipelines: gas 1329 km; oil 94 km (2013)

Railways
Total: 2,548 km
Standard gauge: 1565 km 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge
Rank: 65

Roadways
Total: 116,960 km
Paved: 41,357 km
Unpaved: 75,603 km
Rank: 41

Waterways: 6 km (the 6-km-long Corinth Canal crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; it shortens a sea voyage by 325 km) (2012)
Rank: 106

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
Registered in other countries: 2,459 (2010)
Rank: 13

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Aspropyrgos Pachi Piraeus Thessaloniki
Oil terminal: Agioi Theodoroi
Container port: Piraeus (2015)
LNG terminal: Revithoussa

Greece - Transnational issues 2017

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Disputes international
Rank: li>a href='../rankorder/rankorderguide.html'>Guide to Country Comparisons: 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

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 14,420 (Syria); 11,440 (Afghanistan); 8,161 (Iraq) (2016)
Stateless persons: 198
Note: 1,063,265 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals ; as of September 2017 an estimated 62,000 migrants and asylum seekers were stranded in Greece

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