Although many expected the birth rate to increase during lockdown, when couples are stuck indoors with little to do, the number of births in Greece has actually declined compared to figures recorded in years before.
According to data released by the Greek Ministry of the Interior, births in November and December of 2020, nine months after Greece went into its first lockdown in March of 2020, were down 6.5% compared to births in the same months of 2019.
A similar decline of the birth rate in Greece was also noted in the months of January and February of 2021 compared to 2020.
birth rate declines in Greece as Covid-19 causes instability
This indicates that, instead of deciding to settle down during lockdown, young Greeks of childbearing age faced immense financial, social, and familial instability due to the pandemic, according to Michalis Stavrianoudakis, Secretary-General of Interior and Organization.
“Although the number of births has been steadily declining for several years, the decline has intensified nine months after the lockdown and under the pressure of the pandemic,” Stavrianoudakis stated.
Death rate higher than birth rate in Greece in 2020
The population of Greece faced a slight decline in 2020, according to data released by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) on New Year’s Day of 2021.
ELSTAT’s data counts the population of the Mediterranean country at 10,718,565 people, broken down to 5,215,488 men and 5,503,077 women.
This signals a marginal 0.6% decrease in the population compared to the figure released by ELSTAT on January 1, 2019, which recorded the number of Greeks at 10,724,599.
In 2020, the death rate was much higher than the birth rate in Greece, widening a substantial gap that has been forming and expanding in recent years.
In 2019, 83,628 babies were born and 124,101 people died.
Greece’s population is largely made up of older citizens. Just 14.2% of the population is aged 0 to 14 years. A great 63.5% of Greeks are 15 to 64 years old, and 22.3% are aged 65 years and over.
A stunning 121,347 Greeks recorded on January 1, 2020 are over 100 years old, and 121,071 are between 90 and 99 years old.
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