Census in Greece: Population Shrinks by 3.5 Percent to 10,432,481

The population in Greece has shrunk by 3.5 percent during the last decade according to the census published on Tuesday by the Greek Statistical Service (ELSTAT).

According to the preliminary data of the country-wide census of 2021, the current population of permanent residents is 10,432,481. Of those, 5,357,232 are female while 5,075,249 are male.

Attica, the most populous region of Greece, registered 3,792,469 permanent residents. This marks a decrease of 35,965 compared to the last census of 2011.

Central Macedonia is the second most populous region of Greece with 1,792,069 inhabitants. The population has decreased by 90,039 compared to 2011.

Overall, twelve out of thirteen regions in Greece have registered a drop in population, according to the ELSTAT census.

The exception is the southern Aegean region where there’s been an increase of 13,000. The population in the Cyclades has increased from 309,000 to 324,000.

Census in Greece is conducted every ten years

ELSTAT conducts a population-housing census of the Greek population every ten years. This is an activity, which follows uniform standards and methods, undertaken by all European Union Member States every ten years.

The 2021 Greek census began in October 2021 and ended in December 2021. This operation was described as the largest conducted by the State in times of peace.

However, there has been hostility towards the census by a section of the population that resulted in mass resignations of census workers, who were not prepared or able to respond to the situation.

Nikos Mourtzouchos, the Head of the Achaia Statistical Authority explained the situation in the fall of 2021: “People slam the door in the census workers’ faces. Some of these individuals will then call [ELSTAT] offices asking about the census and request to provide them with a way to participate in the census on their own.”