Brain drain. Declining birth and fertility rates. Low economic mobility. The numbers are staggering: so far in 2024, Greece’s birth rate has been 6.87 births per 1,000 people. That’s less than half the birth rate in Turkey, which is 14.69 per 1,000 people this year. Greece’s population has been declining for over a decade now, with a 3.1% drop in population from 2011 to 2021.
It’s all bad news for Greece and it’s all connected. Due in large part to the economic crisis, population decline in Greece has accelerated at a rapid rate. Meanwhile, Greek-born skilled laborers are taking their education and talents elsewhere in Europe, contributing to a now-famous statistic revealing that between 2010-2022, over one million working age people left the country. That’s over 10% of Greece’s population, which currently wavers at just over 10 million people.
For all the concerns we have about Greece’s economy and the overreliance on tourism, there needs to be a holistic approach of “retraditionalization” for the Greek government and Greek people if we are to stop this radical shift in demographics. Of course, Greece’s economic issues need to be resolved, but the changing values and expectations of Greek society is something seldom referred to in the fight to curb declining population trends. We can’t go on assuming that more wealth will solve all of Greece’s problems. If that were the case, then Japan and South Korea – two nations with over-performing economies – wouldn’t be seeing record-low birth rates.
Instead, we must examine the values that underpin society and ask ourselves how they affect our country. Every year, approximately 35,000 abortions occur in Greece. Our country is in the middle of a serious demographic crisis, yet we’re ending 35,000 pregnancies annually.
This problem is reflective of an issue of values in Greece, more than it being an economic concern. We must examine society’s foundational values and ask ourselves, how are they going to affect the rest of our country? No one is forcing these people to abort their children. Instead, as is the case with a large percentage of abortions, they are choosing to have sex out of wedlock or abort rather than take on the responsibility of raising a child.
No matter how wealthy Greeks become, if they don’t value having children and believe it should be a priority to have them within their lifetime, then they simply won’t do it.
The same question of values applies to those leaving Greece for better economic prospects elsewhere in Europe. We don’t want to condemn them for seeking greater economic opportunities – after all, our grandparents ended up in America for the same reason – but that decision is reflective of valuing wealth over national identity, and preserving the way of life in Greece.
Meanwhile, the Greek government has correctly identified that increasing the population will result in a higher GDP, but instead of focusing on incentivizing Greek citizens to increase the population, they are inviting thousands upon thousands of foreign workers to enter Greece and grow its GDP. It’s a counterintuitive policy that allows foreigners to sustain themselves in the Greek economy while providing no tax benefits and taking their money out of the country at every opportunity.
Population growth is the end goal, but it cannot be accomplished by further accelerating demographic replacement of Greek people. The sole beneficiaries of a rising GDP, when it comes about by an influx of foreign labor, ends up being the immigrants themselves who are undercutting the Greek people’s working class.
This is why we need a holistic solution to a multi-faceted problem. Ultimately, it begins and ends with the values our society shares. Regardless of the policies the government takes, it will always be informed by the values of the people who elect them.
As such, the economic, social and political policies of the Greek government shouldn’t solely reflect modern European values that are trendy right now. Instead, they should reflect our historic values and the beliefs that have guided Greece throughout history.
Whether Greece has a good economy or a bad economy, it’s our country. We have a right and a responsibility to live there and improve Greece, even when it’s not performing well economically.
If we don’t live there, who will?