Athens, September 3, 2025 – Greece is grappling with an escalating demographic crisis, leading to the closure of 721 schools for the 2025–2026 academic year due to insufficient student enrollment, according to data from the Greek Education Ministry. This marks a significant consequence of the country’s low fertility rates, aging population, and mass emigration of young people, which have collectively driven a dramatic decline in the school-age population. The closures, primarily affecting kindergartens and primary schools, highlight the broader challenges facing Greece as it confronts what officials have described as a “terrifying” demographic collapse.
School Closures Reflect Plummeting Enrollment
For the 2025–2026 academic year, 721 out of Greece’s 13,478 schools will suspend operations, with 358 kindergartens and 324 primary schools accounting for the majority, as reported by Kathimerini. The closures stem from a failure to meet the minimum enrollment threshold of 15 students required to keep a school operational. If a school falls below this threshold for three consecutive years, it faces permanent closure. The student population is projected to drop to approximately 1.21 million this year, a decline of over 150,000 since 2018–2019, underscoring the severity of the crisis.
The impact is particularly acute in rural areas and islands, where some students now face daily commutes of up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) to attend the nearest operational school. Education Ministry officials have labeled the situation an “Armageddon” for Greece’s education system, with the closures exacerbating logistical challenges for families in remote regions.
Low Fertility Rates and Aging Population
Greece’s demographic crisis is driven by one of the lowest fertility rates in the European Union, averaging around 1.3 births per woman, well below the replacement level of 2.1 needed to sustain a population without immigration. In 2023, Greece recorded only 72,300 births, roughly half the annual average seen in the 1950s and 1960s, and the lowest in nearly a century. Preliminary data for 2024 indicate a further decline, with 62,624 births against 125,423 deaths, resulting in a negative natural population balance.
The country’s population is also aging rapidly, with nearly 23% of its 10.4 million residents now over the age of 65, outnumbering children aged 0–14 by almost one million. This shift, coupled with a shrinking cohort of women of childbearing age—down by 150,000 over the past five years—has created a “double challenge,” as younger generations either emigrate or delay parenthood due to economic and social pressures.
Emigration and Economic Fallout
The demographic decline accelerated after the 2011 financial crisis, which triggered significant emigration, particularly among young Greeks seeking better career opportunities abroad. Over the past 13 years, Greece’s population has decreased by more than 400,000, dropping from 11.23 million in 2005 to an estimated 10.41 million in 2025, according to Eurostat. The crisis, combined with structural issues like high housing costs, limited job prospects, and economic instability, has discouraged family formation, further depressing birth rates.
Emigration has particularly impacted the working-age population, with an estimated 9% of the workforce—over 400,000 people—leaving the country between 2011 and 2024. Many have relocated to urban centers like Athens and Thessaloniki, which now house 53.5% of the population, leaving rural areas and islands depopulated. “Empty villages” with only elderly residents are increasingly common, especially in regions like Chios and the Peloponnese, where abandoned schools and derelict houses serve as stark reminders of the crisis.
Economic and Social Implications
The demographic shift poses severe challenges to Greece’s economy and social systems. A shrinking working-age population is putting pressure on the pension system and healthcare services, as fewer workers are available to support a growing elderly population. Economists warn that without intervention, Greece’s workforce could decline by 50% by 2100, potentially reducing economic output by 31%. The dependency ratio—the proportion of non-working to working-age individuals—is rising, threatening long-term economic stability.
The education sector is also bracing for further strain, with universities anticipating enrollment shortages starting in 2026 as fewer students, born during the low-birth years of 2009–2010, enter higher education. First-grade enrollment has already plummeted from 115,000 in 2010 to an expected 71,181 in 2025, a decline of 45,000 students in 15 years. This trend has prompted calls for comprehensive reforms to prevent institutional collapse.
Government Response and Policy Challenges
In response to the crisis, the Greek government has introduced measures to boost birth rates, including a €1 billion annual investment in pro-child policies such as tax relief, daycare vouchers, minimum wage increases, pension boosts, and social contribution reductions. In October 2024, the National Demographic Action Plan was unveiled, outlining €20 billion in spending through 2035 on cash benefits, affordable housing, and incentives for assisted reproduction. However, experts caution that financial incentives alone are insufficient, pointing to countries like South Korea, where similar measures have failed to reverse a fertility rate of 0.75.
Demographers and policymakers advocate for broader systemic changes, including addressing economic insecurity, improving career prospects, and fostering a cultural shift toward family formation. Successful models, such as Israel’s sustained fertility rate above replacement level, emphasize long-term, multidisciplinary policies that combine economic support with cultural reinforcement of family values. In Greece, fragmented and short-term policies have so far yielded limited results, with researchers stressing the need for a comprehensive, decades-long strategy.
Broader Context and Future Outlook
Greece is not alone in facing demographic challenges. Countries like Japan, South Korea, and other EU nations, such as Malta (1.06 births per woman) and Spain (1.12), are also grappling with low fertility and aging populations. However, Greece’s crisis is particularly acute due to its economic vulnerabilities and high emigration rates. Projections suggest that by 2070, Greece’s population could shrink by 25%, far exceeding the EU average of 4%, potentially transforming the country’s social and economic fabric.
The closure of over 700 schools is a visible manifestation of this crisis, signaling deeper structural challenges that threaten Greece’s future. As Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called the demographic decline a “national threat,” the government faces mounting pressure to implement effective policies to reverse the trend. Without significant intervention, Greece risks further depopulation, economic stagnation, and a diminished capacity to sustain its education and social systems.
