Population Of Greece

Population Of Greece

Greece has been inhabited since the Paleolithic Period, initially by pre – Hellenic peoples, such as the Pelasgians, but Greek culture and language eventually dominated the region. During the Byzantine Period, a number of foreign peoples invaded the area, including Goths, Normans and Franks, but the only ones planning to establish settlements there were the Slavs. Although they founded isolated settlements in the Peloponnese and Thessaly, Slavs were eventually assimilated by the Greeks. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire to Ottomans, Ottoman colonies were established in the Greek peninsula. During the early 20th century and after Greece had already been liberated, a number of Greek population transfers were done from Bulgaria and Turkey.

According to the 2001 census, the population of Greece was 10,964,020, while the 2011 census revealed a slight drop, with a population of 10,815,197. The majority of the Greek population lives in Central Greece, while the second largest region in terms of population is Macedonia, followed by Peloponnese. The phenomenon of the aging of Europe is also evident in the Greek population; in 2001, people over 65 years old amount to 16.7 per cent of the total population, while in 2011 they reached 19 per cent. The population of Greece also consists of ethnic groups other than Greeks, as the country receives a large number of immigrants from neighbouring countries each year. The largest ethnic group other than Greeks is Albanians at over 4 per cent of total population, followed by Bulgarians, Romanians and other groups at less than 1 per cent each.