Data at glance of Greece - average on period

History

Greece won independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830 and became a kingdom. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and other anti-communist and communist rebels. The communists were defeated in 1949, and Greece joined NATO in 1952. In 1967, a military coup forced the king to flee the country. The ensuing military dictatorship collapsed in 1974, and Greece abolished the monarchy to become a parliamentary republic. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in 2001. From 2009 until 2019, Greece suffered a severe economic crisis due to nearly a decade of chronic overspending and structural rigidities. Beginning in 2010, Greece entered three bailout agreements -- the first two with the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and the IMF; and the third in 2015 with the European Stability Mechanism -- worth in total about $300 billion. The Greek Government formally exited the third bailout in 2018, and Greece's economy has since improved significantly. In 2022, the country finalized its early repayment to the IMF and graduated on schedule from the EU's enhanced surveillance framework.

Environment

Area: 131,957 km2

Climate: temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

Natural resources: lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential

Ethnic characteristics

Groups: Greek 91.6%, Albanian 4.4%, other 4% (2011 est.)note: data represent citizenship; Greece does not collect data on ethnicity

Languages: Greek (official) 99%, other (includes English and French) 1%major-language sample(s): Το Παγκόσμιο Βιβλίο Δεδομένων, η απαραίτητη πηγή βασικών πληροφοριών. (Greek)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions: Greek Orthodox 81-90%, Muslim 2%, other 3%, none 4-15%, unspecified 1% (2015 est.)

Government

Capital: Athens

Government type: parliamentary republic

Executive branch

Chief of state: President Konstantinos TASOULAS (since 13 March 2025)

Head of government: Prime Minister Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS (since 26 June 2023)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime ministerelection/appointment process: president elected by Hellenic Parliament for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); president appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party or coalition in the Hellenic Parliamentmost recent election date: 12 February 2025election results: 2025: Konstantinos TASOULAS (ND) elected president by Parliament - 160 of 300 votes2020: Katerina SAKELLAROPOULOU (independent) elected president by Parliament - 261 of 300 votesexpected date of next election: 2030

Legislative branch

Description: legislature name: Hellenic Parliament (Vouli Ton Ellinon)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 300 (all directly elected)electoral system: proportional representationscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 4 yearsmost recent election date: 6/25/2023parties elected and seats per party: New Democracy (ND) (158); Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) (47); Panhellenic Socialist Movement - Movement for Change (PASOK-KINAL) (32); Communist Party (KKE) (21); Other (42)percentage of women in chamber: 22.9%expected date of next election: June 2027note: only parties surpassing a 3% vote threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats; parties need 10 seats to become formal parliamentary groups but can retain that status if the party participated in the last election and received the minimum 3% threshold