Europe is confronting a slow but relentless demographic crisis: its population is aging, and births are steadily declining. People are living longer, but they are having fewer children. In 2023, the average number of children per woman across the European Union fell to a record low of 1.37—well below the 2.1 needed to sustain a stable population. In countries like Malta, Poland, Spain, and Italy, that figure is expected to fall to barely half the replacement rate by 2024, reaching levels once seen only in highly developed Asian societies such as Japan and South Korea.
Greece is no exception. According to the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), the country recorded just 68,467 births in 2024—a 4.2 percent drop from 2023, when 71,455 children were born. This is the lowest figure in decades, confirming a downward trend that began as far back as the 1930s. Greek women are now having children later in life, most commonly between the ages of 30 and 39, while fewer marriages and more civil partnerships reflect a society that is rapidly changing. In the same year, deaths reached 126,916, far exceeding the number of births and underscoring Greece’s accelerating demographic decline.
This rapid aging presents a daunting challenge for Europe as a whole. Fewer young people mean fewer workers, lower productivity, and mounting strain on pension systems as the number of retirees grows and the base of contributors shrinks. European governments have long sought to reverse this trend through policies encouraging family formation—offering better childcare, parental leave, and financial incentives—but the results have been limited. Despite these measures, Europeans continue to have fewer children, constrained by high living costs, economic uncertainty, and difficult working conditions for younger generations.
Against this backdrop, migration has become the only realistic way to keep Europe alive, both demographically and economically. In recent years, migrants have effectively prevented the EU’s population from shrinking. Without them, Europe would already be losing residents at an accelerating pace. The challenge now is not simply to welcome more migrants, but to do so in a way that benefits both the economy and society.
Research from Denmark and the Netherlands suggests that migrants who arrive for work or education make a positive contribution to public finances, while those who come through family reunification or as refugees tend to be more costly to support. Even so, only about one in four residence permits issued in the EU today is linked to employment or study. Denmark, over the past few decades, has significantly increased labor- and education-related migration while reducing other categories. Its experience shows that a smarter, more targeted migration policy can yield substantial social and economic benefits.
Greece, however, is moving in the opposite direction. Between 2011 and 2023, the number of migrants in its labor force fell dramatically by 55 percent—from 375,000 to just 170,000. This decline is already being felt across key sectors of the economy. The country is currently estimated to be short about 70,000 agricultural workers and 80,000 employees in tourism and hospitality, while construction faces similar shortages. Altogether, Greece is missing roughly 200,000 workers.
The situation makes one thing clear: Greece urgently needs a new, structured migration strategy—not only to fill immediate labor shortages but also to secure its long-term demographic survival. Yet the country’s political establishment, much like elsewhere in Europe, still seems reluctant to acknowledge that migration is not merely a social issue but an economic necessity for the future.
