Greece’s population expected to drop to 8 million by 2050

According to a new report, Greece's population is in rapid decline and expected to drop from a current 10.4 million down to 8 million by 2050.

Dr. Stefanos Chandakas, an obstetrician and gynecologist, and founder and CEO of HOPEgenesis, a Greek non-profit organisation, addressed the issue of low birth rates in Greece at an event held at the American College of Greece in Athens and said that the year 2017 saw 88,553 births and 124,501 deaths in the country.

Chandakas also warned that "Greece's population is expected to reach 8 million people by 2050, based on conservative estimates."

The current population of Greece is 10,451,862 people, according to the latest United Nations data.

The doctor emphasised that Greece still ranks low in adopting supportive maternity, family and fertility policies, and stressed that the main objective should be creating a favorable environment to support young couples of childbearing age.

Greece's fertility rate total, which indicates the number of children each woman bears at reproductive age, rose from 1.31 in 2004 to 1.5 in 2008-2009 and dropped again, to 1.35, in 2017.

The average age of Greek women giving birth for the first time has also risen significantly, from 28.8 years of age in 2008 to 30.3 years of age in 2016. Other statistics showed some 36 percent of Greece's population will be over 65 years old by 2050, up from 6 percent in the 1970s and 18-20 percent of the current population total.