Schools with very few, if any, students, deserted villages, and a constantly aging population: this is the landscape of many regions in Greece. The decline in birth rates is no longer an abstract demographic concept, but a visible reality that is transforming the country. According to the 2021 census, the largest population decrease is recorded in the region of Western Macedonia — which includes Kozani, Florina, Kastoria, and Grevena — with a decline exceeding 10%.
Index IA: Library of Mediterranean Knowledge
In northern Greece, youth facing demographic decline
22-med – March 2026
• In northern Greece, the decline in birth rates translates into closing schools, emptying villages, and an aging population.
• Due to a lack of jobs, services, and prospects, many young people postpone settling down, returning home, or starting a family.
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In the northern regions of Greece, particularly affected by the decline in birth rates and the aging population, demographic dynamics take on a very concrete dimension. Beyond statistics, it manifests in life paths and daily choices. Due to a lack of professional opportunities, the remoteness of services, and persistent economic uncertainty, many young people hesitate to settle down, return, or start a family. In these territories, these individual choices accumulate and are already reshaping local balances, with schools closing, villages emptying, and an aging population.
Grevena: a contracting region
“We are a department of elderly people. In 2025, there were 444 deaths and only 29 births recorded. It should be noted that births are not fully representative, as many women choose to give birth in larger cities, but the gap is not very significant,” explains the president of the Association of Large Families of Grevena, Father Thomas Gakis.
According to him, the determining factor for the population decline in his region is the lack of job opportunities, which pushes young people to migrate to larger urban centers or abroad. “If conditions are not created to work in the primary sector, particularly in agriculture and livestock, for young people to return, Grevena will have no future. I speak with many people in the region: the salary is not enough for the whole month. That’s why many young people who stay hesitate to marry,” he says.
He officiates in several villages in the department and, as he points out, the situation there is concerning. “There are villages with ten permanent residents, all elderly. In a few years, in the very near future, these villages will disappear from the map.”
Life with six children
Despite this pessimistic demographic landscape, some large families have chosen to settle in Grevena and raise their children there. Eleni Karagianni, 35, mother of six, left Thessaloniki eight years ago to settle there in search of a better quality of life.
Daily life, as she describes it, is full of contradictions: the pace of life is slower and more conducive to raising children, but learning and activity opportunities remain limited.
“For the children to go to the pool, we have to take them to Ptolemaida, traveling 72 kilometers. At first, we did it, but today it is no longer easy to manage such distances with so many obligations.”
Another problem is finding suitable housing. As she points out, the city of Grevena has invested heavily in studios, complicating life for large families. She and her husband eventually found a house two kilometers from the city.
Despite the difficulties, she emphasizes the importance of community. “Motherhood is difficult without a community, and that’s why I feel grateful to the people who welcomed and supported us.”
The issue of declining birth rates in the region concerns her, which prompted her to run for election to the Association of Large Families of Grevena. The elections took place a few days ago, and Eleni was elected.
“I decided to run because I deeply believe that new faces need to get involved, people who have minor children. My husband and I want to advocate for things and attract other families here. Schools are closing one after another in the region. Today, at primary school No. 6 in Grevena, there are only seven students in the first grade. In the villages, the situation is even worse. There are children who come to school every day by taxi, traveling a distance of 30 kilometers.”
“Greece will become a country of elderly people, I understand that”
This situation is not limited to Grevena but is found in other regions of northern Greece. In Serres, the municipal data for 2024 illustrate the demographic pressure, with 321 births against 917 deaths, and a continuous decline in births. This trend is even more pronounced in certain areas. In municipalities like Nea Zichni, the population decline reaches up to 33%.
Fotini Lioumpa, 30, is one of the young people who chose to leave Serres in search of better job opportunities. She moved to Athens five years ago and now works as a lawyer in a large firm. According to her, Athens offers better income, but the long daily commutes significantly reduce her quality of life.
“My partner and I are considering emigrating to find something better. In recent months, we have been looking for jobs in Germany. For now, the idea of starting a family doesn’t cross my mind at all. Who will take care of the child? It would take a full salary just for the person who will take care of them while we work. At the same time, we have to pay high rent, how will we manage?”, she wonders.
The decline in birth rates makes her sad, but she fully understands the choice of many young people not to have children in a context of economic pressure and professional uncertainty. “I cannot blame someone for not having children. It takes a supportive environment, both familial and state, to raise a child. Unfortunately, Greece will soon become a country of elderly people. That saddens me, but I completely understand it,” she concludes.
Despite the many discussions and analyses on the demographic issue in Greece in recent years, the public debate often takes place without the participation of those most affected: the youth. Whether they will have children, and when, is not an abstract equation, but a deeply personal decision shaped by the conditions of their daily lives. Without their voice, no discussion about demographics can be complete…
