Greece’s population has been “steadily and consistently” declining in recent decades and the country’s low birth rate is the biggest challenge that Greece will face in the future, according to delegates at the 15th Panhellenic Conference of Small Islands held on October 4-6 on the island of Milos.
They noted that both the issue and its causes are known, that the scientific community has sounded the alarm and is citing ominous figures about the future, while the State is planning policies to deal with the demographic problem.
The conference brought together representatives of the government, the European Parliament, local government, as well as organisations involved in education and innovation, to exchange views on critical issues, such as transport on small islands, the green transition for coastal shipping, water scarcity, energy autonomy, the environment and society.
An interesting section of the conference was devoted to the low birth rate that “besets small communities” and its effects on small islands in particular.
In 2022 Greece recorded the lowest number of births
The phenomenon of low birth rates in Greece, as well as the ageing of the population, is a fact that has played out incessantly for the last 35-40 years. In 2022, Greece had the lowest number of births in 92 years, said gynaecologist/obstetric surgeon Dr Nikolaos Zygouropoulos, ARSOG, AFRSH, MBA (INSEAD), MChem (Oxford University), academic fellow and assistant professor at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila”.
Greece, he added, has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe, noting that some villages have not recorded a single birth for years. He added that to ensure the continuity of a nation/country/region, the fertility rate should always be maintained above 2.1 children per woman.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
