Urban population growth (annual %) in Greece
Greece: Urban population growth (annual %) was 0.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population growth in Greece, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population growth in Greece stood at 0.4%.
That represents a change of up 43.2% on the previous year and up 195.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Greece peaked at 2.5% in 1967 and was at its lowest, -1.1%, in 2021.
That places Greece 164th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population growth (annual %) in Greece, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.7% | — |
| 1962 | 1.7% | +1.3% |
| 1963 | 1.8% | +0.9% |
| 1964 | 1.9% | +8.7% |
| 1965 | 2.1% | +10.5% |
| 1966 | 2.4% | +14.4% |
| 1967 | 2.5% | +2.1% |
| 1968 | 2.2% | -10.0% |
| 1969 | 1.8% | -19.0% |
| 1970 | 1.5% | -17.9% |
| 1971 | 1.5% | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 1.6% | +8.1% |
| 1973 | 1.4% | -14.2% |
| 1974 | 1.2% | -9.4% |
| 1975 | 1.8% | +42.6% |
| 1976 | 2.3% | +32.1% |
| 1977 | 2.0% | -13.4% |
| 1978 | 1.9% | -3.4% |
| 1979 | 1.8% | -6.2% |
| 1980 | 1.5% | -18.7% |
| 1981 | 1.3% | -11.1% |
| 1982 | 1.0% | -25.2% |
| 1983 | 0.9% | -6.7% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | -12.2% |
| 1985 | 0.7% | -16.7% |
| 1986 | 0.6% | -11.8% |
| 1987 | 0.6% | -2.4% |
| 1988 | 0.6% | +2.5% |
| 1989 | 0.7% | +24.9% |
| 1990 | 1.3% | +71.5% |
| 1991 | 1.4% | +10.7% |
| 1992 | 0.9% | -32.5% |
| 1993 | 0.7% | -21.2% |
| 1994 | 0.6% | -13.8% |
| 1995 | 0.6% | -6.5% |
| 1996 | 0.6% | -4.5% |
| 1997 | 0.6% | +10.3% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | +11.8% |
| 1999 | 0.6% | -21.1% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | +9.7% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | +25.4% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | -7.4% |
| 2003 | 0.7% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | +12.6% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | +12.4% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | -5.2% |
| 2008 | 0.8% | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 0.8% | -6.5% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | -26.6% |
| 2011 | 0.2% | -64.3% |
| 2012 | -0.2% | -214.3% |
| 2013 | -0.4% | +81.0% |
| 2014 | -0.4% | -10.7% |
| 2015 | -0.4% | +2.2% |
| 2016 | -0.2% | -57.3% |
| 2017 | 0.0% | -117.9% |
| 2018 | 0.0% | -94.2% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | +4148.8% |
| 2020 | -0.1% | -187.0% |
| 2021 | -1.1% | +1625.9% |
| 2022 | -1.1% | -4.5% |
| 2023 | -0.0% | -99.3% |
| 2024 | 0.3% | -3864.0% |
| 2025 | 0.4% | +43.2% |
Greece compared with similar countries
- Greece's 0.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.6%, 58% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Greece's 0.4% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.5%, 69% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Urban population growth (annual %) in Greece changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +4148.8% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2024 | +3864.0% | -0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2021 | -1625.9% | -0.1% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | -214.3% | 0.2% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | -187.0% | 0.1% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | +117.9% | -0.2% | 0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.0% | 1.7% | 2.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.7% | 1.2% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.1% | -0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.3% | -1.1% | 0.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Greece
- 161 United Kingdom 0.4% compare
- 162 Lithuania 0.4% compare
- 163 Grenada 0.4% compare
- 165 North Macedonia 0.3% compare
- 166 Barbados 0.3% compare
- 167 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.3% compare
More climate change data for Greece
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 219.81 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 6,235 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,821 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 4,415 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 6.87 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 157.66 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,914 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,538 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 375.62 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 5.8 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Greece?
- Urban population growth in Greece was 0.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Greece?
- The highest recorded value was 2.5% in 1967.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Greece?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.1% in 2021.
- How does Greece rank for urban population growth?
- Greece ranks 164th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Greece?
- Over the last ten years it is up 195.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Greece data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.