Study in Greece

Greece is the cradle of Western civilization, where democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, and Western literature originated.

It comprises a mountainous mainland and more than 6 000 islands and islets, of which only about 227 are inhabited.

The capital, Athens, has been continuously inhabited for over 3 000 years and was the heart of Ancient Greece.

Greek is one of the world’s oldest recorded living languages, with a documented history of over 34 000 years.

Greece’s population was 10.5 million in 2024, with nearly one-third living in the Athens metropolitan area.

The country’s area is 131 957 km², making it the 97th-largest country by area globally.

Tourism accounts for over 20 percent of Greece’s GDP, with nearly 34 million visitors in 2023.

It has 18 UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Acropolis, Delphi, and Meteora monasteries.

The Greek economy is the 51st largest by nominal GDP (~US $233 billion in 2023).

Greece is a founding member of the United Nations (1945), NATO (1952), the EEC/EU (1981), and the eurozone (2001).

It has the longest coastline in the Mediterranean (13 676 km), including islands.

Olive oil production is among the highest worldwide, with over 300 000 tons annually.

Greece has one of the highest shares of renewable energy in its electricity mix in the EU (~40 percent in 2023).

The country’s life expectancy is 82.3 years (2022), above the OECD average.

Greek cuisine—moussaka, souvlaki, feta, and olive oil—was inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2013.