Greece is projected to record fewer than 1.4 million births between 2027 and 2046, down from 1.8 million in the previous two decades, Tovima newspaper reported on Monday, citing demographic research.
The projection assumes no positive net migration and reflects declining fertility alongside a shrinking population of women of childbearing age.
The study was conducted by Byron Kotzamanis, a demography professor at the University of Thessaly and director of the Institute of Demographic Research and Studies.
Annual births are expected to total around 65,000 in 2026, compared with an average of approximately 150,000 between 1951 and 1980, according to the research.
Fewer than 700,000 births are projected between 2021 and 2030, compared with 920,000 in the previous decade, representing a decline of roughly 25%.
Women born in 1930 had an average of nearly 2.3 children, compared with fewer than 1.5 among those born in 1985, the study found.
Kotzamanis attributed part of Greece's fertility gap with Western and Northern European countries to differences in family support, gender equality and conditions for balancing employment with parenthood.
Despite a possible slowdown in some demographic pressures, births are expected to continue declining, according to the research.
Kotzamanis warned that the demographic outlook beyond 2046 could worsen as smaller generations reach childbearing age.
He noted that births fell by 45% between 2009 and 2026, reducing the size of future generations of potential parents.
