Some 766 schools are to close in Greece due to a “collapse in demographics”, as the sinking birth rate has left more than 1 in 20 schools in the country without a minimum of 15 pupils.
Mostly primary schools are impacted by the closures – though closures are spreading across all levels – reflective of the sharp fall in the number of babies being born, though some schools with below the minimum are kept open, often because they cater to children from minorities.
“The data reveal a stark trend: In the 2018-2019 school year, 247 primary schools and 312 kindergartens were non-operational; for 2025-2026, those numbers will rise to 324 and 358, respectively. The remaining suspended schools are from the secondary level, mainly high schools,” Greek media platform Kathimerini reported, adding that
“The demographic problem is terrifying, as we experience it year after year,” said Christos Tsiamalos, a ministry official told the Greek National Herald, adding that while a small number of schools suspended because of lack of pupils did reopen, for most it was “permanent closure”.
“The closures — which amount to more than 5 per cent of schools in the country — extend beyond remote villages and islands, affecting parts of the Attica region which encompasses Athens, where officials warn of a “collapse in demographics”,” the Financial Times reported.
“Classrooms reflect the state of our maternity wards and the number of births, which, unfortunately, has been declining for decades in our country,” said Sofia Zacharaki, Greece’s minister of education and religious affairs told the FT.
Greece has seen a 19% drop in the number of children in primary schools since 2018, with numbers down 111,000 in just 7 years, the Greek ministry of education says.
The fertility rate in the Hellenic Republic has crashed down to 1.35, one of the lowest in Europe where no country now has a total fertility rate of more than 2.1 – seen as a necessary replacement level.
Although Greece introduced a newborn bonus providing €2,400 for a first child and increases of up to €3,500 for four or more children, by 2023 annual deaths were nearly double the number of births. Emigration of younger people of child-bearing and rearing age has been identified as a factor in the crisis.
The country’s aging population is putting strain on its social security and healthcare systems, with additional warnings regarding the expected impact of the demographic crisis on the country’s economy and society.
“For Greece, the closure of hundreds of schools is seen as both a symptom and a stark warning sign of what lies ahead,” the Greek City Times said. It noted the post from X owner Elon Musk who said the school closures marked “The death of Greece”.
“This stark phrasing—“The death of Greece”—is being interpreted by many as a warning not only for Greece but also for other countries facing similar demographic challenges, such as Italy, Spain, and Japan”, the paper said.
