Greece will suspend the operation of 766 schools this academic year, more than 5 per cent of its total, as plummeting birth rates leave classrooms with fewer than 15 pupils across the country.

The closures, highlighted in a recent Financial Times report, extend well beyond remote villages and islands, affecting even parts of Attica. Officials warn that the trend signals nothing short of a “demographic collapse”.

According to data, the number of primary school students has fallen by 111,000 or 19 per cent, in the past seven years. Since the 2010 debt crisis, deaths have consistently outpaced births, while the number of women of childbearing age (20–40) has dropped by half a million. Fertility has sunk to 1.35 children per woman, and first births now typically occur after the age of 32.

“Classrooms reflect the state of our maternity wards and birth numbers, which unfortunately have been in decline for decades,” Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki said.

While schools on some islands and border regions remain open, the impact in rural areas is severe, with some children now travelling up to 80 kilometres daily. Zacharaki insists, however, that “no child will be left without access to education, no matter how remote their home”.

Death of Greece

The closures drew international attention when billionaire Elon Musk reposted a Visegrad24 post citing the FT report, adding the comment: “The death of Greece.”

The death of Greece https://t.co/zZt4Unl7rQ

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 2, 2025

Greek journalist Apostolos Lakasas, who specialises in education, also confirmed that “around 700 schools remain closed each year because they have no students, not only in mountainous villages and islands, but even in major urban centres like Attica.”

Ministry officials described the situation as “Armageddon due to the acute demographic problem.”

Long-term decline

This school year alone, 319 primary schools and 355 kindergartens will not open due to a lack of children, a steep rise from 247 and 312 respectively in 2018–19. Demographers warn that financial incentives alone are unlikely to reverse the trend.

The total student population across primary, secondary and vocational education for 2025–26 is expected to be around 1.21 million, down from 1.36 million in 2018–19.

A social crisis as much as a demographic one

At a recent PASOK event marking the party’s 51st anniversary, former minister Tassos Giannitsis said the issue reflects “a society and political system paralysed by inertia and self-satisfaction,” unable to confront a national threat with wide-ranging consequences.

He linked population ageing directly to broader structural problems, including youth underemployment, low wages, housing shortages, corruption, poor productivity, and the failure to address migration constructively. “Slowly but steadily, we are sliding into conditions that negatively affect all major national developments,” Giannitsis warned.

Demography expert Vyron Kotzamanis added that Greece’s birth-death balance “cannot be positive for the next 50 years” but could be made less negative with targeted policies on health, family support and inequality reduction. Others emphasised the need for a “positive migration balance” by both reintegrating young Greeks who left during the crisis years and responsibly managing new inflows.

Researchers stress that without improvements in work, wages, housing and social support, young people will not be convinced to have children simply “for the good of the homeland”.

As one recent demographic study concluded: “Low fertility in Greece is not merely a demographic problem, but above all a social one. Without meaningful change, the country risks remaining one that either drives its youth abroad or into childlessness.”