Hundreds of Greek Schools Close
Sharp Decline in Birth Rate Follows Economic Crisis
More than 700 schools in Greece will cease operations this year. This is due to a declining number of students as a result of falling birth rates.
According to Yonhap News, citing the Financial Times (FT) on September 2, out of 14,857 schools in Greece, 766 are being closed for the new semester this year because they failed to meet the minimum requirement of 15 students necessary for school operation.
Most of the schools being closed are elementary schools. According to the Greek Ministry of Education, the number of elementary school students in Greece has decreased by more than 111,000 (19%) over seven years since 2018. Pixabay
Most of the schools being closed are elementary schools. According to the Greek Ministry of Education, the number of elementary school students in Greece has decreased by more than 111,000 (19%) over the past seven years since 2018. Although closed schools may reopen if student numbers recover within three years, the FT predicted that this would be difficult in most cases.
The main cause of this large-scale school closure in Greece is considered to be the economic crisis experienced in the 2010s. After the global financial crisis in 2008, Greece faced a national bankruptcy crisis due to a fiscal crisis at the end of 2009. As a result, starting in 2010, Greece requested emergency financial assistance from the European Union (EU), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and others, entering an eight-year period of bailout programs.
Elementary school students in Greece on their way to school for the new semester in 2023. Photo by EPA Yonhap News.
Since 2011, the number of deaths has surpassed the number of births, leading to a population decline. The number of women of childbearing age has also decreased, with the 2021 census showing that the number of women in their 20s to 40s, the main childbearing age group, dropped by 500,000 (31%) compared to 2001.
The number of births in Greece fell to the 80,000 range in 2022. The average age at first childbirth for Greek women is currently 32, and out-of-wedlock births are extremely rare. Last year, the total fertility rate was 1.26, which is among the lowest in Europe.
Experts have warned that Greece could be on the path to a "population collapse." According to the FT, experts pointed out that even advanced countries with robust welfare systems, such as Denmark, are struggling to raise birth rates, making it unlikely that Greece will be able to reverse the situation easily.
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