Greece
Destination country · migration, permits and visas
- First residence permits, 2025 (Eurostat)
- 69,105
- Schengen visa refusal rate, 2024
- 13.1%
DestinationGR2023–2025
Data as at 2025
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Foreign nationals living in Greece
Stock of foreign nationals by nationality (latest year reported) and acquisitions of Greece's nationality (OECD).
Acquisitions of nationality by year
Data table
| 2007 | 8,353 |
| 2008 | 14,188 |
| 2009 | 16,888 |
| 2010 | 9,319 |
| 2011 | 17,433 |
| 2012 | 20,159 |
| 2013 | 29,187 |
| 2014 | 20,885 |
| 2015 | 12,815 |
| 2016 | 32,774 |
| 2017 | 34,273 |
| 2018 | 27,829 |
| 2019 | 16,312 |
| 2020 | 13,251 |
| 2021 | 10,105 |
| 2022 | 12,107 |
| 2023 | 13,308 |
Source: OECD, International Migration Database (OECD.ELS.IMD), accessed 24 Oct 2026Data as at 2023
International migrants
People living in Greece who were born in another country, or who hold foreign citizenship where country of birth is not recorded: mid-year estimates (UN DESA).
International migrants by year
Data table
| 1990 | 618,139 |
| 1995 | 857,850 |
| 2000 | 1,111,665 |
| 2005 | 1,190,707 |
| 2010 | 1,321,149 |
| 2015 | 1,242,924 |
| 2020 | 1,340,456 |
| 2024 | 1,423,964 |
- International migrants, 2024
- 1,423,964
- Share of the population, 2024
- 14.2%
- Counted by
- country of birth
Source: United Nations, DESA Population Division, International Migrant Stock 2024 (CC BY 3.0 IGO)Data as at 2024
Migrants in the labour market
Labour force survey results for Greece: residents aged 15 and over who were born abroad, compared with those born in the country (ILOSTAT).
| Indicator | Born in the country | Born abroad |
|---|---|---|
| Employment-to-population ratio, 2025 | 47.5% | 58.0% |
| Unemployment rate, 2025 | 8.5% | 12.0% |
- Born abroad: share of all workers, 2025
- 8.6%
- Born abroad: share of high-skill jobs, 2025
- 3.4%
- Born abroad: share of medium-skill jobs, 2025
- 8.7%
- Born abroad: share of elementary jobs, 2025
- 32.3%
Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT (CC BY 4.0)Data as at 2025
Earnings by occupation
Mean gross annual earnings of employees in Greece by major occupation group, in enterprises with 10 or more employees (Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022).
| Occupation group | Mean annual earnings, EUR | Index, all occupations = 100 |
|---|---|---|
| All occupations | 24,513 | 100 |
| Managers | 58,807 | 240 |
| Professionals | 30,221 | 123 |
| Technicians and associate professionals | 27,170 | 111 |
| Clerical support workers | 24,048 | 98 |
| Service and sales workers | 19,153 | 78 |
| Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers | 19,297 | 79 |
| Craft and related trades workers | 23,912 | 98 |
| Plant and machine operators and assemblers | 23,208 | 95 |
| Elementary occupations | 18,094 | 74 |
- Mean gross annual earnings, all employees, 2022
- 24,513 EUR
- Women's mean earnings as a share of men's, 2022
- 83.0%
Source: Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022 (CC BY 4.0)Data as at 2022
Residence permits
First residence permits issued by Greece to non-EU citizens (Eurostat).
First permits by year
Data table
| 2008 | 40,101 |
| 2009 | 45,043 |
| 2010 | 33,580 |
| 2011 | 21,248 |
| 2012 | 16,230 |
| 2013 | 18,272 |
| 2014 | 22,445 |
| 2015 | 37,455 |
| 2016 | 44,063 |
| 2017 | 29,985 |
| 2018 | 35,559 |
| 2019 | 42,337 |
| 2020 | 19,806 |
| 2021 | 47,136 |
| 2022 | 58,652 |
| 2023 | 70,804 |
| 2024 | 86,887 |
| 2025 | 69,105 |
- Other reasons37,569
- Family18,682
- Work12,046
- Education808
- Afghanistan14,571
- Albania10,177
- China6,081
- Türkiye5,225
- Syria3,671
- Philippines3,340
- India2,362
- Pakistan2,205
- Egypt1,871
- Sudan1,630
- Iran1,303
- Palestine1,204
- Georgia1,049
- United States1,045
- Iraq938
- Other paid activities11,848
- EU Blue Card133
- Researchers65
- Valid residence permits, 31 Dec 2025
- 711,202
- Long-term residence permits issued, 2025
- 17,167
- Changed status into work, 2025
- 4,938
- Intra-corporate transferee permits, 2025
- 89
- Seasonal work authorisations, 2024
- 15,206
Schengen visas issued by Greece
Short-stay visa applications at Greece's consulates worldwide.
Applications by year
Data table
| 2009 | 616,181 |
| 2010 | 620,270 |
| 2011 | 770,145 |
| 2012 | 1,001,341 |
| 2013 | 1,531,384 |
| 2014 | 1,375,287 |
| 2015 | 876,786 |
| 2016 | 986,032 |
| 2017 | 1,029,564 |
| 2018 | 855,285 |
| 2019 | 880,892 |
| 2020 | 111,870 |
| 2021 | 295,634 |
| 2022 | 459,139 |
| 2023 | 627,008 |
| 2024 | 710,024 |
| Country of the consulate | Applications 2024 | Refusal rate |
|---|---|---|
| Türkiye | 296,377 | 10.6% |
| Russia | 69,690 | 12.5% |
| China | 43,702 | 7.0% |
| India | 41,418 | 31.3% |
| United Kingdom | 34,126 | 10.3% |
| Saudi Arabia | 25,975 | 9.3% |
| Armenia | 25,372 | 13.4% |
| Philippines | 20,099 | 4.1% |
| United Arab Emirates | 17,974 | 17.0% |
| Egypt | 17,031 | 31.1% |
| Lebanon | 15,814 | 13.4% |
| South Africa | 12,655 | 2.9% |
| Kazakhstan | 10,320 | 1.4% |
| United States | 7,019 | 0.9% |
| Libya | 6,907 | 20.6% |
Greece's embassies and consulates abroad
Countries in which Greece has an embassy or consulate, as recorded in Wikidata.
| Country | Embassies | Consulates-general | Consulates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | 1 | — | — |
| Algeria | 1 | — | — |
| Argentina | 1 | — | — |
| Armenia | 1 | — | — |
| Australia | 1 | — | — |
| Austria | 1 | — | — |
| Azerbaijan | 1 | — | — |
| Belgium | 1 | — | — |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 | — | — |
| Brazil | 1 | — | — |
| Bulgaria | 1 | — | — |
| Canada | 1 | — | — |
| Chile | 1 | — | — |
| China | 1 | — | — |
| Croatia | 1 | — | — |
| Cuba | 1 | — | — |
| Cyprus | 1 | — | — |
| Czechia | 1 | — | — |
| DR Congo | 1 | — | — |
| Egypt | 1 | 1 | — |
| Estonia | 1 | — | — |
| Ethiopia | 1 | — | — |
| Finland | 1 | — | — |
| France | 1 | 1 | — |
| Georgia | 1 | — | — |
| Germany | 1 | — | — |
| Hungary | 1 | — | — |
| India | 1 | — | — |
| Indonesia | 1 | — | — |
| Iran | 1 | — | — |
| Iraq | 1 | — | — |
| Ireland | 1 | — | — |
| Israel | 1 | — | — |
| Italy | 2 | — | — |
| Japan | 1 | — | — |
| Jordan | 1 | — | — |
| Kazakhstan | 1 | — | — |
| Kenya | 1 | — | — |
| Kuwait | 1 | — | — |
| Latvia | 1 | — | — |
| Lebanon | 1 | — | — |
| Libya | 1 | — | — |
| Lithuania | 1 | — | — |
| Luxembourg | 1 | — | — |
| Malta | 1 | — | — |
| Mexico | 1 | — | — |
| Montenegro | 1 | — | — |
| Morocco | 1 | — | — |
| Nigeria | 1 | — | — |
| North Macedonia | 1 | — | 1 |
| Norway | 1 | — | — |
| Pakistan | 1 | — | — |
| Palestine | — | 1 | — |
| Peru | 1 | — | — |
| Philippines | 1 | — | — |
| Poland | 1 | — | — |
| Portugal | 1 | — | — |
| Qatar | 1 | — | — |
| Romania | 1 | — | — |
| Russia | 1 | — | — |
| Saudi Arabia | 1 | — | — |
| Senegal | 1 | — | — |
| Serbia | 1 | — | — |
| Singapore | 1 | — | — |
| Slovakia | 1 | — | — |
| Slovenia | 1 | — | — |
| South Africa | 1 | — | — |
| South Korea | 1 | — | — |
| Spain | 1 | — | — |
| Sweden | 1 | — | — |
| Switzerland | 1 | — | — |
| Syria | 1 | — | — |
| Thailand | 1 | — | — |
| Tunisia | 1 | — | — |
| Türkiye | 1 | 2 | — |
| Ukraine | 1 | — | — |
| United Arab Emirates | 1 | — | — |
| United Kingdom | 1 | — | — |
| United States | 1 | 1 | — |
| Uruguay | 1 | — | — |
| Venezuela | 1 | — | — |
| Vietnam | 1 | — | — |
| Zimbabwe | 1 | — | — |
- Countries
- 83
- Missions
- 90
Source: Wikidata (CC0)Data as at Oct 2026
Remittances sent abroad
Personal remittances paid from Greece to other countries, in current US dollars (World Bank).
Remittances paid by year, US$ million
Data table
| 2000 | 545 |
| 2001 | 536 |
| 2002 | 412 |
| 2003 | 379 |
| 2004 | 497 |
| 2005 | 902 |
| 2006 | 982 |
| 2007 | 1,459 |
| 2008 | 1,912 |
| 2009 | 1,844 |
| 2010 | 1,932 |
| 2011 | 1,942 |
| 2012 | 1,437 |
| 2013 | 1,291 |
| 2014 | 1,424 |
| 2015 | 1,870 |
| 2016 | 1,800 |
| 2017 | 2,083 |
| 2018 | 2,287 |
| 2019 | 2,666 |
| 2020 | 2,725 |
| 2021 | 2,938 |
| 2022 | 2,937 |
| 2023 | 2,983 |
| 2024 | 3,166 |
| 2025 | 3,449 |
- Remittances paid, 2025
- US$3,449 million
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)Data as at 2025
Corridors into Greece
Nationalities with a dedicated corridor page.
- Türkiye → Greece
- Afghanistan → Greece
- Albania → Greece
- Russia → Greece
- China → Greece
- India → Greece
- Syria → Greece
- United Kingdom → Greece
- Philippines → Greece
- Saudi Arabia → Greece
- Armenia → Greece
- Pakistan → Greece
- Egypt → Greece
- United Arab Emirates → Greece
- Sudan → Greece
- Lebanon → Greece
- Iran → Greece
- South Africa → Greece
- Palestine → Greece
- Georgia → Greece
- United States → Greece
- Kazakhstan → Greece
- Iraq → Greece
- Eritrea → Greece
- Vietnam → Greece
- Libya → Greece
- Ukraine → Greece
- Yemen → Greece
- DR Congo → Greece
- Somalia → Greece
- Israel → Greece
- Kuwait → Greece
- Nepal → Greece
Source: OECD, International Migration Database (OECD.ELS.IMD), accessed 24 Oct 2026Data as at 2023
Official data, not advice. Visa Atlas publishes figures from government registers and statistics. It does not assess eligibility or give immigration advice; for advice, consult a regulated adviser. Read more