Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Greece
Greece: Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 3.27 million people in 2020. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Greece, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Greece is 3.27 million people, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Greece peaked at 3.38 million people in 2010 and was at its lowest, 1.79 million people, in 1950.
Greece ranks 70th of 182 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Greece, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.79 million people | — |
| 1955 | 2.01 million people | +12.2% |
| 1960 | 2.25 million people | +12.2% |
| 1965 | 2.46 million people | +9.2% |
| 1970 | 2.76 million people | +12.2% |
| 1975 | 3.00 million people | +8.8% |
| 1980 | 3.30 million people | +9.9% |
| 1985 | 3.32 million people | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 3.26 million people | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 3.26 million people | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 3.30 million people | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 3.33 million people | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 3.38 million people | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 3.33 million people | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 3.27 million people | -1.8% |
Greece compared with similar countries
- Greece's 3.27 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.35 million people, 2.4× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Greece's 3.27 million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.14 million people, 2.9× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.90 million people | 1.79 million people | 2.01 million people | 2 |
| 1960s | 2.36 million people | 2.25 million people | 2.46 million people | 2 |
| 1970s | 2.88 million people | 2.76 million people | 3.00 million people | 2 |
| 1980s | 3.31 million people | 3.30 million people | 3.32 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 3.26 million people | 3.26 million people | 3.26 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.32 million people | 3.30 million people | 3.33 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 3.36 million people | 3.33 million people | 3.38 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 3.27 million people | 3.27 million people | 3.27 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Greece
- 67 Mali 3.65 million people compare
- 68 Uzbekistan 3.65 million people compare
- 69 Madagascar 3.52 million people compare
- 71 Nepal 3.08 million people compare
- 72 Zambia 2.99 million people compare
- 73 Mozambique 2.93 million people compare
More reference data data for Greece
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4067 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2183 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.7298 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.19 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Greece?
- Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Greece was 3.27 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Greece?
- The highest recorded value was 3.38 million people in 2010.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Greece?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.79 million people in 1950.
- How does Greece rank for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- Greece ranks 70th out of 182 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Greece?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Greece data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.