Greece could see a dramatic fall in population, as an international organization claims the country’s life expectancy is on the wane.
OECD data suggest after 2014 there was a fall in Greek life expectancy to 81.1 years compared to an EU22 average of 82.6.
As other estimates put EU countries’ average life expectancy rising to 84 in the next 12 years, the Greek population could be headed for a 0.3-percent fall to nine million by 2050.
However, previous OECD findings revealed Greek women lived longer than men with life expectancy for females at 84 years, compared to 79 for men.
With 23.5 percent unemployment and dramatic falls in public health spending, it is thought Greeks are unable to save or afford private healthcare in the future, leading to higher mortality rates among the less well-off.
With a significant section of the population being over 65, this could see a fall in overall populations from 11 million currently to nine million in the medium-term future.
Lat November, Professor of Demography of the University of Thessaly, Vyronas Kotzamanis also predicted a decline in the population in the coming decades with the population in Greece will ranging between 10.4 million and 9.5 million people after 35 years.
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