An ominous future

Births in Greece are decreasing at a dramatic rate, life expectancy is rising, the population is aging rapidly and the migration of young people is taking on ever-greater dimensions. As a result, the nation is facing an ominous future.

These, among other dramatic findings, have emerged from a recent study conducted by the National Center for Social Research and a special parliamentary committee on demographics, which estimates that, if the current trends continue, the Greek population in the next 40-odd years will be half its present number.

The report has been submitted to Parliament but has not sparked a public debate among lawmakers on how to tackle the issue. Clearly, politicians seem to prefer focusing their energies on keeping the clientelist state going than addressing this serious problem.