Hellenic Statistical Authority

The public debt reached 354 billion euros at the end of the second quarter of 2021, according to ELSTAT calculations.

Therefore, its upward trend continues, as at the end of the first quarter of 2021 the corresponding amount was 344.1 billion euros, while in the first quarter of 2020 it was 333.842 billion euros.

OECD: Favorable trend until 2060

An article in the German newspaper Handelsblatt mentions the incentives that the Greek government wants to give to small businesses to increase competitiveness.

The newspaper writes: "No other economy in the EU has as many small businesses as Greece. With tax breaks for mergers and acquisitions, the government now wants to change that."

According to ELSTAT, there was a 50+ drop of smokers compared to a decade ago

Greece's consumer price index recorded a 2% decline in January, the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) reported on Monday, against an increase of 0.9% a year earlier.

On a monthly basis the index decreased 1.3% from December 2020.

The European Union-harmonized index recorded a drop of 2.4% year-on-year, compared to 1.1% growth a year earlier.

Greek products have displayed remarkable resilience in international markets, but the pandemic has had a negative effect on Greek fuel exports as both sale prices and quantities exported posted a considerable decline last year.

Retail commerce saw its turnover drop by just 7.9% in November 2020, compared to a year earlier, a decline that appears small given that Greece entered its second lockdown on November 7. However, this is due to the significant increase in sales at supermarkets and other food stores.

All Greek companies, and not just those that were forced to close during the lockdown, suffered losses in revenue reaching almost 35 billion euros in the period from January to September last year, according to the latest data published on Friday by the Hellenic Statistical authority (ELSTAT). 

Greece's unemployment rate stayed put at 16.7% in October 2020, according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), while employment posted a 0.3% annual increase, the figures it issued on Friday showed.

A new decrease, albeit a marginal one, has been recorded in Greece's population which, according to data of the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), will stand at 10,718,565 people (5,215,488 men and 5,503,077 women) as of January 1.

The recovery of construction activity in Greece is continuing, despite the obstacles raised by the coronavirus.

According to Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) figures released last week, the number of new construction permits recorded a year-on-year increase of 28.7% in September, with the square meterage posting growth of 13.6% on an annual basis.