World News for Students of English

15-09-2025 15:00

Greece is facing a severe demographic crisis. Births in 2022 dropped below 77,000, the lowest in nearly a century, while deaths reached 140,000.

As a result, the population is shrinking rapidly and could fall by 25% by 2070, much higher than the European average.

The fertility rate is now just 1.35 children per woman, and women are having their first child at an average age of 32. This decline has forced the closure of more than 750 schools, over 5% of the total, due to a lack of students. The Ministry of Education reports that primary school enrollment has fallen by 19% in the past seven years. Greece created its first Ministry for Demographic Policy in 2023, but solutions remain difficult.

Governments worldwide face similar problems, from Japan and South Korea to much of Europe and the Americas. Low fertility leads to aging societies, labor shortages, and slower economic growth. Experts say the root causes are high living costs, expensive housing, and poor childcare options. Without deep reforms, the crisis will worsen.

Difficult words: fertility rate (an average number of children per woman), enrollment (the number of students registered in schools).

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