Depopulation is caused by low fertility rates and out-migration, and it applies to countries, regions and smaller areas. Rural depopulation is defined as a sharp population decline that falls well below an adequate population size and indicates that an area has lost its demographic reproductive capacity. This paper discusses the socioeconomic and territorial aspects of rural depopulation, attempting to do justice to the spatial dimensions of the phenomenon. Greece exhibits all the symptoms of demographic transition, leading to labour shortages, declining economic productivity, and increasing demands on the health and welfare system. The study on rural depopulation in Greece focuses on the changes and dynamics observed at the municipal and regional levels. A typology has been developed to identify rural communities in Greece. The main source of demographic data for our study is the Greek censuses (1991, 2001, 2011, and 2021). Demographic and socioeconomic trends in Greece are interlinked and show different regional and local dynamics. Rural depopulation is closely related to the study of (international and internal) migration, even though the latter does not provide a permanent solution to depopulation. An empirical analysis has shown that there is a need to revitalise rural areas through socioeconomic improvements, infrastructure investments, and policies that directly impact rural communities.

Most research on the relationship between economic conditions and fertility has shown that fertility has a procyclical relationship with economic growth. We examine this relationship by investigating the implications of the current economic crisis on fertility in Greece. Given the brief time period since the start of the economic crisis in Greece (a potential methodological limitation), we examine the evolution of fertility from 1960 to 2015, using empirical data provided by the Hellenic Statistical Authority and paying special attention to changes during the crisis years. Using these data, age-specific fertility rates by order of birth, total annual fertility rate, and mean age of mothers at childbearing differentiated by birth order are calculated. Our analysis shows that in the 2000s TFR increased as a result of the recuperation of births that were postponed during the late 1980s and the 1990s, and then TFR decreased, especially for first and second order TFR. We attribute the recent fall of TFR to the simultaneous fall of fertility rates of women younger than 30 years. It appears, therefore, that the crisis interrupted the recuperation of births that began in the early 2000s and halted fertility increases among younger ages. Recent changes in fertility are indicative of an accelerated decline of the complete fertility of women born after 1980, mainly because the recession was initiated during a time when the mean age of childbearing was very high (30 years for the first child). These facts do not allow for optimism concerning the reversal of fertility rates of younger generations who are probably going to spend a significant part of their reproductive life under crisis conditions.

A distinctive feature of Greek agriculture is its important position in the economy and society. Depending on the state of the national economy, and especially in times of economic recession, different population groups may consider agriculture as either a “sector of departure” or a “sector of arrival”. In Greece, migrant labour has become a major component of agricultural production and rural development, especially in areas where intensive agricultural systems prevail. The aim of this paper is to critically discuss the contribution of migrant employment to Greek agriculture in recent decades. First, the paper provides an overview of the academic discussion concerning migrants in rural Greece, offering a framework for interpreting migrant employment in Greek agriculture. This is followed by an analytical account of the structural characteristics of the Greek agricultural sector. Next, the focus turns to the changing features of migrant labour in Greek agriculture since the early 1990s. Methodologically, the paper synthesizes secondary data from various sources. The paper concludes with reflections on the prospects for migrant labour in Greek agriculture, particularly in an era of changing migration flows and restricted mobility due to COVID-19.

Little is known about the reproductive behavior of the population in insular Greece because of the lack of reliable and unintermittent time series of vital statistics. By applying methods used in historical demography and by indirectly estimating demographic indexes from census returns we try to overcome data scarcity. Substantial differences were found between the islands and mainland Greece. Differences were also found between different groups of islands, with the North Aegean being more conservative as far as the procreative ethics are concerned. Out of wedlock childbearing is less common in North Aegean islands than in Dodecanese or in the Cyclades.