Country records decline in number of primary school students over past 5 years, local media reports

Greece’s demographic crisis is also reflected in the country’s education system, local media reported on Sunday.

According to the latest data, the number of primary school students dropped by 16.5% in the five-year period from 2014 to 2019, public broadcaster ERT reported.

The number of children who went to primary school in the 2019-2020 school year fell to 95,700, from 100,000 in 2018-2019 and 114,600 in 2014-2015, it added.

Meanwhile, the Education Ministry has also suspended the operations of hundreds of kindergartens and primary schools for the 2023-2024 school year due to a lack of students, particularly in the regions of northwestern Epirus, northern Macedonia, and northeastern Thrace.

Future predictions are even more bleak.

“By 2100, the number of students in the first two levels of education is expected to decrease by 32.1% (413,000 fewer students),” the broadcaster said.