History of Greece in Timeline

Greece, or the Hellenic Republic, is a nation in southeastern Europe situated on the Balkan peninsula's southern tip. It is bordered by Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Turkey. Its maritime boundaries include the Aegean Sea to the east, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Mediterranean and Cretan Seas to the south. Possessing the longest Mediterranean coastline, Greece encompasses numerous islands and nine distinct geographic regions. With a population exceeding 10 million, Athens serves as its capital and largest city, followed by Thessaloniki and Patras.

1900: Jewish Population in Thessaloniki

By 1900, the Sephardi Jewish community in Thessaloniki numbered around 80,000, representing more than half of the city's population.

1900: Fertility Rate High

In 1900, the fertility rate in Greece reached a high of 5.5 children per woman.

1900: Opening of the National Theatre of Greece

The National Theatre of Greece was opened in 1900 as Royal Theatre.

1907: First Cine-Theatre Opens

The first cine-theatre in Greece was opened in Athens in 1907.

1908: End of Macedonian Struggle

In 1908, the Macedonian Struggle ended with the Young Turk Revolution.

1909: Military Coup

In 1909, military officers organised a coup in Greece due to dissatisfaction with national aspirations.

1910: Venizelos Becomes Prime Minister

In 1910, Eleftherios Venizelos became prime minister of Greece after winning two elections.

1912: Balkan Wars

In 1912, the Balkan Wars began, during which the Kingdom of Greece pursued gradual territorial expansion.

1913: Territorial Expansion

By 1913, Greece's territory and population had doubled after annexing Crete, Epirus, and Macedonia.

1913: Balkan Wars

In 1913, Greece continued its territorial expansion during the Balkan Wars.

1914: Asty Films Company Founded

In 1914, the Asty Films Company was founded, marking the beginning of long film production in Greece.

1914: Greek genocide

The Greek genocide started around 1914 and lasted till 1922 during which Ottoman and Turkish officials contributed to the death of several hundred thousand Asia Minor Greeks, along with similar numbers of Assyrians and a larger number of Armenians.

1917: Great Thessaloniki Fire

After the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917, the government ordered a new city plan under the supervision of Ernest Hébrard.

1917: Greece Enters World War I

In 1917, Greece officially entered World War I on the side of the Entente, uniting two separate governments.

1919: Greco-Turkish War

In 1919, Greece attempted expansion into Asia Minor, leading to the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922).

1922: Defeat in Greco-Turkish War

In 1922, Greece was defeated in the Greco-Turkish War, contributing to a flight of Asia Minor Greeks.

1922: Asia Minor Campaign Defeat

In 1922, the Asia Minor Campaign resulted in a catastrophic defeat for Greece, halting its territorial expansion.

1922: Greco-Turkish War end

In 1922, the Greco-Turkish War ended which then led to the population transfer in 1923.

1923: Population Exchanges

Following the population exchanges of 1923, it is estimated that Macedonia had 200,000 to 400,000 Slavic speakers.

1923: Population Transfer Agreement

In 1923, Greece and Turkey agreed to a population transfer based on cultural and religious identity as outlined in the Treaty of Lausanne, following the Greco-Turkish War.

1924: Establishment of a Republic

In 1924, a short-lived republic was established in Greece, facing civil strife and challenges in resettling refugees from Turkey.

1924: Abolishment of the Monarchy

In 1924, following the catastrophic events in Asia Minor, the monarchy was abolished via a referendum and the Second Hellenic Republic was declared.

1930: Influence of Heptanesean kantádhes

Until 1930, Greek composers borrowed elements from the Heptanesean style, which led to Athenian serenades and theatrical revue songs.

1931: Daphnis and Chloe

In 1931, Orestis Laskos directed Daphnis and Chloe, containing one of the first nude scene in European cinema.

1935: Restoration of the Monarchy

In 1935, Georgios Kondylis took power after a coup and abolished the republic, holding a rigged referendum after which King George II was restored to the throne.

1936: Installation of Metaxas Dictatorship

In 1936, Ioannis Metaxas was installed as head of a dictatorship known as the 4th of August Regime, inaugurating authoritarian rule.

1936: Royalist Dictatorship

In 1936, a royalist dictatorship began, ushering in a long period of authoritarian rule in Greece.

October 1940: Greco-Italian War

In October 1940, Fascist Italy demanded the surrender of Greece, but Greece refused and repelled Italian forces into Albania during the Greco-Italian War.

1941: Famine and Nazi Occupation

During the winter of 1941, over 100,000 civilians died of starvation and Greece was occupied by the Nazis.

1944: Academy Award

In 1944, Katina Paxinou was honoured with the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for For Whom the Bell Tolls.

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1949: End of the Civil War

In 1949, the civil war in Greece ended with the victory of the anti-communist Greek government.

1950: Economic Growth

From 1950, Greece began to experience record economic growth which continued through the 1970s.

1950: The Drunkard film release

In 1950, The Drunkard, a notable film directed by George Tzavellas, was released as part of the "golden age" of Greek cinema.

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1951: Πικρό Ψωμί film release

In 1951, the film Πικρό Ψωμί by Grigoris Grigoriou was released.

1952: Greece Joins NATO

In 1952, Greece joined NATO, reinforcing its membership in the Western Bloc of the Cold War.

1952: Women's suffrage legislated

In 1952, women's suffrage was legislated in Greece, granting women the right to vote.

1955: The Counterfeit Coin and Stella film releases

In 1955, two notable films were released: The Counterfeit Coin by Giorgos Tzavellas and Stella, directed by Michael Cacoyannis and written by Iakovos Kambanelis.

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1956: O Drakos film release

In 1956, the film O Drakos by Nikos Koundouros was released.

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1959: Foundation of the National Centre of Scientific Research "Demokritos"

The National Centre of Scientific Research "Demokritos" was founded in 1959 and is the largest multidisciplinary research centre in Greece.

1961: Woe to the Young film release

In 1961, Woe to the Young, a film by Alekos Sakellarios, was released.

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1962: Glory Sky film release

In 1962, the film Glory Sky by Takis Kanellopoulos was released.

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1963: Nobel Prize in Literature

George Seferis was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1963.

1963: The Red Lanterns film release

In 1963, The Red Lanterns, a film by Vasilis Georgiadis, was released.

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1964: First multiparty elections

The first multiparty elections since 1964 were held on the first anniversary of the Polytechnic uprising.

1965: Political Turbulence

In 1965, King Constantine II's dismissal of George Papandreou's government prompted political turbulence.

1967: Greek junta

During the Greek junta of 1967, the music of Mikis Theodorakis was banned, the composer jailed, internally exiled, and put in a concentration camp.

1967: Military dictatorship

Greece had military dictatorship during 1967–1974.

1972: Economic Growth Plateaus

In 1972, rapid economic growth in Greece plateaued.

1973: Athens Polytechnic Uprising

In 1973, the brutal suppression of the Athens Polytechnic uprising set in motion the fall of the regime.

July 1974: Turkish Invasion of Cyprus

On July 20, 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus, triggering a crisis in Greece that led to the collapse of the regime and the restoration of democracy.

1974: Eurovision Song Contest Debut

Greece debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974.

1974: Military dictatorship

Greece had military dictatorship during 1967–1974.

1974: Transition to Democracy

In 1974, Greece began its transition to democracy, leading to the current parliamentary republic.

1974: End of Authoritarian Rule

The authoritarian rule in Greece, which started in 1936, lasted until 1974.

1975: Promulgation of Republican Constitution

In 1975, a democratic and republican constitution was promulgated following a referendum which chose not to restore the monarchy.

1975: Restoration of democracy

In 1975, following the restoration of democracy in 1974, the Greek party system was dominated by New Democracy and PASOK.

1975: Enactment of the Current Constitution

In 1975, the current Constitution, establishing Greece as a parliamentary republic, was enacted.

1979: Accession to the European Communities signed

In 1979, Greece's accession to the European Communities and the single market was signed.

1979: Nobel Prize in Literature

In 1979, Odysseas Elytis was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

1980: Greece rejoins NATO

In 1980, Greece rejoined NATO.

1981: Greece Joins European Communities

In 1981, Greece became the tenth member of the European Communities, ushering in sustained growth.

1981: EU Membership

In 1981, Greece became the tenth member of what is now the European Union.

1981: Birth and Mortality Rates in 1981

In 1981, the birth rate in Greece was 14.5 per 1,000, and the mortality rate was 8.9 per 1,000 inhabitants.

1982: Accession to the European Communities completed

In 1982, Greece's accession to the European Communities was completed.

1984: Hellenic Police established

In 1984, the Hellenic Police, the national police force of Greece, was established after the merge of the Hellenic Gendarmerie and the Cities Police forces.

1986: Constitutional Amendment

In 1986, a Constitutional amendment rendered the President's office largely ceremonial in Greece.

1987: Greek Basketball Team Wins European Championship

In 1987, the Greek national basketball team won the European Championship.

1991: Divorce Rate

In 1991, the divorce rate in Greece was 191 per 1,000 marriages.

1994: Cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA)

In 1994, the Hellenic National Space Committee began cooperating with the European Space Agency (ESA).

1998: Eternity and a Day Wins Awards

In 1998, Theo Angelopoulos' film Eternity and a Day won the Palme d'Or and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Cannes Film Festival.

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June 2000: Greece accepted into the Economic and Monetary Union

In June 2000, Greece was accepted into the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union.

2000: WHO Health System Ranking

Per a 2000 World Health Organisation report, the Greek health system ranked 14th in overall performance out of 191 countries surveyed.

January 2001: Adoption of the euro

In January 2001, Greece adopted the euro as its currency, replacing the Greek drachma.

2001: Non-Citizen Residents

According to a study from the Mediterranean Migration Observatory, the 2001 census recorded 762,191 non-citizen residents in Greece, constituting around 7% of the population.

2001: Reinforcement of civil liberties and social rights

Civil liberties and social rights were further reinforced in 2001.

2001: Population Age Distribution

In 2001, 17% of the Greek population was 65 years old and older, 68% were between 15 and 64, and 15% were 14 years old and younger.

2001: Adoption of the Euro

In 2001, Greece adopted the euro as its currency.

2002: Christos Papadimitriou receives Knuth Prize

In 2002, Christos Papadimitriou received the Knuth Prize.

2004: Marriage and Divorce Rates

By 2004, marriage rates in Greece had declined to 51 per 1,000 inhabitants. Divorce rates increased to 240 per 1,000 marriages.

2004: 2004 Summer Olympics

In 2004, Greece hosted the Summer Olympics.

2004: Greece Wins Euro 2004

In 2004, the Greece national football team were crowned European Champions in Euro 2004.

2005: Greece Wins Eurovision

In 2005, Greece won the Eurovision Song Contest with "My Number One", performed by Elena Paparizou.

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2005: Mihalis Yannakakis receives Knuth Prize

In 2005, Mihalis Yannakakis received the Knuth Prize.

2005: Greece Women's Water Polo Team Gold at World League

In 2005, the Greece women's national water polo team won gold at the World League and the Greece men's national water polo team became the third best water polo team in the world.

2005: Greek Basketball Team Wins European Championship

In 2005, the Greek national basketball team won the European Championship.

2005: Membership in the European Space Agency (ESA)

Since 2005, the Hellenic National Space Committee has been a member of the European Space Agency (ESA).

2006: Greek Basketball Team Second Place in FIBA World Championship

In 2006, the Greek national basketball team took second place in the FIBA World Championship.

2006: Eurovision Song Contest Held in Athens

The 51st Eurovision Song Contest of 2006 was held in Athens.

2007: Framework Law on Higher Education

According to the Framework Law (3549/2007), Public higher education "Highest Educational Institutions" (ΑΕΙ) consists of two parallel sectors: the university sector and the Technological sector.

2007: Tourism data

In 2007, Greece hosted 18 million tourists.

2007: Healthcare Expenditure as Percentage of GDP

In 2007, Greece's health care expenditures was 9.6% of GDP.

2007: John Iliopoulos receives Dirac Prize and Joseph Sifakis receives Turing Award

In 2007, John Iliopoulos received the Dirac Prize for his contributions on the physics of the charm quark, and Joseph Sifakis received the Turing Award (the "Nobel Prize" of Computer Science).

2007: Infant Mortality Rate

In 2007, the OECD average infant mortality rate was 4.9 deaths per 1,000 live births.

2008: Ethnic Greeks from Southern Albania

In 2008, 189,000 people of the total population of Albanian citizens were reported as ethnic Greeks from Southern Albania.

2008: High deficits

In 2008, deficits were revealed to have reached 10%.

2008: Greece Football Team Ranking peak

In 2008, the Greece national football team reached a high of 8th in the world.

2008: Infant Mortality Rate

In 2008, the infant mortality rate in Greece was 3.6 deaths per 1,000 live births.

2008: Financial crisis and structural deficits

Up to the 2008 financial crisis, Greece maintained high growth rates but also had high structural deficits.

2009: Start of GDP drop

From 2009, Greece experienced a 25% drop in GDP by 2015.

2009: GDP contraction and high deficits

In 2009, Greece's GDP contracted by 2.5%, and deficits were revealed to have reached 15%.

2009: Dogtooth Academy Award Nomination

In 2009, Yorgos Lanthimos received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film for Dogtooth.

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2009: Deficits revealed to be higher than official figures

In 2009, it was revealed that Greece's deficits had been considerably higher than official figures.

2009: Outbreak of government-debt crisis

In 2009, the government-debt crisis broke out in Greece, leading to a sharp decline in popularity for PASOK and New Democracy.

2009: Comparison to pre-crisis size

In 2024, the Greek economy is forecast to grow nearly 3%, approaching its pre-crisis size of 2009.

May 2010: First rescue package agreed

In May 2010, Greece, other eurozone members, and the International Monetary Fund agreed on a €110 billion rescue package, requiring Greece to adopt austerity measures.

2010: Sovereign Debt Crisis

In 2010, Greece suffered from the Great Recession and related European sovereign debt crisis.

2010: Greece Women's Water Polo Team Silver at European Championships

In 2010, the Greece women's national water polo team won silver at the European Championships.

2010: Architecture of Minoan Crete: Constructing Identity in the Aegean Bronze Age Book Published

In 2010, the book Architecture of Minoan Crete: Constructing Identity in the Aegean Bronze Age by John C. McEnroe was published.

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2010: Religious Beliefs

In a 2010 Eurostat–Eurobarometer poll, 79% of Greek citizens stated they "believe there is a God".

2010: Crisis of confidence

In early 2010, Greece faced a crisis of confidence due to increased borrowing rates and concerns about its ability to repay loans.

2010: Emigration due to Economic Crisis

Since 2010, approximately 350,000–450,000 Greeks, predominantly young adults, have emigrated from Greece due to the economic crisis.

January 2011: Kallikratis Programme reform in effect

In January 2011, the Kallikratis Programme reform took effect, restructuring Greece into 13 regions subdivided into municipalities.

2011: Smoking and Obesity Rates

A 2011, OECD report showed Greece had the largest percentage of adult daily smokers of any of the 34 OECD members. The obesity rate is 18%, above the OECD average of 15%.

2011: Broadband connections

As of early 2011, there were a total of 2,252,653 broadband connections in Greece, translating to 20% broadband penetration.

2011: Santorini voted "The World's Best Island"

In 2011, Santorini was voted as "The World's Best Island" in Travel + Leisure.

2011: Renewable energy accounted for 11% of Greece's electricity

In 2011, renewable energy in Greece accounted for 11% of Greece's electricity.

2011: Greece Football Team Ranking peak

In 2011, the Greece national football team reached a high of 8th in the world.

2011: Greece Women's Water Polo Team World Champions

In 2011, the Greece women's national water polo team became World Champions.

2011: Census Results

The 2011 census recorded 9,903,268 Greek citizens (92%), 480,824 Albanian citizens (4.4%), 75,915 Bulgarian citizens (0.7%), 46,523 Romanian citizens (0.4%), 34,177 Pakistani citizens (0.3%), 27,400 Georgian citizens (0.25%) and 247,090 people had other or unidentified citizenship (2%).

May 2012: SYRIZA becomes second major party

In May 2012, the left-wing SYRIZA party became the second major party in Greece, overtaking PASOK as the main party of the centre-left, following parliamentary elections.

2012: Growth in Greek scientific publications

From 2012 to 2016, Greek scientific publications have grown significantly in terms of research impact, surpassing both the EU and global average.

2012: Christos Papadimitriou receives Gödel Prize

In 2012, Christos Papadimitriou received the Gödel Prize.

2012: Second bail-out agreed

In 2012, a second bail-out of €130 billion was agreed, subject to financial reforms and further austerity, including a debt haircut.

2012: Greece Women's Water Polo Team Silver at European Championships

In 2012, the Greece women's national water polo team won silver at the European Championships.

2012: Greek Basketball Team Ranking

In 2012, the Greek national basketball team ranked 4th in the world and 2nd in Europe.

2012: Illegal Immigration

In 2012, the majority of illegal immigrants entering Greece came from Afghanistan, followed by Pakistanis and Bangladeshis.

2012: Political Change

In 2012, there was major political change in Greece, with new parties emerging from the collapse of the two main parties.

2013: Budget surplus achieved

In 2013, Greece achieved a budget surplus.

2013: IMF apology

In 2013, the IMF admitted it had underestimated the effects of tax hikes and budget cuts and issued an informal apology.

2013: State of Mothers and Newborn Babies

In a 2013 Save the Children report, Greece was ranked 19th out of 176 countries for the state of mothers and newborn babies.

2014: Public Hospitals

As of 2014, there were 124 public hospitals in Greece, with a total capacity of about 30,000 beds.

2014: Return to growth

In 2014, Greece returned to economic growth.

2014: Refugee Arrivals Increase

In 2014, refugee arrivals by sea had increased by almost fivefold in Greece.

2015: GDP drop

By 2015, Greece experienced a 25% drop in GDP from 2009.

2015: Healthcare Expenditure as Percentage of GDP

By 2015, Greece's health care expenditure declined to 8.4% of GDP, compared with the EU average of 9.5%.

2015: Election of Alexis Tsipras

In 2015, Alexis Tsipras was elected as prime minister of Greece, the first from outside the two main parties.

2015: Refugee Arrivals Increase

In 2015, Greece experienced a dramatic increase in refugee arrivals by sea due to the Syrian civil war, with 856,723 arrivals, of which Syrians represented almost 45%.

2015: The Lobster Academy Award Nomination

In 2015, Yorgos Lanthimos received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for The Lobster.

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2015: Life Expectancy

In 2015, life expectancy in Greece was 81.1 years, slightly above the EU average of 80.6.

2016: Population Age Distribution

By 2016, the proportion of the Greek population age 65 and older had risen to 21%, while the proportion of those aged 14 and younger declined to slightly below 14%.

2016: Growth in Greek scientific publications

From 2012 to 2016, Greek scientific publications have grown significantly in terms of research impact, surpassing both the EU and global average.

2016: Birth and Mortality Rates in 2016

In 2016, the birth rate in Greece was 8.5 per 1,000, while the mortality rate was 11.2 per 1,000 inhabitants.

2017: Internet usage

Around 82% of the population used the internet regularly in 2017.

2017: Spending on research and development

In 2017, spending on research and development (R&D) in Greece reached an all-time high of €2 billion, equal to 1.1% of GDP.

2017: Recognition of Hellenic Polytheism

Since 2017, Hellenic Polytheism, or Hellenism, has been legally recognised as an actively practised religion in Greece.

2018: End of Debt Crisis

Around 2018, the Greek government-debt crisis ended, with the end of bailout mechanisms and the return of growth.

2018: Forest Landscape Integrity Index

In 2018, Greece had a Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 6.6/10, ranking it 70th globally out of 172 countries.

2018: The Favourite Academy Award Nominations

In 2018, Yorgos Lanthimos received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director for The Favourite.

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2018: Resolution of Macedonia naming dispute

In 2018, the Macedonia naming dispute was resolved with the Prespa Agreement.

2018: Tourism contribution to GDP

In 2018, tourism contributed 21% of Greece's gross domestic product.

2019: Kyriakos Mitsotakis becomes Prime Minister

From 2019 until the inconclusive election of May 2023, Kyriakos Mitsotakis served as Prime Minister of Greece.

2019: Passenger boat travel

In 2019, 37 million passengers travelled by boat in Greece, the second-highest in Europe.

2019: Increased number of municipalities

In 2019, under the Kleisthenis I Programme, the number of municipalities in Greece increased to 332.

2020: Extent of Greece's motorway network

As of 2020, Greece's motorway network had a total length of about 2,320 km (1,440 mi), being the most extensive in Southeastern Europe.

2020: Election of Katerina Sakellaropoulou

In 2020, Greece's parliament elected a non-partisan candidate, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, as the first female President of Greece.

2021: Population of Athens and Thessaloniki

According to the 2021 census, the population of Athens was 3,744,059, and the population of Thessaloniki was 1,092,919.

2021: Piraeus as third busiest passenger port in Europe

As of 2021, Piraeus, the port of Athens, was the third busiest passenger port in Europe.

2021: Leading producer of cotton and pistachios

In 2021, Greece was the European Union's largest producer of cotton and pistachios (7,200 tons) and second in olives (3m tons).

2021: Public Power Corporation dominance

In 2021, the Public Power Corporation (ΔΕΗ) supplied 75% of electricity in Greece.

2021: Unemployment rates in Greece

In 2021, unemployment in Greece stood at 13% and youth unemployment at 33%.

July 2022: 5G service accessibility

As of July 2022, 5G service is accessible in most major cities in Greece.

2022: Population Estimate

In 2022, Eurostat estimated the population of Greece to be 10.6 million.

2022: Greece ranked 9th most visited country

In 2022, Greece was the 9th most visited country in the world, hosting 28 million visitors.

2022: Third in figs and watermelons

In 2022, Greece was third in figs (8,400 tons) and watermelons (440,000 tons) and fourth in almonds (40,000 tons).

2022: Renewable energy accounted for 46% of Greece's electricity

In 2022, renewable energy in Greece accounted for 46% of Greece's electricity.

May 2023: Inconclusive election

In May 2023, parliamentary elections were held, but the results were inconclusive.

June 2023: New Democracy gains parliamentary majority in repeat election

In June 2023, New Democracy gained almost 41% of the popular vote and a parliamentary majority of 158 in a repeat election. Kyriakos Mitsotakis was sworn in for a second four-year term as Prime Minister.