Economy - overview:
Greece has a capitalist economy with the public sector accounting for about 40% of GDP and with per capita GDP about two-thirds that of the leading euro-zone economies. Tourism provides 15% of GDP. Immigrants make up nearly one-fifth of the work force, mainly in agricultural and unskilled jobs. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid, equal to about 3.3% of annual GDP. The Greek economy grew by nearly 4.0% per year between 2003 and 2007, due partly to infrastructural spending related to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, and in part to an increased availability of credit, which has sustained record levels of consumer spending. But the economy went into recession in 2009 as a result of the world financial crisis, tightening credit conditions, and Athens' failure to address a growing budget deficit, which was triggered by falling state revenues, and increased government expenditures. The economy contracted by 2% in 2009, and 4.8% in 2010. Greece violated the EU's Growth and Stability Pact budget deficit criterion of no more than 3% of GDP from 2001 to 2006, but finally met that criterion in 2007-08, before exceeding it again in 2009, with the deficit reaching 15.4% of GDP. Austerity measures reduced the deficit to 9.4% of GDP in 2010. Public debt, inflation, and unemployment are above the euro-zone average while per capita income is below; unemployment rose to 12% in 2010. Eroding public finances, a credibility gap stemming from inaccurate and misreported statistics, and consistent underperformance on following through with reforms prompted major credit rating agencies in late 2009 to downgrade Greece's international debt rating, and has led the country into a financial crisis. Under intense pressure by the EU and international market participants, the government has adopted a medium-term austerity program that includes cutting government spending, reducing the size of the public sector, decreasing tax evasion, reforming the health care and pension systems, and improving competitiveness through structural reforms to the labor and product markets. Athens, however, faces long-term challenges to push through unpopular reforms in the face of often vocal opposition from the country's powerful labor unions and the general public. Greek labor unions are striking over new austerity measures, but the strikes so far have had a limited impact on the government's will to adopt reforms. An uptick in widespread unrest, however, could challenge the government's ability to implement reforms and meet budget targets, and could also lead to rioting or violence. In April 2010 a leading credit agency assigned Greek debt its lowest possible credit rating; in May, the International Monetary Fund and Eurozone governments provided Greece emergency short- and medium-term loans worth $147 billion so that the country could make debt repayments to creditors. In exchange for the largest bailout ever assembled, the government announced combined spending cuts and tax increases totaling $40 billion over three years, on top of the tough austerity measures already taken. Greece, however, struggled to boost revenues and cut spending to meet 2010 targets set by the EU and the IMF, especially after Eurostat - the EU's statistical office - revised upward Greece's deficit and debt numbers for 2009 and 2010. Greece's lenders are calling on Athens to step up efforts in 2011 to increase tax collection, shore up public enterprises, and rein in health spending, and are planning to give Greece more time to repay its EU-IMF loan. Greece responded by introducing major structural reforms, but investors still question whether Greece can sustain fiscal efforts in the face of a bleak economic outlook and public discontent.
GDP (purchasing power parity): GDP (official exchange rate): GDP - real growth rate: GDP - per capita (PPP): GDP - composition by sector: Labor force: Labor force - by occupation: Unemployment rate: Population below poverty line: Household income or consumption by percentage share: Distribution of family income - Gini index: Investment (gross fixed): Budget: Public debt: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Central bank discount rate: Commercial bank prime lending rate: Stock of narrow money: Stock of broad money: Stock of domestic credit: Market value of publicly traded shares: Agriculture - products: Industries: Industrial production growth rate: Electricity - production: Electricity - consumption: Electricity - exports: Electricity - imports: Oil - production: Oil - consumption: Oil - exports: Oil - imports: Oil - proved reserves: Natural gas - production: Natural gas - consumption: Natural gas - exports: Natural gas - imports: Natural gas - proved reserves: Current account balance: Exports: Exports - commodities: Exports - partners: Imports: Imports - commodities: Imports - partners: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Debt - external: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: Exchange rates:
NOTE: The information regarding Greece on this page is re-published from the 2011 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Greece Economy 2011 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Greece Economy 2011 should be addressed to the CIA.
$321.7 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39
note:
data are in 2010 US dollars
[see also: GDP (purchasing power parity) country ranks ]
$302 billion (2009 est.)
[see also: GDP (official exchange rate) country ranks ]
-4.8% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 212
[see also: GDP - real growth rate country ranks ]
$30,200 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 44
note:
data are in 2010 US dollars
[see also: GDP - per capita country ranks ]
agriculture: 4%
[see also: GDP - composition by sector - agriculture country ranks ]
industry:
17.6%
[see also: GDP - composition by sector - industry country ranks ]
services:
78.5% (2009 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition by sector - services country ranks ]
5.05 million (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
[see also: Labor force country ranks ]
agriculture: 12.4%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - agriculture country ranks ]
industry:
22.4%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - industry country ranks ]
services:
65.1% (2005 est.)
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - services country ranks ]
12% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127
[see also: Unemployment rate country ranks ]
20% (2009 est.)
[see also: Population below poverty line country ranks ]
lowest 10%: 2.5%
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10% country ranks ]
highest 10%:
26% (2000 est.)
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - highest 10% country ranks ]
33 (2005)
country comparison to the world: 96
[see also: Distribution of family income - Gini index country ranks ]
14.8% of GDP (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 132
[see also: Investment (gross fixed) country ranks ]
revenues: $114.5 billion
[see also: Budget - revenues country ranks ]
expenditures:
$142.9 billion (2009 est.)
[see also: Budget - expenditures country ranks ]
144% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
[see also: Public debt country ranks ]
4.5% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129
[see also: Inflation rate (consumer prices) country ranks ]
1.75% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 117
note:
this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area
[see also: Central bank discount rate country ranks ]
8.59% (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109
[see also: Commercial bank prime lending rate country ranks ]
$152.8 billion (31 December 2010 est)
note:
see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 16 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders
[see also: Stock of narrow money country ranks ]
$335.9 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
[see also: Stock of broad money country ranks ]
$419.9 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 25
[see also: Stock of domestic credit country ranks ]
$54.72 billion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 38
[see also: Market value of publicly traded shares country ranks ]
wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; beef, dairy products
tourism, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum
3.2% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
[see also: Industrial production growth rate country ranks ]
58.79 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43
[see also: Electricity - production country ranks ]
58.28 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
[see also: Electricity - consumption country ranks ]
1.962 billion kWh (2008 est.)
[see also: Electricity - exports country ranks ]
7.575 billion kWh (2008 est.)
[see also: Electricity - imports country ranks ]
6,779 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89
[see also: Oil - production country ranks ]
414,400 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33
[see also: Oil - consumption country ranks ]
153,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
[see also: Oil - exports country ranks ]
520,900 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 25
[see also: Oil - imports country ranks ]
10 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90
[see also: Oil - proved reserves country ranks ]
9 million cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91
[see also: Natural gas - production country ranks ]
3.528 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68
[see also: Natural gas - consumption country ranks ]
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
[see also: Natural gas - exports country ranks ]
3.556 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36
[see also: Natural gas - imports country ranks ]
991.1 million cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99
[see also: Natural gas - proved reserves country ranks ]
-$17.1 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179
[see also: Current account balance country ranks ]
$21.14 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
[see also: Exports country ranks ]
food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles
Germany 11.11%, Italy 11.05%, Cyprus 7.28%, Bulgaria 6.74%, US 4.95%, UK 4.4%, Turkey 4.23% (2009)
$44.9 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 50
[see also: Imports country ranks ]
machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals
Germany 13.73%, Italy 12.71%, China 7.08%, France 6.1%, Netherlands 6.02%, South Korea 5.68%, Belgium 4.34%, Spain 4.08% (2009)
$NA (31 December 2010 est.)
[see also: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold country ranks ]
$532.9 billion (30 June 2010)
country comparison to the world: 19
[see also: Debt - external country ranks ]
$48.1 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home country ranks ]
$38.66 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad country ranks ]
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7715 (2010), 0.7179 (2009), 0.6827 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006)
This page was last modified 09-Feb-11