A bulwark against a demographic collapse
A dramatic demographic deterioration was one of the many factors that contributed to the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and the collapse of the centuries-old Byzantine Empire. The city’s population had shrunk dramatically, and especially with regard to younger age groups. In contrast, the heydays of Hellenism – in terms of military, political, economic and cultural influence – always coincided with a thriving – both quantitatively and qualitatively – population.
Greece is experiencing a demographic crisis right now, one so severe, it is on the brink of collapse. If we carry on as we are now, the country’s native population will shrink to around 7.5 million by 2050, with half of those people being aged 65 or over. And that’s just 25 years away.
There are many reasons driving this trend and they have been analyzed in full. A decade of economic strife and austerity certainly contributed to it, but it was not the driving force. Changes in values and lifestyle have also played an important part, but we should not overlook the fact that low birth rates are not the rule across the Western world. In countries where family values hold strong and support structures are robust, the numbers are much better than they are in Greece.
From here on, every day needs to be a day of action and not of words, because there is no time to lose. Unless the demographic indices change, Greece will find itself in a massive crisis that will test its people sorely.
No economy can stay intact when half of its population is made up of pensioners. There can be no investment or growth in a country without a burgeoning young population. No health and welfare system can stay standing with so many elderly people to look after. No scientific or cultural progress can be made in a rapidly aging country. No nation is able to weather pressure from external factors without an able and dynamic population. No country can possibly make strides when two thirds of its population is concentrated in two regions and smaller towns and villages are left to die out, just as the primary sector continues to shrink, depriving the country of essential sustenance.
The prime minister and the New Democracy government have elevated the demographic collapse to a matter of priority, introducing a slew of interministerial policies that serve as a bulwark against the crisis by bolstering the creation of families and encouraging the repatriation of Greek expats. This is the only way forward.
The plan for strictly controlled migration is not aimed at addressing the demographic crisis, but only at meeting specific needs in specific sectors for a limited period of time. No European country can – for cultural, historical and, chiefly, social reasons – deal with a demographic crisis via incoming migration. The problems in countries that failed to appreciate the differences between demographic challenges and the transient needs of the economy are already numerous and intense.
Beyond policies for strengthening and supporting the family, we also need to bolster the way society values motherhood, fatherhood and family as a whole. Our values and the collective structures have always been centered on the family. This is the Greek way, which got us as far as we have come and is the only thing that can keep us going and growing, to a new heyday.
Vassilis Kikilias is Greece’s minister for climate crisis and civil protection. He is also an MP for Athens’ First Constituency.
