Greece vs Turkey Population Between 1927 and 2024

The map above looks at the population of Greece compared to Turkey between 1927 and 2024. Turkey went from having just over double the population of Greece in 1927 to being more than 8 times larger than Greece today.

You can see the numbers for the 4 years shown in the map below:

Year	Greece	Trukey	How Much Bigger Is Turkey vs Greece
1927	6,127,000	13,648,270	123%
1960	8,304,698	27,754,820	234%
2000	10,775,693	67,803,927	529%
2024	10,491,922	85,664,944	716%

The data for the two tables come from Wikipedia pages for the demographics of Greece and Turkey.

Here’s a short demographic history of Greece and Turkey, starting from the post-WWI population exchanges to the present, highlighting key demographic factors:

Greece

Population Exchange and Interwar Period (1920s–1940)

1923 Population Exchange: Following the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) and Treaty of Lausanne (1923), approximately 1.2 million Greeks were expelled or migrated from Asia Minor (Turkey) to Greece, and around 400,000 Muslims moved from Greece to Turkey.
Result: Dramatic demographic shift; the sudden influx of refugees increased Greece’s population significantly (~25% increase).

Post-WWII to 1970s

Strong population growth post-WWII with fertility rates around 2.5–3.0 children per woman.
1960s–1970s: Significant emigration, primarily to Germany, the U.S., Australia, and Canada, due to economic hardships.

Demographic Transition (1980s–2000)

Rapid demographic transition: fertility rates dropped sharply from 2.2 in 1980 to 1.3 by 2000, among the lowest in Europe.
Population aging accelerated due to low birth rates and higher life expectancy.

21st Century Trends

Fertility rates remain very low: about 1.3–1.4 children per woman.
Population growth has stagnated and begun declining; the population peaked around 2010 (~11 million), declining slightly since then.
Greece has seen significant immigration since the 1990s, initially from Albania and Eastern Europe, and more recently from Middle Eastern and African refugees (especially post-2015 migration crisis).

Current Demographic Snapshot (2025)

Population: 10.4 million; -0.4% annually.
Fertility rate: ~1.3.
Significant aging: median age ~45 years.
Immigration partially offsets natural decline but not entirely.

Turkey

Population Exchange and Early Republic (1920s–1950)

1923 Treaty of Lausanne exchange: About 400,000 Muslims migrated to Turkey from Greece, complementing the outflow of Greek Orthodox minorities.
Early Republic (1923–1950): High birth rates (over 6 children per woman) and rapidly increasing population.

Rapid Growth Period (1950–1990)

Turkey’s population growth remained very high through mid-20th century, averaging 2–3% annually, with fertility rates around 5–6 children per woman in the 1950s–1970s.
Rural-to-urban migration accelerated significantly from the 1960s onward, fueling rapid urbanization.

Demographic Transition (1980–2000)

Fertility rates dropped significantly from about 4.5 in 1980 to 2.5 in 2000, driven by urbanization, increased education, and female employment.
Emigration peaked in the 1960s–1980s, with millions moving primarily to Western Europe (Germany, Netherlands, France).

21st Century Trends

Continued urbanization: more than 75% of the population urbanized today, primarily around Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir.
Fertility rates continued declining steadily: approximately 2.0–2.1 children per woman today.
Immigration became notable since 2011, largely due to Syrian refugee influx (3.6+ million Syrian refugees currently reside in Turkey).

Current Demographic Snapshot (2025)

Population: ~86 million, still slowly growing (~0.7% annually).
Fertility rate: ~2.0, nearing replacement level.
Median age rising steadily: currently about 34 years, younger than Europe but rapidly aging.
Large refugee and immigrant communities (primarily Syrians), making up around 4–5% of the population.

Aspect	Greece	Turkey
1923 Population Exchange	+1.2 million Greeks	+400,000 Muslims
Mid-20th century growth	Moderate, emigration high	Rapid growth, significant emigration
Late 20th century shift	Sharp fertility decline	Gradual fertility decline
21st century fertility	~1.3 (very low, declining)	~2.0 (moderate, stabilizing)
Population growth today	Slight decline (~-0.4%)	Slow growth (~+0.7%)
Median Age (2025)	~45 (highly aged)	~34 (young, aging rapidly)
Immigration (current)	Mainly Eastern European, Middle Eastern, and African migrants/refugees	Mainly Syrian refugees (~4% of population)