5 million Greeks (Hellenes) fewer due to austerity!

Dimitris Kazakis

What conclusion would you make for a country, if somebody said that the population is declining at an uncontrollable rate ? The obvious: The country and its people are in danger of   being vanished from the map. This has happened to the population of Bulgaria. In 1985 the population of this country amounted to 8,948,649. It was the result of a dashing Bulgarian population growth since 1946, unprecedented in the history of the country, according to which the population grew by nearly 2 million. And then came the disaster. The overthrow of the socialist regime and the collapse of social structures that followed, along with the forced adjustment imposed on Bulgaria by the IMF and other global organizations of markets, resulted in a real genocide. In 2001 the population of Bulgaria was reduced to 7,928,901, or about 1 million fewer than the era of socialism. While in 2011 reached 7,327,224. The projections of the Bulgarians themselves are disappointing. In 2020 the population of the country will be at 6,950,436, while the 2030 is projected to come down to 6,519,217. 

With generations lost  before they are born, the Bulgarian people "pay the price"  for the lowest wages in Europe - close to the Chinese - the opening of markets and privatization of everything,  the on hold foreign investments remain elusive dream. But they can boast that they have the more sustainable pension system in Europe. This is logical since the vast majority of Bulgarians are dying before the age of 65 and therefore they are not entitled  even to the meager pension provided by this system.

We know that a similar situation is experienced by all countries that passed the forced adaptation and "cure" the IMF and market institutions.CanIt  happen in Greece (Hellas)? Anyone who thinks that this is not likely, is fooling himself. It happens already. According to the 2001 census the resident population of the country was 10,934,097, while in 2011 the permanent population stands at 10,787,690. Decreased by 146,407. And this happens for the first time in the history of the country after the Civil War. 


Why did it happen because we were also in this area too, we became Europeans. The Long-term austerity, the pressure on all sides in the Greek (Hellenic) family, the lack of social protection for maternity and child, and the systematic dismantling of the social fabric heighten the demographic crisis the Greek(Hellenic)  society has been experiencing for two decades,  and led to the present shrinking of population.

Greece (Hellas),  from a country of elders, began to change slowly in a country where the Greek population is in decline. It is significant that in 1970 births were in Greece  70.9 thousand over than deaths the same year.  In 1980, 60.9 thousand more were born than those who died that same year. While in 1984-85 the figure is beginning to shrink dramatically, reaching the 1990 just 8.1 thousand births over deaths the same year. After 1998 and especially the decade of 2000 births ceased longer outnumber the annual deaths, bringing the country's population starting to decline. It is no coincidence that in 1984-85 begins the next cycle of adjustment policies and austerity and bleeding of households.

The same phenomenon seems to be confirmed with the average age of husband and wife during marriage. The trend of the Greek family was from the 1920's the couple to marry for the first time at the age of just over 28 for the husband and about 23-24 for the wife. The pattern seems to vary after the political transition of 1974, where there is a decrease in the average age of husband and wife in 1 to 2 years. But then in 1985  the age begins to increase. Every year, especially after 1990 the average age of husband and wife during marriage is steadily growing. The increasing pressure on the younger generation because of unemployment and the inability of the new couple's livelihood, even if they work both are forced to raise the marriage age. So in 2000 it reached an average age of the husband to be 31 and his wife just over 27. While today the average age of the husband moves close to 33 and his wife at 29. Behind this spectacular rise in age mainly lies the need to restore livelihoods of both spouses before marriage. Which all previous years and each year was more difficult.

These developments have obviously more drastic impact on childbearing potentials, which in previous years went declining.But if you believe that the tragedy of the demographic decline of the Greek population stops here you are illusioning. The new data of the natural movement of population the last two years of memorandums and the disposal system of the country turned the population decline into an ethnic cleansing. The drastic decline in birth rates in relation to the explosion of deaths occurring annually the last two years creates a gloomy prospect. According to the most modest estimates of 10,787,690 which was according to the census of 2011 the resident population of the country in 2021 is estimated to have shrunk to 9,385,290, while by 2031 it will be dropped to 7,551,383. In other words, the country's population will shrink more than 2 million over the next 20 years.

The dissolution of the medical, nursing and welfare infrastructure of the Greek state under the requirements of the troika  (ECB, IMF, EU) is absolutely certain to worsen dramatically the natural growth of the population to unprecedented degree. If this is combined with the dramatic drop in living standards and livelihoods particularly of the young people, it is certain that future generations of Greeks will never be born. If also the contraction of the Greek population and add the looming migration of mainly young people at a pace that seems to move at least between 15 to 20,000 per year, then the immediate future looks even more dissapointing.

So we should not just talking about political class and class exploitation imposed on the country. This is a whole system of policies to the enslavement of the entire population. If the average age of Greek (Hellenic) society goes up year after year, with the base of the age pyramid to shrink to finally disappear, then who will stay to defend this place? Who is left to call Greece (Hellas) home and claim it for his children? Who? grandfather and grandmother?

Across the country will happen the same that happened with the rural population. When prompted the rural population to be middle-aged (65 years old), then saw that they were free to impalement throughout the countryside and turn it into an object of speculation in the housing market. Who can you fear when you are facing 65 year old men? Who will be afraid when there will be no young people to defend the present and the future of this country?