Economy - overview:
Greece has a capitalist economy with a 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 18% 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 averaged growth of about 4% per year between 2003 and 2007, 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. By 2013 the economy had contracted 26%, compared with the pre-crisis level of 2007. Greece met the EU's Growth and Stability Pact budget deficit criterion of no more than 3% of GDP in 2007-08, but violated it in 2009, with the deficit reaching 15% of GDP. Deteriorating public finances, inaccurate and misreported statistics, and consistent underperformance on reforms prompted major credit rating agencies to downgrade Greece's international debt rating in late 2009, and led the country into a financial crisis. Under intense pressure from the EU and international market participants, the government accepted a bailout program that called on Athens to cut government spending, decrease tax evasion, overhaul the civil-service, health-care, and pension systems, and reform the labor and product markets. Austerity measures reduced the deficit to 3% in 2015. Successive Greek governments, however, failed to push through many of the most unpopular reforms in the face of widespread political opposition, including from the country's powerful labor unions and the general public.In April 2010, a leading credit agency assigned Greek debt its lowest possible credit rating, and in May 2010, the International Monetary Fund and euro-zone 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 meet the 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. European leaders and the IMF agreed in October 2011 to provide Athens a second bailout package of $169 billion. The second deal called for holders of Greek government bonds to write down a significant portion of their holdings to try to alleviate Greece’s government debt burden. However, Greek banks, saddled with a significant portion of sovereign debt, were adversely affected by the write down and $60 billion of the second bailout package was set aside to ensure the banking system was adequately capitalized. In exchange for the second bailout, Greece promised to step up efforts to increase tax collection, to reduce the size of government, and to rein in health spending, austerity measures aimed at generating $7.8 billion in savings during 2013-15. However, the austerity prolonged Greece's economic recession and depressed tax revenues.In 2014, the Greek economy began to turn the corner on the recession. Greece achieved three significant milestones in 2014: balancing the budget - not including debt repayments; issuing government debt in financial markets for the first time since 2010; and generating 0.8% GDP growth—the first economic expansion since 2007. Despite the nascent recovery, widespread discontent with austerity measures helped propel the far-left Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) party into government in national legislative elections in January 2015. Between January and July 2015, frustrations between the SYRIZA-led government and Greece’s EU and IMF creditors over the implementation of bailout measures and disbursement of funds led the Greek government to run up significant arrears to suppliers and Greek banks to rely on emergency lending, and also called into question Greece’s future in the euro zone. To stave off a collapse of the banking system, Greece imposed capital controls in June 2015 shortly before rattling international financial markets by becoming the first developed nation to miss a loan payment to the IMF. Unable to reach an agreement with creditors, Prime Minister Alexios TSIPRAS held a nationwide referendum on 5 July on whether to accept the terms of Greece’s bailout, campaigning for the ultimately successful “no” vote. The TSIPRAS government subsequently agreed, however, to a new $96 billion bailout in order to avert Greece’s exit from the monetary bloc. On 20 August, Greece signed its third bailout which allowed it to cover significant debt payments to its EU and IMF creditors and ensure the banking sector retained access to emergency liquidity. The TSIPRAS government—which retook office on 20 September after calling new elections in late August—successfully secured disbursal of two delayed tranches bailout funds. Despite the economic turmoil, Greek GDP fell by only 2.3% in 2015, boosted in part by a strong tourist season.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$281.6 billion (2015 est.) $288.1 billion (2014 est.) $285.9 billion (2013 est.)
note: data are in 2015 US dollars
country comparison to the world: 56
[see also: GDP country ranks ]

GDP (official exchange rate):
$193 billion (2015 est.)
[see also: GDP (official exchange rate) country ranks ]

GDP - real growth rate:
-2.3% (2015 est.) 0.8% (2014 est.) -3.9% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 208
[see also: GDP - real growth rate country ranks ]

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$25,600 (2015 est.) $26,200 (2014 est.) $26,000 (2013 est.)
note: data are in 2015 US dollars
country comparison to the world: 72
[see also: GDP - per capita country ranks ]

Gross national saving:
9.7% of GDP (2015 est.) 11.5% of GDP (2014 est.) 12.3% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150
[see also: Gross national saving country ranks ]

GDP - composition, by end use:
household consumption: 71.9%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - household consumption country ranks ]
government consumption: 19%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - government consumption country ranks ]
investment in fixed capital: 9.3%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in fixed capital country ranks ]
investment in inventories: -1.7%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in inventories country ranks ]
exports of goods and services: 31.8%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - exports of goods and services country ranks ]
imports of goods and services: -30.3% (2015 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - imports of goods and services country ranks ]

GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
agriculture: 3.9%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 13.3%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - industry country ranks ]
services: 82.8% (2015 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - services country ranks ]

Agriculture - products:
wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; beef, dairy products

Industries:
tourism, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum

Industrial production growth rate:
-2.6% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 180
[see also: Industrial production growth rate country ranks ]

Labor force:
4.774 million (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87
[see also: Labor force country ranks ]

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 12.5%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 13.9%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - industry country ranks ]
services: 73.6% (2013 est.)
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - services country ranks ]

Unemployment rate:
25.8% (2015 est.) 26.5% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179
[see also: Unemployment rate country ranks ]

Population below poverty line:
44% (2013 est.)
[see also: Population below poverty line country ranks ]

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.2%
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10% country ranks ]
highest 10%: 25.6% (2013 est.)
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - highest 10% country ranks ]

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
34.5 (2013 est.) 33 (2005)
country comparison to the world: 95
[see also: Distribution of family income - Gini index country ranks ]

Budget:
revenues: $91.3 billion
[see also: Budget revenues country ranks ]
expenditures: $97.18 billion (2015 est.)
[see also: Budget expenditures country ranks ]

Taxes and other revenues:
47.3% of GDP (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
[see also: Taxes and other revenues country ranks ]

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
-3% of GDP (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
[see also: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) country ranks ]

Public debt:
182% of GDP (2015 est.) 177.1% of GDP (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
[see also: Public debt country ranks ]

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
-1.4% (2015 est.) -0.9% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4
[see also: Inflation rate (consumer prices) country ranks ]

Central bank discount rate:
0.05% (31 December 2013) 0.3% (31 December 2010)
note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area
country comparison to the world: 151
[see also: Central bank discount rate country ranks ]

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
6% (31 December 2015 est.) 6.52% (31 December 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129
[see also: Commercial bank prime lending rate country ranks ]

Stock of narrow money:
$101.6 billion (31 December 2015 est.) $115.7 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
note: see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 18 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
country comparison to the world: 34
[see also: Stock of narrow money country ranks ]

Stock of broad money:
$260.9 billion (31 December 2014 est.) $264.6 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
[see also: Stock of broad money country ranks ]

Stock of domestic credit:
$267.3 billion (31 December 2015 est.) $298.9 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
[see also: Stock of domestic credit country ranks ]

Market value of publicly traded shares:
$44.58 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $33.65 billion (31 December 2011) $72.64 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 54
[see also: Market value of publicly traded shares country ranks ]

Current account balance:
$1.382 billion (2015 est.) $2.202 billion (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
[see also: Current account balance country ranks ]

Exports:
$25.31 billion (2015 est.) $35.6 billion (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 66
[see also: Exports country ranks ]

Exports - commodities:
food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles

Exports - partners:
Turkey 12.2%, Italy 9.4%, Germany 6.8%, Bulgaria 5.3%, Cyprus 5% (2014)

Imports:
$47.21 billion (2015 est.) $63.76 billion (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53
[see also: Imports country ranks ]

Imports - commodities:
machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners:
Russia 10.1%, Germany 10.1%, Iraq 8.2%, Italy 8.1%, China 5.2%, Kazakhstan 5.1%, Netherlands 5%, France 4.6% (2014)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$6.433 billion (February 2015 est.) $6.212 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90
[see also: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold country ranks ]

Debt - external:
$514.4 billion (31 December 2014 est.) $575.4 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
[see also: Debt - external country ranks ]

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$31.24 billion (31 December 2015 est.) $30.15 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 66
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home country ranks ]

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$40.1 billion (31 December 2015 est.) $40.96 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad country ranks ]

Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.89 (2015 est.) 0.75 (2014 est.) 0.76 (2013 est.) 0.78 (2012 est.) 0.72 (2011 est.)