The return of Greeks who left during the country’s financial crisis is accelerating, with official data showing a shift toward net return migration in recent years, according to an OECD-backed report released Thursday.
The study found that return migration has risen steadily since 2021. In 2023, more Greeks returned than left the country for the first time since the crisis began. In 2024, the net balance improved further, with about 20,000 more arrivals than departures.
More than half of returnees between 2016 and 2021 were aged 20 to 39, and roughly 60% held university degrees.
Nearly half returned from the United Kingdom and Germany, long among the main destinations for Greek emigrants.
The report said 47% of returnees are employed in high-skilled jobs, while 45% work in health care or engineering fields. About 42% settled in Athens.
