Greece’s Brain Drain Hits New High as More Graduates Move Abroad

Greece’s encephalon drain reached a caller precocious successful 2025, with 128,500 university-educated Greek citizens surviving successful different EU/EFTA countries. Credit: Greek Reporter

Greece’s encephalon drain reached a caller precocious successful 2025, arsenic the fig of university-educated Greek citizens surviving successful different EU and EFTA (European Free Trade Association) countries roseate significantly. The summation shows that the improvement remains a large situation for the country.

According to Eurostat Labour Force Survey information cited by Greece successful Figures, 128,500 Greek citizens aged 20 to 64 with tertiary qualifications resided successful different EU/EFTA state successful 2025. The fig roseate by 13,900 radical (12.1 percent) from 2024, reaching the highest level ever recorded. The information suggests that Greece continues to suffer a important stock of its skilled workforce, adjacent arsenic authoritative home migration figures constituent to a much affirmative trend.

Migration information shows divided picture

Figures from the Hellenic Statistical Authority, ELSTAT, amusement that Greece’s migration equilibrium has shifted since 2023, with much Greek citizens returning to the state than leaving it.

However, labour unit surveys from different European countries contiguous a antithetic picture. They amusement that the fig of Greeks surviving and moving crossed Europe continues to emergence and reached a caller precocious successful 2025. Overall, 386,100 Greeks aged 20 to 64 lived successful EU/EFTA countries successful 2025. That represents an summation of 30,300 radical successful conscionable 1 year, besides a grounds level.

Brain drain becomes much selective

The latest figures bespeak that migration from Greece progressively involves radical with higher levels of acquisition and nonrecreational skills. Almost the full yearly increase, 30,000 retired of 30,300 people, was from Greeks with astatine slightest secondary education. In contrast, the fig of Greeks overseas with lone compulsory acquisition remained broadly unchanged.

This points to a much selective signifier of migration, driven little by wide colonisation question and much by the relocation of workers with qualifications, specialized skills, and stronger entree to planetary labour markets.

📈 Brain Drain: ιστορικό υψηλό το 2025, σύμφωνα με τις έρευνες εργατικού δυναμικού των ευρωπαϊκών χωρών

Μέσα σε έναν μόνο χρόνο, 13.900 περισσότεροι Έλληνες πτυχιούχοι ΑΕΙ έφυγαν για άλλη ευρωπαϊκή χώρα, αύξηση 12,1%.

Πλέον, 128.500 Έλληνες πολίτες ηλικίας 20-64 με ανώτατη… pic.twitter.com/aS6Bd6tGTN

— Greece successful Figures (@GreeceInFigures) May 7, 2026

Graduates present signifier a large radical abroad

Greek graduates present marque up 1 of 3 astir equal-sized acquisition groups among Greeks surviving elsewhere successful Europe. In 2025, 128,500 Greek citizens aged 20 to 64 with tertiary acquisition lived successful different EU/EFTA countries. They stood alongside 126,300 Greeks with upper-secondary acquisition oregon vocational grooming and 130,200 radical who had completed lone compulsory education.

The employment complaint among Greek graduates overseas reached 85.9 percent, importantly higher than the corresponding complaint for university graduates surviving successful Greece.

Greek graduates overseas person doubled since 2015

The longer-term inclination is adjacent much striking. In 2015, 64,700 radical calved successful Greece and holding a higher acquisition grade lived successful EU/EFTA countries. Ten years later, that fig had much than doubled, reaching 130,100.

This radical has grown overmuch faster than Greeks overseas with secondary education, whose fig accrued by 4.5 percent implicit the aforesaid period. Meanwhile, the fig of Greeks overseas with superior education fell by 10.3 percent. As a result, radical with tertiary acquisition present relationship for 42 percent of each Greece-born residents surviving successful these European countries.

Greece’s encephalon drain of graduates ranks tenth successful Europe

Greece ranks tenth successful Europe for the migration of radical with tertiary education. The scale for Greece stands astatine 12.5 highly educated migrants per 1,000 residents. Croatia and Lithuania clasp the apical positions, with 27.9 and 24.4 radical per 1,000 residents, respectively.

Luxembourg records the lowest figure, with 1.9 highly educated migrants per 1,000 residents moving wrong the aforesaid European area.