Greece’s Demographic Decline: The Village With 7 Residents and 2 Cafes

The clergyman of Abelohori is 1 of the 7 imperishable residents of the village. Credit: Greek Reporter

A colony successful cardinal Greece is simply a poignant illustration of the demographic diminution successful agrarian areas, successful beauteous landscapes dotted with villages dilatory fading into the past.

This trend, driven by aging populations, debased commencement rates, and municipality migration, threatens not lone the endurance of these communities but besides the affluent taste practice and accepted ways of beingness that person defined them for centuries.

Nestled amidst the rugged peaks of the Pindos upland range lies Abelohori, a scattering of houses clinging to the slopes.

Welcome to Abelohori. Credit: Greek Reporter

The village, erstwhile a bustling assemblage wherever hundreds of radical lived and made a surviving from its vineyards (Abeli is simply a vineyard successful Greek), and livestock farming present lies astir empty. There are lone 7 imperishable residents, including the clergyman and 2 cafes.

Abelohori lies connected the slopes of the Pindos upland scope successful cardinal Greece. Credit: Greek Reporter

Abelohori does not person a schoolhouse oregon a doctor. All imperishable residents are of property and erstwhile a wellness exigency arises the closest infirmary is successful the municipality of Metsovo, immoderate 20 miles away.

Despite the hardships, the villagers told Greek Reporter they were blessed successful their isolation.

Village president Athanasios Nikogiannis told Greek Reporter that the wide exodus from the colony occurred successful the 1980s. “People abandoned the vineyards and near for the cities and tourer resorts to enactment successful the hospitality sector…The 7 imperishable residents effort to assistance each other, but our colony has go a summertime destination only.”

Three of the 7 residents astatine Vasili’s cafe. Credit: Greek Reporter

His parent is Vailiki Nikogianni, the proprietor of a cafe, who has been surviving successful Abelohori for 70 years. She has seen and lived done the melodramatic changes successful her village.  “I emotion my village. It’s truthful beautiful,” she says. “I tally the cafe and I look aft my plot and my flowers.”

Dimitris, the proprietor of the 2nd cafe is besides blessed with beingness successful the village. “There is nary pollution, the scenery is beauteous and is quiet. Everything is good.”

Making accepted Greek java successful 1 of the 2 cafes. Credit: Greek Reporter

Demographic diminution successful agrarian Greece

Depopulation is affecting agrarian areas crossed Greece, peculiarly successful mountainous regions and smaller islands. Many villages person seen their populations halved oregon adjacent reduced to a fraction of what they were a fewer decades ago. Some are genuinely “ghost villages” with lone a fistful of aged residents left.

The colonisation that remains successful these villages is often heavy skewed towards older generations, with young radical having moved away. This leads to a declining commencement complaint and further accelerates the aging process.

Abelohori, similar galore different villages successful Greece, is simply a shade community. Credit: Greek Reporter

Rural areas often conflict with constricted economical opportunities, relying heavy connected agriculture, which has faced its ain challenges. Young radical often spot small aboriginal successful accepted agrarian livelihoods.

Basic services similar healthcare, education, and proscription tin beryllium lacking oregon inadequate successful distant villages, making them little charismatic places to live, particularly for families with children.

Greece is presently 1 of the astir aging countries successful Europe and, according to OECD projections, it is expected to go the astir aged state connected the continent by 2050.

According to OECD’s caller report “Health astatine a Glance: Europe 2024,” by 2050 much than 35 percent of the Greek colonisation volition beryllium implicit 65, posing a terrible menace to the economy, the labour force, and the societal cohesion of the nation.

The reproduction complaint successful Greece is now one of the lowest successful the world, lasting astatine 1.3 children per woman. This is good beneath the stableness bounds of 2.1 children per woman.

Related: The Village That Defies the Demographic Crisis successful Greece