Greeks

For other uses, see Greeks (disambiguation).
"Grecian" redirects here. For other uses, see Grecian (disambiguation).

Greeks
Hellenes
Έλληνες
Total population
c. 14–17 million[1][2]
Regions with significant populations
 Greece 9,903,268[3][4]
(2011 census)
 Cyprus 659,115–721,000[5][6][7][8]
(2011 census)
 United States1,279,000–3,000,000a (2016 estimate)[9][10]
 Germany449,000b (2021 estimate)[11]
 Australia424,744 (2021 census)[12]
 United Kingdom290,000–345,000 (2011 estimate)[13]
 Canada271,405c (2016 census)[14]
 South Africa138,000 (2011 estimate)[15]
 Italy110,000–200,000d (2013 estimate)[16][17][18]
 Egypt110,000[19][20]
 Chile100,000[21]
 Ukraine91,000 (2011 estimate)[22]
 Russia85,640 (2010 census)[23]
 Brazil50,000e[24]
 France35,000 (2013 estimate)[25]
 Belgium35,000 (2011 estimate)[26]
 Netherlands28,856 (2021)[27][28]
 Uruguay25,000–28,000 (2011 census)[29]
 Turkey4,000–49,143f[30][31]
 Argentina20,000–30,000 (2013 estimate)[32]
 Sweden24,736 (2012 census)[33]
 Albania23,485 (2023 census)[34]
 Bulgaria1,356 (2011 census)[35] up to 28,500 (estimate)[36]
 Georgia15,000 (2011 estimate)[37]
 Czech Republic12,000[38]
  Switzerland11,000 (2015 estimate)[39]
 Romania10,000 (2013 estimate)[40]
 Uzbekistan9,500 (2000 estimate)[41]
 Kazakhstan8,846 (2011 estimate)[42]
 New Zealandest. 2,478 to 10,000, possibly up to 50,000[43]
 Austria5,261[44]
 Hungary4,454 (2016 census)[45]
Languages
Greek
Religion
Mostly Greek Orthodox
a Includes those of ancestral descent.
b Includes people with "cultural roots".
c Those whose stated ethnic origins included "Greek" among others. The number of those whose stated ethnic origin is solely "Greek" is 145,250. An additional 3,395 Cypriots of undeclared ethnicity live in Canada.
dApprox. 60,000 Griko people and 30,000 post WW2 migrants.
e "Including descendants".
f Including Greek Muslims.

The Greeks or Hellenes (/ˈhɛliːnz/; Greek: Έλληνες, Éllines [ˈelines]) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Albania, Anatolia, parts of Italy and Egypt, and to a lesser extent, other countries surrounding the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea. They also form a significant diaspora (omogenia), with many Greek communities established around the world.[46]

Greek colonies and communities have been historically established on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea, but the Greek people themselves have always been centered on the Aegean and Ionian seas, where the Greek language has been spoken since the Bronze Age.[47][48] Until the early 20th century, Greeks were distributed between the Greek peninsula, the western coast of Asia Minor, the Black Sea coast, Cappadocia in central Anatolia, Egypt, the Balkans, Cyprus, and Constantinople.[48] Many of these regions coincided to a large extent with the borders of the Byzantine Empire of the late 11th century and the Eastern Mediterranean areas of ancient Greek colonization.[49] The cultural centers of the Greeks have included Athens, Thessalonica, Alexandria, Smyrna, and Constantinople at various periods.

In recent times, most ethnic Greeks live within the borders of the modern Greek state or in Cyprus. The Greek genocide and population exchange between Greece and Turkey nearly ended the three millennia-old Greek presence in Asia Minor. Other longstanding Greek populations can be found from southern Italy to the Caucasus and southern Russia and Ukraine and in the Greek diaspora communities in a number of other countries. Today, most Greeks are officially registered as members of the Greek Orthodox Church.[50]

Greeks have greatly influenced and contributed to culture, visual arts, exploration, theatre, literature, philosophy, ethics, politics, architecture, music, mathematics,[51] medicine, science, technology, commerce, cuisine and sports. The Greek language is the oldest recorded living language[52] and its vocabulary has been the basis of many languages, including English as well as international scientific nomenclature. Greek was by far the most widely spoken lingua franca in the Mediterranean world since the fourth century BC and the New Testament of the Christian Bible was also originally written in Greek.[53][54][55]

  1. ^ Maratou-Alipranti 2013, p. 196: "The Greek diaspora remains large, consisting of up to 4 million people globally."
  2. ^ Clogg 2013, p. 228: "Greeks of the diaspora, settled in some 141 countries, were held to number 7 million although it is not clear how this figure was arrived at or what criteria were used to define Greek ethnicity, while the population of the homeland, according to the 1991 census, amounted to some 10.25 million."
  3. ^ "2011 Population and Housing Census". Hellenic Statistical Authority. 12 September 2014. Archived from the original on 16 July 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016. The Resident Population of Greece is 10.816.286, of which 5.303.223 male (49,0%) and 5.513.063 female (51,0%) ... The total number of permanent residents of Greece with foreign citizenship during the Census was 912.000. [See Graph 6: Resident Population by Citizenship]
  4. ^ "Statistical Data on Immigrants in Greece: An Analytic Study of Available Data and Recommendations for Conformity with European Union Standards" (PDF). Archive of European Integration (AEI). University of Pittsburgh. 15 November 2004. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2016. [p. 5] The Census recorded 762.191 persons normally resident in Greece and without Greek citizenship, constituting around 7% of total population. Of these, 48.560 are EU or EFTA nationals; there are also 17.426 Cypriots with privileged status.
  5. ^ "Population - Country of Birth, Citizenship Category, Country of Citizenship, Language, Religion, Ethnic/Religious Group, 2011". Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  6. ^ Cole 2011, Yiannis Papadakis, "Cypriots, Greek", pp. 92–95
  7. ^ "Where are the Greek communities of the world?". themanews.com. Protothemanews.com. 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  8. ^ "Statistical Service – Population and Social Conditions – Population Census – Announcements – Preliminary Results of the Census of Population, 2011". Cystat.gov.cy. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Total ancestry categories tallied for people with one or more ancestry categories reported 2011–2013 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates". American FactFinder. U.S. Department of Commerce: United States Census Bureau. 2013. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  10. ^ "U.S. Relations with Greece". United States Department of State. 10 March 2016. Archived from the original on 21 January 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2016. Today, an estimated three million Americans resident in the United States claim Greek descent. This large, well-organized community cultivates close political and cultural ties with Greece.
  11. ^ "Population in private households 2021 by migration background". Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  12. ^ "2021 Census of Population and Housing General Community Profile". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  13. ^ "United Kingdom: Cultural Relations and Greek Community". Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 4 February 2011. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  14. ^ "Immigration and Ethnocultural Diversity Highlight Tables". statcan.gc.ca.
  15. ^ "South Africa: Cultural Relations and Greek Community". Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 4 February 2011. Archived from the original on 19 June 2006.
  16. ^ "Italy: Cultural Relations and Greek Community". Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 9 July 2013. Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016. The Greek Italian community numbers some 30,000 and is concentrated mainly in central Italy. The age-old presence in Italy of Italians of Greek descent – dating back to Byzantine and Classical times – is attested to by the Griko dialect, which is still spoken in the Magna Graecia region. This historically Greek-speaking villages are Condofuri, Galliciano, Roccaforte del Greco, Roghudi, Bova and Bova Marina, which are in the Calabria region (the capital of which is Reggio). The Grecanic region, including Reggio, has a population of some 200,000, while speakers of the Griko dialect number fewer that 1,000 persons.
  17. ^ "Grecia Salentina" (in Italian). Unione dei Comuni della Grecìa Salentina. 2016. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2016. La popolazione complessiva dell'Unione è di 54278 residenti così distribuiti (Dati Istat al 31° dicembre 2005. Comune Popolazione Calimera 7351 Carpignano Salentino 3868 Castrignano dei Greci 4164 Corigliano d'Otranto 5762 Cutrofiano 9250 Martano 9588 Martignano 1784 Melpignano 2234 Soleto 5551 Sternatia 2583 Zollino 2143 Totale 54278).
  18. ^ Bellinello 1998, p. 53: "Le attuali colonie Greche calabresi; La Grecìa calabrese si inscrive nel massiccio aspromontano e si concentra nell'ampia e frastagliata valle dell'Amendolea e nelle balze più a oriente, dove sorgono le fiumare dette di S. Pasquale, di Palizzi e Sidèroni e che costituiscono la Bovesia vera e propria. Compresa nei territori di cinque comuni (Bova Superiore, Bova Marina, Roccaforte del Greco, Roghudi, Condofuri), la Grecia si estende per circa 233 km (145 mi)q. La popolazione anagrafica complessiva è di circa 14.000 unità."
  19. ^ "English version of Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports a few thousand and Greek version 3.800". MFA.gr. Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  20. ^ Rippin, Andrew (2008). World Islam: Critical Concepts in Islamic Studies. Routledge. p. 77. ISBN 978-0415456531.
  21. ^ Parvex R. (2014). Le Chili et les mouvements migratoires Archived 1 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Hommes & migrations, Nº 1305, 2014. doi:10.4000/hommesmigrations.2720 Archived 27 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine.
  22. ^ "Ukraine: Cultural Relations and Greek Community". Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 4 February 2011. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016. There is a significant Greek presence in southern and eastern Ukraine, which can be traced back to ancient Greek and Byzantine settlers. Ukrainian citizens of Greek descent amount to 91,000 people, although their number is estimated to be much higher by the Federation of Greek communities of Mariupol.
  23. ^ "Итоги Всероссийской переписи населения 2010 года в отношении демографических и социально-экономических характеристик отдельных национальностей". Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  24. ^ "The Greek Community". Archived from the original on 13 June 2007.
  25. ^ "France: Cultural Relations and Greek Community". Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 9 July 2013. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016. Some 15,000 Greeks reside in the wider region of Paris, Lille and Lyon. In the region of Southern France, the Greek community numbers some 20,000.
  26. ^ "Belgium: Cultural Relations and Greek Community". Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 28 January 2011. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2016. Some 35,000 Greeks reside in Belgium. Official Belgian data numbers Greeks in the country at 17,000, but does not take into account Greeks who have taken Belgian citizenship or work for international organizations and enterprises.
  27. ^ "CBS Statline". Archived from the original on 28 May 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  28. ^ "Bevolking; geslacht, leeftijd, generatie en migratieachtergrond, 1 januari" (in Dutch). Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). 22 July 2021. Archived from the original on 28 May 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  29. ^ "Immigration to Uruguay" (PDF) (in Spanish). INE. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  30. ^ "World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – Turkey: Rum Orthodox Christians". Minority Rights Group (MRG). 2005. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  31. ^ "Pontic". Ethnologue: Languages of the World. SIL International. 2016. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  32. ^ "Argentina: Cultural Relations and Greek Community". Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 9 July 2013. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2016. It is estimated that some 20,000 to 30,000 persons of Greek origin currently reside in Argentina, and there are Greek communities in the wider region of Buenos Aires.
  33. ^ "Sweden: Cultural Relations and Greek Community". Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 4 February 2011. Archived from the original on 5 April 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2019. The Greek community in Sweden consists of approximately 24,000 Greeks who are permanent inhabitants, included in Swedish society and active in various sectors: science, arts, literature, culture, media, education, business, and politics.
  34. ^ "Population and Housing Census 2023" (PDF). Instituti i Statistikës (INSTAT).
  35. ^ "Население по местоживеене, възраст и етническа група". censusresults.nsi.bg. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  36. ^ "Bulgaria: Cultural Relations and Greek Community". Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 28 January 2011. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2016. There are some 28,500 persons of Greek origin and citizenship residing in Bulgaria. This number includes approximately 15,000 Sarakatsani, 2,500 former political refugees, 8,000 "old Greeks", 2,000 university students and 1,000 professionals and their families.
  37. ^ "Georgia: Cultural Relations and Greek Community". Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 31 January 2011. Archived from the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016. The Greek community of Georgia is currently estimated at 15,000 people, mostly elderly people living in the Tsalkas area.
  38. ^ "Migranti z Řecka v Česku" [Migrants from Greece in the Czech Republic] (PDF). Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in Czech). 9 March 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  39. ^ "Switzerland: Cultural Relations and Greek Community". Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 10 December 2015. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016. The Greek community in Switzerland is estimated to number some 11,000 persons (of a total of 1.5 million foreigners residing in the country.
  40. ^ "Romania: Cultural Relations and Greek Community". Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 6 December 2013. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016. The Greek Romanian community numbers some 10,000, and there are many Greeks working in established Greek enterprises in Romania.
  41. ^ "Greeks in Uzbekistan". Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst. The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute. 21 June 2000. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2008. Currently there are about 9,500 Greeks living in Uzbekistan, with 6,500 living in Tashkent.
  42. ^ "Kazakhstan: Cultural Relations and Greek Community". Hellenic Republic: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 3 February 2011. Archived from the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016. There are between 10,000 and 12,000 ethnic Greeks living in Kazakhstan, organized in several communities.
  43. ^ "Greeks Around the Globe". AusGreekNet. Archived from the original on 19 June 2006.
  44. ^ "Bevölkerung nach Staatsangehörigkeit und Geburtsland". Archived from the original on 13 November 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  45. ^ Vukovich, Gabriella (2018). Mikrocenzus 2016 – 12. Nemzetiségi adatok [2016 microcensus – 12. Ethnic data] (PDF) (in Hungarian). Budapest. ISBN 978-963-235-542-9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2019. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  46. ^ Roberts 2007, pp. 171–172, 222.
  47. ^ Latacz 2004, pp. 159, 165–166.
  48. ^ a b Sutton 1996.
  49. ^ Beaton 1996, pp. 1–25.
  50. ^ CIA World Factbook on Greece: Greek Orthodox 98%, Greek Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%.
  51. ^ Thomas Heath (1981). A History of Greek Mathematics. Courier Dover Publications. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-486-24073-2. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
  52. ^ Tulloch, A. (2017). Understanding English Homonyms: Their Origins and Usage. Hong Kong University Press. p. 153. ISBN 978-988-8390-64-9. Retrieved 30 November 2023. Greek is the world's oldest recorded living language.
  53. ^ Kurt Aland, Barbara Aland The text of the New Testament: an introduction to the critical 1995 p. 52
  54. ^ Archibald Macbride Hunter Introducing the New Testament 1972 p. 9
  55. ^ Bubenik, V. (2007). "The rise of Koiné". In A. F. Christidis (ed.). A History of Ancient Greek: From the Beginnings to Late Antiquity. Cambridge: University Press. pp. 342–345.