More deaths were recorded in Greece in 2017 as opposed to births, according to the Greek statistics authority this week, exacerbating a decades-old demographic problem in the country.
Last year, in fact, witnessed the biggest gap between reported births and deaths since the Greek state began recording such data, with 88,553 births reported to 124,501 deaths, a "deficit" of 35,948.
Another two unenviable demographic records were broken in 2017: annual births fell under 90,000 for the first time, and deaths exceeded 124,000 for the first time.
Year-on-year, births in 2017 dropped by 4.7 percent compared to 2016, when 47,882 boys and 45,016 girls were born.
The number of deaths also increased in 2017, compared to 2016, up by 4.8 percent.
According to data collected by municipal registrars, 50,138 marriages were recorded in 2017; 25,163 conducted through civil ceremonies and 24,975 being religious ceremonies. Registered civil partnerships reached 4,921.
