Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Greece instead of Turkey, you would:

Health

live 5.4 years longer

In Turkey, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2020. In Greece, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2020.

be 22.4% less likely to be obese

In Turkey, 32.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Greece, that number is 24.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 97.2% more likely to be unemployed

In Turkey, 10.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Greece, that number is 21.5% as of 2017.

be 64.4% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Turkey, 21.9% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Greece, however, that number is 36.0% as of 2014.

pay a 37.1% higher top tax rate

Turkey has a top tax rate of 35.0% as of 2016. In Greece, the top tax rate is 48.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 82.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Turkey, approximately 17.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Greece, 3.0 women do as of 2017.

be 76.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Turkey, approximately 15.8 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Greece, on the other hand, 3.7 children do as of 2020.

have 47.3% fewer children

In Turkey, there are approximately 14.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Greece, there are 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

Geography

see 89.9% more coastline

Turkey has a total of 7,200 km of coastline. In Greece, that number is 13,676 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, GSIS, Greece, Revenue Administration, Government of Turkey.

Greece: At a glance

Greece is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 130,647 sq km. Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and other anti-communist and communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. In 1967, a group of military officers seized power, establishing a military dictatorship that suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country. In 1974, democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in 2001. In 2010, the prospect of a Greek default on its euro-denominated debt created severe strains within the EMU and raised the question of whether a member country might voluntarily leave the common currency or be removed.
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How big is Greece compared to Turkey? See an in-depth size comparison.

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