Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Greece fits inside Italy 2.3 times
Greece: 131,960 km² (2024) · Italy: 302,070 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Greece’s coastline is 80% longer than Italy’s
Greece: 13,676 km (2026 edition) · Italy: 7,600 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Italy’s highest peak towers 1,831 m above Greece’s
Greece: 2,917 m (2026 edition) · Italy: 4,748 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 44% of Italy, versus 39% of Greece
Greece: 38.9% (2024) · Italy: 43.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Italy has 5.7 times as many people as Greece
Greece: 10.4 million (2025) · Italy: 58.9 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Italy is 2.5 times as densely populated as Greece
Greece: 81 per km² (2025) · Italy: 199 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Greece are 4.8 cm taller than in Italy
Greece: 179.3 cm (2019) · Italy: 174.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Greece are 4.0 cm taller than in Italy
Greece: 165.8 cm (2019) · Italy: 161.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Italy is 1.7 years older than in Greece
Greece: 45.7 years (2023) · Italy: 47.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Greece have 0.1 more children on average than in Italy
Greece: 1.24 children per woman (2024) · Italy: 1.18 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Italy are 65 or older, versus 24% in Greece
Greece: 24.4% (2025) · Italy: 25.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Greece hosts 3.9 times as many refugees per resident as Italy
Greece: 12.9 per 1,000 (2025) · Italy: 3.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Italy has produced 3.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Greece 1.0
Greece: 1 (2026) · Italy: 3.4 (2026)
How many official languages?
Greece and Italy are practically level
Greece: 1 (2026) · Italy: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Italy’s economy is 9.1 times the size of Greece’s
Greece: $281 billion (2025) · Italy: $2.55 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Italy produces 39% more per person than Greece
Greece: Int$45,264 (2025) · Italy: Int$62,803 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Italy than in Greece (Gini 0.9 points higher)
Greece: 33.4 (2023) · Italy: 34.3 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Italy and Greece are practically level
Greece: 0.6% (2023) · Italy: 0.9% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.5% in Greece, versus 6.4% in Italy
Greece: 8.5% (2025) · Italy: 6.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Greece spends 3.0% of its GDP on the military, Italy 1.9%
Greece: 3% (2025) · Italy: 1.9% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Greece’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, Italy’s 26%
Greece: 27.4% (2024) · Italy: 25.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Italy’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Greece’s
Greece: 60% (2025) · Italy: 69% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Italy spends 73% more on health per person than Greece
Greece: $1,963 (2023) · Italy: $3,398 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Italy live 2.1 years longer than in Greece
Greece: 81.8 years (2024) · Italy: 84 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Greece is 39% more likely to die before turning one than in Italy
Greece: 3.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Italy: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Greece has 57% more doctors per person than Italy
Greece: 6.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Italy: 4.2 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Greece has 40% more hospital beds per person than Italy
Greece: 4.3 per 1,000 (2022) · Italy: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Italy is 46% higher than in Greece
Greece: 3.9 per 100k (2023) · Italy: 5.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
34% of adults in Greece are obese, versus 18% in Italy
Greece: 33.7% (2024) · Italy: 17.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Greece smoke, versus 22% in Italy
Greece: 30.2% (2024) · Italy: 22.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Italy rate their lives 0.88 points higher than in Greece
Greece: 5.70 (2025) · Italy: 6.57 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Greece drink 2% more alcohol than in Italy
Greece: 8.6 litres (2023) · Italy: 8.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Greece has 15% more meat per person than Italy
Greece: 82 kg (2023) · Italy: 71.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Italy has 371 kcal more food per person per day than Greece
Greece: 3,382 kcal (2023) · Italy: 3,753 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Greece put in 192 more hours a year than in Italy
Greece: 1,893 hours (2023) · Italy: 1,701 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Greece went to school 0.73 years longer than in Italy
Greece: 11.6 years (2023) · Italy: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Greece welcomed 2.7 times as many tourists per resident as Italy (2019)
Greece: 2.67 (2022) · Italy: 0.98 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Italy has 41 more World Heritage sites than Greece (62 against 21)
Greece: 21 (2026) · Italy: 62 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Italy has won 829 Olympic medals, Greece 129
Greece: 129 (2026 edition) · Italy: 829 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in Italy are online, versus 86% in Greece
Greece: 86% (2024) · Italy: 89% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Italy is 47% faster than in Greece
Greece: 186 Mbps (2026) · Italy: 274 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Greece and Italy are practically level
Greece: 100% (2024) · Italy: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in Greece live in cities, versus 70% in Italy
Greece: 79% (2025) · Italy: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Italy has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Greece 114
Greece: 114 (2024) · Italy: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Italy’s railway network is 7.4 times as long as Greece’s
Greece: 2,339 km (2021) · Italy: 17,305 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Greece fly 5.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Italy
Greece: 1.83 (2023) · Italy: 0.34 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 37% of Greece, but only 32% of Italy
Greece: 36.9% (2024) · Italy: 31.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Greece emits 4% more CO₂ than someone in Italy
Greece: 5.3 t (2024) · Italy: 5.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
50% of Greece’s electricity is renewable, versus 49% in Italy
Greece: 49.7% (2025) · Italy: 48.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
Italy and Greece are nearly identical here
Greece: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Italy: 15.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 48% more likely to be murdered in Greece than in Italy
Greece: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · Italy: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Greece are 27% deadlier than in Italy
Greece: 10.8 per 100k (2023) · Italy: 8.5 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Greece is on average 1.8 °C warmer than Italy
Greece: 15.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Italy: 13.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Italy gets 29% more rain than Greece
Greece: 800 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Italy: 1,030 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Greece bigger than Italy?
Italy is larger. Greece fits inside Italy 2.3 times.
Which has more people, Greece or Italy?
Italy has 5.7 times as many people as Greece (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Greece or Italy?
People in Italy live 2.1 years longer than in Greece. Life expectancy at birth is 81.8 years in Greece and 84.0 in Italy.
Are people taller in Greece or Italy?
Men in Greece are 4.8 cm taller than in Italy (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
