Greece vs North Macedonia
Greece is 5.13 times larger than North Macedonia. North Macedonia would fit into Greece about 5.1 times.
GreeceNorth MacedoniaGreece moved onto North Macedonia · Equal-area projection
5.13×
Greece is 5.13× the area of North Macedonia.
 Greece |  North Macedonia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaGreece: 5.13× the area | 131,957 km²#95 of 194 | 25,713 km²#146 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationGreece: 5.72× the population | 10,413,962#94 of 194 · 2025 | 1,820,909#149 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityGreece: 1.11× the density | 79 / km²#105 of 194 | 71 / km²#115 of 194 |
| Urban populationGreece: 1.26× the urban share | 79%#47 of 192 · 2025 | 63%#98 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateNorth Macedonia: 1.13× the births per woman | 1.24 per woman#174 of 192 · 2024 | 1.40 per woman#157 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthGreece: 0.27 points higher | +0.08%#152 of 192 · 2025 | −0.19%#173 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateNorth Macedonia: 1.33× the birth rate | 6.6 per 1,000#185 of 192 · 2024 | 8.8 per 1,000#158 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateGreece: 1.09× the death rate | 12.1 per 1,000#16 of 192 · 2024 | 11.1 per 1,000#24 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15North Macedonia: 3.6 points higher | 12.9%#182 of 192 · 2025 | 16.5%#146 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Greece: 5.9 points higher | 24.4%#5 of 192 · 2025 | 18.5%#37 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationGreece: 4.7 per 1,000 higher | +1.6 per 1,000#42 of 192 · 2025 | −3.1 per 1,000#160 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadNorth Macedonia: 104× the refugees for its size | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 1.04 per 1,000#57 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyGreece: 5.2 years longer | 81.8 years#32 of 192 · 2024 | 76.6 years#70 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityGreece: 1.28× the infant mortality | 3.2 per 1,000 births#163 of 191 · 2024 | 2.5 per 1,000 births#173 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsGreece: 2.24× the doctors per person | 6.58 per 1,000#4 of 178 · 2022 | 2.94 per 1,000#62 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentGreece: 3.0× the university enrolment | 165.1%#1 of 145 · 2023 | 55.0%#66 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexGreece: 0.093 higher | 0.908#33 of 190 · 2023 | 0.815#67 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaGreece: 2.67× the income per person | $25,360#45 of 185 · 2025 | $9,490#82 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPGreece: 14.7× the economy | $280.64B2025 | $19.1B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Greece: 1.61× the output per person | $45,264#49 of 184 · 2025 | $28,029#74 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthNorth Macedonia: 1.4 points higher | +2.1%#127 of 187 · 2025 | +3.5%#86 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNorth Macedonia: 1.6 points higher | +2.5%#99 of 176 · 2025 | +4.1%#52 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentNorth Macedonia: 1.45× the unemployment | 8.5%#45 of 178 · 2025 | 12.3%#23 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyNorth Macedonia: 6.5× the share in extreme poverty | 0.6%#102 of 149 · 2023 | 3.9%#59 of 149 · 2019 |
| Income inequality (Gini)North Macedonia: 0.1 higher | 33.4#90 of 149 · 2023 | 33.5#87 of 149 · 2019 |
| Jobs in agricultureGreece: 2.2 points higher | 10.7% of jobs#108 of 178 · 2025 | 8.5% of jobs#116 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNorth Macedonia: 14.3 points higher | 16.3% of jobs#125 of 178 · 2025 | 30.6% of jobs#17 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesGreece: 12.1 points higher | 73.0% of jobs#38 of 178 · 2025 | 60.9% of jobs#81 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentGreece: 1.3 points higher | 4.8% of GDP#39 of 184 · 2025 | 3.5% of GDP#56 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsNorth Macedonia: 20.1 points higher | 39.5% of GDP#76 of 168 · 2025 | 59.6% of GDP#34 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingGreece: 1.52× the military spending | 3.0% of GDP#32 of 155 · 2025 | 2.0% of GDP#66 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersNorth Macedonia: 1.08× the share online | 86%#73 of 184 · 2024 | 93%#39 of 184 · 2025 |
| Mobile subscriptionsGreece: 1.06× the mobile subscriptions | 114 per 100#99 of 191 · 2024 | 108 per 100#114 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaNorth Macedonia: 1.11× the forest share | 37% of land#75 of 192 · 2024 | 41% of land#65 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personGreece: 1.26× the CO₂ per person | 5.05 t a year#49 of 185 · 2024 | 4.00 t a year#61 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGreece: 2.0 points higher | 21.5%#101 of 190 · 2021 | 19.5%#109 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)North Macedonia: 1.55× the air pollution | 14.1 µg/m³#124 of 191 · 2023 | 21.8 µg/m³#73 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landGreece: 6.0 points higher | 35.0% of land#23 of 191 · 2025 | 29.0% of land#37 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNorth Macedonia: 2.0 points higher | 14.2% of land#76 of 190 · 2024 | 16.2% of land#66 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNorth Macedonia: 2.59× the water stress | 20.3%#67 of 176 · 2022 | 52.6%#35 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationGreece: 1.05× the rain and snow | 652 mm#121 of 180 · 2022 | 619 mm#128 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNorth Macedonia: 0.10 higher | +0.28#81 of 193 · 2025 | +0.38#76 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionGreece: 0.55 higher | +0.25#71 of 193 · 2025 | −0.30#102 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateNorth Macedonia: 1.88× the homicide rate | 0.8 per 100,000#117 of 146 · 2023 | 1.5 per 100,000#86 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Parliamentary republic |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD | NATO |
| Capital | Athens | Skopje |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Macedonian denar (MKD) |
| Official languages | Greek | Albanian, Macedonian |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +30 | +389 |
| Region | Southern Europe, Europe | Southern Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Greece sits at about 39° N and is stretched to 1.66× its true area; North Macedonia at 42° N is stretched to 1.79×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Greece bigger than North Macedonia?
- Yes. Greece is 5.13 times larger than North Macedonia. Greece covers 131,957 km² and North Macedonia covers 25,713 km².
- How many times does North Macedonia fit into Greece?
- About 5.1 times: Greece has 5.13× the area of North Macedonia.
- Why do Greece and North Macedonia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Greece is drawn about 1.66× its true area there and North Macedonia about 1.79×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Greece or North Macedonia?
- Greece: 10,413,962 people against 1,820,909. Density: Greece 79 per km², North Macedonia 71 per km².
- Which is richer, Greece or North Macedonia?
- By gross national income per person, Greece: $25,360 against $9,490 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.67× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Greece or North Macedonia?
- In Greece: life expectancy at birth is 81.8 years, against 76.6 — 5.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Greece and North Macedonia have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: parliamentary republic (CIA World Factbook).