Μake us preferred on Google Attica attracted 79% of the new foreign direct investment projects that EY recorded in Greece in 2025, exposing a sharply uneven geographic distribution behind the rise in investment activity. Only six of the country’s thirteen regions appear on the investment map, while Central Macedonia’s share shrank to just 9%.
Data from the EY Attractiveness Survey Greece 2026 show that the increase in investment projects was not matched by a broader regional spread. On the contrary, concentration in Attica intensified markedly: its share climbed from an average of 57% over 2022–2024 to 79% in 2025, a jump of 22 percentage points.
The comparison refers to Attica’s share of the number of projects tracked by EY’s European Investment Monitor database. It does not reflect the region’s share of the total value of foreign capital entering Greece.
Central Macedonia holds on to second place, but the gap with Attica is widening. Its share fell to 9%, down from an average of 21% over the previous three years, a decline of 12 percentage points.
Thessaly and Central Greece each accounted for 4%, while Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and Crete each registered 2%. The remaining seven regions recorded no projects in the 2025 survey.
That does not mean no investment took place in those areas. It means no projects falling within the scope of EY’s database were recorded there.
More Projects, Narrower Geographic Reach
In total, EY recorded 47 investment projects in Greece in 2025, up from 35 in 2024, an increase of roughly 34%. The country rose to 19th place in the European rankings, from 23rd a year earlier.
Yet the higher number of projects coincides with a stronger concentration in Attica. These are two sides of the same performance: Greece is attracting more projects, but their geographic footprint remains limited and is becoming increasingly centered on the country’s largest economic hub.
The regional dimension matters because the projects tracked by the European Investment Monitor involve new facilities and new jobs. Their location therefore shapes where immediate employment and business opportunities emerge.
The data, however, do not make it possible to calculate what share of new jobs or invested capital goes to each region. A smaller number of projects may still involve larger investments.
What the Survey Covers—and What It Leaves Out
EY’s database tracks announced foreign investments that create new facilities and jobs in manufacturing and services. It is not a full census of investment in Greece: it excludes hotels, real estate, portfolio investment, and equipment replacement, and counts mergers and acquisitions only when they lead to new facilities or jobs.
EY acknowledges that tourism and real estate, both major pillars of the Greek economy, are not fully captured. For tourism-heavy regions especially, absence from the map does not mean a lack of investment.
Still, the finding stands: within the investments EY monitors, regional diversification has declined. More projects are good news for Greece, but spreading them more widely remains a separate challenge.
