The number of Greek university graduates moving to other European countries increased significantly in 2025, reaching the highest level recorded in recent years, according to an analysis of available migration and employment data.
Data compiled by Greece in Figures, based on the Labor Force Survey (LFS) and sample surveys from European statistical authorities, shows that nearly 14,000 more Greek graduates left for Europe in 2025 compared with the previous year. The increase represents a 12.1% rise in just 12 months.
The figures concern Greeks aged 20 to 64 who grew up and studied in Greece and later moved to countries belonging to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which includes European Union member states as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
A total of 128,500 Greek university graduates have moved to Europe since 2000, according to the analysis.
Graduates among the largest groups of Greeks abroad
University graduates now represent one of three similarly sized groups of Greeks living in Europe. They are joined by those who completed secondary education or vocational training, numbering 126,300 people, and those with only compulsory education, numbering 130,200.
The employment rate among Greek graduates living abroad stands at 85.9%, significantly higher than the employment rate of graduates who remain in Greece.
The broader trend is not limited to highly educated workers. The number of Greeks aged 20 to 64 who have moved to Europe since 2000 reached 386,100 in 2025, an increase of 30,300 people in a single year and a historic high.
The figures do not include Greeks who have moved to destinations outside Europe, such as the Americas, Africa, Asia or Oceania.
Brain drain remains a challenge
The issue of “brain drain” — the migration of highly educated workers abroad — became a major topic of public debate during Greece’s financial crisis years. In recent years, Greek authorities have promoted policies aimed at encouraging skilled professionals who left the country to return.
Government officials have highlighted improvements in employment levels, wages and working conditions as factors that could attract Greek professionals back home. However, the latest figures do not appear to show a significant return of graduates.
Instead, the number of Greek graduates leaving the country has continued to rise over the past three years.
Greece records highest unemployment rate among graduates in Europe
According to European statistics, Greece recorded the highest unemployment rate among university graduates aged 25 to 64 in 2025, followed by Spain.
Across Europe, university graduates account for an average of 32.4% of the population in this age group, while graduate unemployment averages 4%.
In Greece, graduates make up 30.2% of the population — close to the European average — but unemployment among them reaches 6.8%, the highest rate among European countries.
Economic pressures continue to influence migration
The decline in Greece’s overall unemployment rate also showed signs of slowing. Data from the Greek Labor Force Survey for April 2026 showed that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 9.5%, compared with a revised 9.0% in April 2025.
The number of employed people stood at 4,318,719, down by 3,592 compared with April 2025 and by 9,887 compared with March 2026. The number of unemployed people reached 452,305, an increase of 26,607 compared with the previous year.
The analysis suggests that efforts to bring Greek workers back — both highly skilled professionals and other workers — require more than public campaigns or policies designed on paper.
