Starting January 1, 2026, the salaries of conscripts in the Greek Armed Forces will increase significantly, according to a new Joint Ministerial Decision (JMD) issued by Nikos Dendias, Minister of National Defense, and Athanasios Petralias, Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance. The decision is part of the Defense Ministry’s overhaul of the country’s army.
The new policy, published in the Government Gazette, applies to both active conscripts and reservists. It includes the abolition or merging of old categories, along with new pay differentiations based on the service location. The total annual cost of these increases amounts to €24 million, which will be covered through budget savings by the Ministry of Defense.
Some of the key payment increases are
- Border regions: Monthly pay will increase from €8.80 to €100—a 1,036% raise.
- Inland regions: Monthly pay will rise from €8.80 to €50—a 468% increase.
- Special increases are also introduced for conscripts who are parents, married, unmarried, or orphans.
In more detail, the payment upgrades in the armed forces are
- Children of large families: from €35.00 to €150.00 (+330%)
- Married/unmarried with one child: from €88.04 to €150.00 (+70%)
- With two children: from €140.87 to €200.00 (+42%)
- With three children: from €234.78 to €250.00 (+7%)
- Additional children: +€50.00 per child beyond three
- Single conscripts orphaned by one parent: from €35.22 to €150.00 (+326%)
