In 2023, the Greek established Blue Economy sectors employ about 610 000 people, 6.7% increase on the previous year, and generate around €12.9 billion in GVA, a staggering 30% increase on 2022. The Blue Economy employs roughly 15% of the national workforce, an increase from 14.2% recorded in 2022 and almost back to pre-Covid levels (15.8% in 2019). Greek Blue Economy contributes to 6.6% of the national GVA in 2023, an increase from 5.4% recorded in 2022 and higher than pre-Covid values (in 2019 it was 5.6%).
The Greek Blue Economy is almost entirely driven by Coastal tourism activities in terms of employment, with 84% of blue workers employed in this sector in 2023. Persons employed in the sector Marine living resources amount to 9% of the Blue Economy workforce, whilst the other sectors contribute very marginally to the workforce.
In terms of GVA, Coastal tourism contributes the most to the Blue Economy GVA (72%) in 2023, in line with the previous year. However, in nominal values, the GVA recorded by this sector in 2023 is much greater than one year before (€9.2 billion in 2023 vs €7.2 billion in 2022). The second largest contribution to the Greek Blue Economy in terms of GVA is provided by Maritime transport activities (13%), which has a larger nominal value than the previous year (€1.7 billion vs €1.1 billion).
In 2023, Greece is the second largest contributor in terms of workforce in EU for the sector Coastal tourism and the sixth largest for Marine non-living resources. Looking at GVA contribution to the EU blue economy, Greece is the fourth largest contributor for the sector Coastal tourism, and the fifth largest for Marine non-living resources.
In 2024, the busiest Greek container ports in terms of gross weight of goods handled are the Port of Peiraias (ranked 17th in EU for the year), the Port of Agioi Theodoroi (43rd) and Thessaloniki (52nd). In terms of passengers embarked and disembarked in ports, the port of Peiraias is the first ranked in Greece and the 5th busiest in EU in 2024. Other busy passengers ports are Paloukia Salaminas and Perame (8th in EU), and Igoumenitsa (31st in EU).
National institutional bodies overlooking blue economy matters include the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT). Furthermore, some research and technical bodies monitor the blue sectors, such as the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, includes three institutes of research (i.e. Institute of Marine Biology Biotechnology and Aquaculture, the Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, and the Institute of Oceanography), and the Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving (CRES).
Some educational opportunities in the realm of blue sectors are offered by Greek institutions, such as the MSc in Marine Sustainable Blue Economy or the MSc in Marine Science & Technology at the University of Piraeus.
For more national level data, please visit the Dashboards section within the EU Blue Economy Observatory, where you can also find information about Educational and Employment opportunities in the Blue Economy sectors.
Text version
This interactive dashboard presents the evolution of the blue economy for Greece. It is designed to provide insights into key economic indicators over time.
At the top of the dashboard, there is a drop-down menu that allows users to select one of the following data categories:
- Employment: Number of jobs and workforce trends in the blue economy sectors.
- Gross Value Added (GVA): The contribution of the blue economy to the national economy.
- Turnover and Gross Profit: Revenue and profitability metrics of blue economy industries.
- Investment: Capital investment levels in blue economy sectors.
Once a category is selected, the main panel updates to display relevant visualisations, such as line charts or bar graphs, showing trends over time. These visualisations are accompanied by labels, legends, and tooltips to ensure clarity and accessibility.
The dashboard is navigable via keyboard and compatible with screen readers. All interactive elements are clearly labeled, and data visualisations include alternative text descriptions summarising key insights.