Greece is a developed country with its economy supported mainly by the service and commercial sectors (85%) and industry (12%), while agriculture makes up 3% of the GDP. Tourism has shown a steady increase in the number of tourists visiting Greece with 16‐17 million international tourists every year (2009‐2011) which accounts for 18‐20% of Greece’s GDP. Tourism employs more than 900.000 people, either directly or indirectly, and is the leading source of the country’s invisible receipts (36% in 2007). After a prolonged period of economic growth, Greece is facing a serious economic crisis. Official unemployment stands at 26% of the work force with youth unemployment of over 50%. The crisis caused a decrease in the number of tourists visiting the country but estimations are that the trend is reversing.
More than 75% of the population lives in urban areas. Athens and the surrounding urban areas have a population of 4,5 million while the city of Thessaloniki in the north has a population of 1 million. With its 20 million passengers and 1.5 million containers per year, Piraeus is the biggest and busiest port in the country.