The findings of a landmark new study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the National Documentation and Electronic Content Centre (EKT) on the Greek diaspora, human capital utilization, and the prospects for repatriation took center stage at a special event. According to the OECD Diaspora Review Greece — presented publicly for the first time at an event organized by the General Secretariat for Government Coordination and the EKT — a new dynamic has emerged in recent years in Greece’s relationship with Greeks living and working abroad, marked by a gradual reversal in migration flows.
Brain gain: A comprehensive picture of the Greek diaspora in OECD member states
The study offers a comprehensive portrait of the Greek diaspora across OECD member states, mapping migration trends over recent decades and highlighting the demographic, educational, and professional characteristics of Greeks living and working abroad.
Specifically, it covers:
Migration trends and geographic distribution — The study maps the size, geographic spread, and historical evolution of the Greek diaspora across OECD countries, while analyzing recent emigration trends and the migration intentions of Greek citizens.
Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of Greek migrants and their families, including gender, age, and education level. The analysis sheds light on the composition and evolution of the diaspora’s human capital.
Labor market integration and skills — The study examines Greek migrants’ participation in host-country labor markets, covering employment, unemployment, and sectoral distribution. It also analyzes their skills, the phenomenon of overqualification, and entrepreneurial activity.
Return to Greece — Repatriation trends and the factors influencing them are analyzed in depth, along with policies and best practices that could strengthen the attraction and reintegration of diaspora Greeks.
International mobility, education, and research — The study examines the educational attainment and research activity of Greek students and researchers abroad, including their demographic and professional profiles, length of stay, and prospects for returning to Greece.
Human capital utilization strategies — The study reviews existing policies and proposed interventions that could strengthen ties between the diaspora and Greece, and better leverage the human capital residing abroad.
Skertsос: “2023 was a turning point for brain drain”
Minister of State Akis Skertsos stated that “the Greeks who left during the years of the crisis are returning because Greece today is a stronger country than the one we inherited in 2019 — stronger in its economy, defense, energy, digital governance, healthcare, education, civil protection, and support for its most vulnerable citizens. At the same time, we have implemented specific policies to encourage and support the prospect of return. We carried out a major tax reform in favor of young people and families, including zero income tax for those under 25 and reduced rates up to age 30. We strengthened fiscal stability, reduced public debt and tax evasion, and created the conditions to ensure younger generations never again face a national bankruptcy. We pushed forward with reforms that are transforming the country: non-state universities and the internationalization of higher education institutions, digital governance, the green energy transition, justice reform, and the completion of the national land registry. To these we add the facilitation of voting rights for Greeks abroad, repatriation tax incentives, ReBrain Greece, Elevate Greece, the Strategic Plan for Overseas Greeks, and the country’s investment in artificial intelligence technologies. We know there is still much to be done — and it will be done. Yet the positive return balance over departures since 2023 signals that we are now on the right track.”
Niki Kerameos: “There is now a changed environment and significant professional opportunities”
Minister of Labor and Social Insurance Niki Kerameos stated that “the return of Greek human capital is a matter of strategic importance for the government. There is now a changed environment and significant professional opportunities. Between 2019 and 2025, more than 563,000 new jobs were created, unemployment fell to 8.1% from 17.8%, and the average full-time salary exceeded €1,500 per month in April 2026.
We offer significant incentives for anyone returning to Greece to work or start a business. We also organize ReBrain Greece events in various cities abroad where large Greek communities are active, bringing diaspora Greeks into direct contact with companies operating in Greece that are seeking specialized talent. Over the past fifteen years, 473,000 citizens have already returned to our country. Our goal, through all these initiatives, is a Greece that gives young people reasons to build their future here — and a Greece where those who left can find real prospects for return.”
Giannis Loverdos: “Our compatriots return when they see that Greece can offer them a future”
Deputy Foreign Minister Giannis Loverdos emphasized that “after many years, the trend of Greeks returning to their homeland is acquiring stable and measurable characteristics. This is no coincidence. Nostalgia alone is not enough to support such a major life decision. Our compatriots return when they see that Greece can offer them prospects, stability, and opportunities for growth. In a world of increased mobility, the priority is to maintain living and meaningful ties with Greeks wherever they may be. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Strategic Plan for Overseas Greeks and its young diaspora hosting programs, aims to create lasting and reciprocal bonds with Greeks abroad — helping to establish the conditions under which those who wish to return do so in a Greece where the economy is recovering, the environment is becoming more predictable, and there are greater opportunities to put to use the knowledge and international experience they gained abroad.”
The study’s findings on strategy-building and the development of effective policies for connecting Greece with its diaspora, attracting talent, and enhancing the prospects for the return of overseas Greeks were subsequently discussed by Greece’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the OECD, Professor Giorgos Pagoulatos; the Secretary General for Overseas Greeks and Public Diplomacy, Maira Myrogianni; the Secretary General of the Government Presidency, Evi Dramaliotis; and the Secretary General for Labor Relations at the Ministry of Labor and Social Insurance, Nikos Milapidis. The discussion was moderated by EKT Director Kyriakos Tolias.
Among the key points raised: the positive migration balance has distinct characteristics, with highly skilled professionals accounting for a large share of returnees; the outward orientation and internationalization of Greek universities is making a significant contribution; a critical challenge remains the simplification and further digitization of repatriation procedures; and strengthening networking with Greek human capital abroad for knowledge exchange is essential.
The study produced by EKT and the OECD represents an important knowledge tool for understanding current trends in the Greek diaspora and the international mobility of human capital. It provides valuable data for designing policies that strengthen Greece’s connection with its overseas community. The EKT initiative fills a long-standing gap in the documentation and analysis of Greek emigration data, contributing meaningfully to evidence-based public policy and the development of incentives to support the return of Greeks living abroad. Similar studies have been conducted for countries such as Germany, Romania, and Georgia, with the aim of analyzing migration flows, the integration of migrants into labor markets, and their contribution to both origin and destination economies, in order to better leverage human capital potential.
For the Greek case, authoritative databases from the OECD, the United Nations, Eurostat, as well as national statistics and census data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) and the EKT were utilized, forming a coherent and reliable analytical framework.
Questions and answers in full
- Does international mobility mean a loss of human capital, or can it be a positive development for Greece?
Mobility is not inherently negative or exclusively positive. It can enable people to acquire skills, international experience, professional networks, and access to advanced research or business environments. These gains can later flow back to the country of origin naturally, through collaborations, investments, entrepreneurship, and knowledge transfer. The problem arises when emigration is prolonged, when it disproportionately affects young and highly educated people, and when the country of origin lacks mechanisms to maintain ties with them. In that case, domestic productive, research, and demographic dynamism can be constrained. For this reason, the international discourse has shifted from the logic of “brain drain” to that of “brain circulation.” The goal is not to restrict freedom of movement, but to enable the circulation of knowledge, skills, and people between Greece and destination countries.
- Can we now say that the brain drain has been reversed?
The data point to a significant change in direction: since 2020, outflows have been declining steadily. The year 2023 marks a turning point, with estimated inflows of Greek citizens reaching approximately 46,000, compared to 37,000 departures. In 2024, the gap widened further, with nearly 52,000 arrivals and around 32,000 departures — meaning the inflow-outflow balance has been reversed for the first time since 2009.
In total, from 2010 to 2024, 773,296 Greeks left the country and 473,044 returned — meaning six in ten have repatriated. The majority of returnees represent high-skilled human capital, which is an extremely positive sign. The safe conclusion, therefore, is that Greece has entered a more positive phase of human capital mobility. That said, a two-year positive balance should not breed complacency. It is, however, a significant signal that the trajectory can change when employment, professional opportunities, and overall confidence in the country’s prospects improve.
- Can the Greek diaspora become a strategic asset for Greece, and how?
The country has abroad a vast reservoir of skills, experience, and international networks that must be treated as strategic capital. This does not mean we view the departure of people who found no prospects in Greece during the economic crisis as a positive development — which is precisely why we have institutionalized many incentives for their return, to prevent that reality from becoming a permanent loss. Greece is now creating conditions that reduce forced emigration and facilitate return, while at the same time offering meaningful ways for those who choose to continue their lives and careers abroad to remain engaged and connected with the country.
- Do returnees actually find work, or do they risk being disappointed and leaving again?
Returnees on average possess very high educational and professional capital: more than half of those who have returned recently are between 20 and 39 years old, approximately three in five have a university degree, and nearly half of those who are employed work in high-skill occupations.
It is clear that reintegration is not automatic. According to the data, the employment rate was approximately 46% among those who had just returned and reached 72% among those who had been back in the country for five years. This shows that professional and social reintegration takes time. The policy priority, therefore, is to reduce the adaptation period. What is needed is better information prior to return, matching with available positions, timely recognition of qualifications, guidance on established tax and social security arrangements, and support on housing, education, and family matters.
- Why do so many young people still choose to study or seek their first professional opportunity abroad?
International education should not be viewed negatively. Experience at a university or research center abroad can enhance young people’s knowledge, skills, and international networks. The issue is not to discourage young people from studying abroad, but to create credible pathways for return and jobs that genuinely make use of their knowledge — better aligning education, skills, and economic needs. What is significant is that for the first time in many years, Greece is now below the EU average in terms of students studying abroad. This means Greek higher education institutions are more attractive than in the past, and that is an important achievement.
- The OECD notes the absence of a permanent inter-ministerial mechanism for diaspora and repatriation policy. What is your position on this?
Diaspora policy is by nature cross-cutting. It touches on foreign policy, labor, education, research, the economy, digital governance, taxation, health, and regional development. The report acknowledges that in recent years significant collaborations, memoranda, and joint actions have developed between ministries and agencies. At the same time, it rightly notes that individual collaborations cannot substitute for a stable mechanism of strategic coordination. The next phase must involve a transition from a set of useful but often fragmented interventions to a more integrated framework with clear responsibilities, timelines, resources, outcome indicators, and regular evaluation. However, a permanent mechanism must not create new bureaucracy. It must ensure that citizens do not have to navigate separate agencies for employment, taxation, qualification recognition, family matters, and settlement.
- Most returnees are concentrated in Athens and Thessaloniki. Is there a risk that the return of talent could deepen regional inequalities?
This concentration simply reflects the fact that most high-skill positions, universities, research centers, and major business networks are located there. In any case, better alignment is needed between return policies and regional innovation ecosystems, universities, businesses, and local investment plans. The return of human capital must not be a policy confined to the two largest urban centers, but a tool for productive and demographic revitalization across the entire country.
- Ultimately, is the primary goal to bring diaspora Greeks back to Greece, or simply to keep them connected?
Return and connection are not competing goals. For some people, the right choice will be permanent return. For others, it will be temporary residence, circular mobility, working from Greece for an overseas organization, or participating in research and business networks without relocating. A modern policy must support a full spectrum of available options:
— meaningful connection and participation from abroad,
— temporary or repeated mobility,
— permanent return and long-term reintegration.
What matters is that diaspora Greeks are not treated solely as people who need to be convinced to return, nor exclusively as bearers of cultural identity. They are citizens, scientists, workers, entrepreneurs, and members of international networks that can serve as bridges of knowledge, investment, and international cooperation.
- What policies have been implemented to increase returns and strengthen engagement with the Greek diaspora, and what further measures are planned to sustain and build on this trend?
In recent years, a clear and encouraging rebalancing of migration flows has been observed.
A first area of intervention concerns directly connecting Greeks abroad with the Greek labor market. Through ReBrain Greece, DYPA initiatives, and Career Days held abroad, the aim is to match specialized professionals with the real needs of Greek businesses.
Second, specific economic and tax incentives have been established. Since 2020, a special regime has been in place providing a 50% reduction in income tax on salaried employment or business activity in Greece for a period of seven years, under specific conditions. This measure improves the economic framework for resettlement, particularly for skilled workers, professionals, and entrepreneurs.
Third, specific administrative and professional barriers that existed in the past have begun to be lifted. A notable example is the simplification and automatic recognition of medical specialties and subspecialties obtained in countries with a significant Greek presence, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland. This is a targeted intervention in an area where complexity and delays in qualification recognition had for years served as a deterrent to the return of medical professionals and scientists.
Particular emphasis has also been placed on the scientific and research diaspora. Visiting professor and researcher programs, funding from the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation, Greece’s participation in EMBO Installation Grants, and initiatives such as “Bridges of Knowledge and Cooperation” have supported the return, temporary mobility, and collaboration of Greek scientists abroad with universities, research centers, and businesses in Greece. In this way, policy is not limited to permanent resettlement but also promotes the circulation of knowledge, the creation of joint projects, and the maintenance of stable professional ties.
Engagement with the dias
