More than 2.2 million residential properties in Greece, over 33% of the country’s total 6.5 million housing units, remain unoccupied, according to a recent analysis by Blupeak Estate Analytics, based on data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority.
The issue is especially acute in five key regions: Attica, Central Macedonia, the Peloponnese, Western Greece, and Thessaly, which together account for 60% of all empty homes in the country.
The breakdown is striking: Attica (Athens): 526,000 vacant properties; Central Macedonia (Thessaloniki): 363,000; Peloponnese: 209,000; Western Greece: 155,000, and Thessaly: 133,000.
Much of the housing stock dates back several decades
Nearly 3 million homes were built between 1961 and 1980, while another 1.6 million were constructed in the 1980s. An additional 1.1 million homes date as far back as 1946–1960.
These aging structures, often built under obsolete construction codes and lacking insulation or energy efficiency, are now viewed by many owners as financially burdensome to renovate.
In addition to structural decay, legal and tax-related issues further discourage homeowners from utilizing or leasing their properties. Complicated inheritance situations, ownership disputes among relatives, and high tax burdens render many homes economically unviable.
