Ethnic Characteristics and Geographical Distribution of Immigrants in Greece

Abstract

This paper examines the geographical dimension of immigration in Greece. More particularly, this study presents the distinctive economic, demographic and settlement features of the different groups of immigrants in the Greek prefectures. The majority of immigrant workers in Greece come from the Balkan countries, the most populous ethnic group being the Albanians who account for almost 60 percent of the total immigrant population. There are significant disparities between different ethnic groups regarding their educational level and occupational characteristics. The profile of the average immigrant worker in Greece is young, from an ex-communist country; men migrate mainly for economic reasons while women migrate mostly for family reasons; women often have a higher level of education than men. There are also significant differences as far as the spatial distribution of the various ethnic groups is concerned. Some groups, such as the Philippinos, Georgians, or the Poles, show high geographical concentration, while other ethnic groups, for instance the Albanians, follow, more or less, the spatial distribution of the Greek population. One of the most interesting findings of this research is that settlement patterns are mostly dictated by geography: immigrants from neighbouring countries tend to have similar preferences or installation criteria. This is the case for immigrants from Eastern European countries. In contrast, Albanians seem to follow their own settlement pattern.