#elstat

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A number cruncher told the truth. He became his country’s public enemy No. 1.

For nearly a decade, on and off, Andreas Georgiou has been Greece’s Public Enemy No. 1.

The government has brought a relentless series of criminal prosecutions against him. His countrymen have sought their own vengeance by hacking his emails, dragging him into court, even threatening his life. His lawyers in Greece are now preparing for his latest trial, which begins this month; Georgiou himself will watch from the United States, where he lives in a sort of self-imposed exile.

Georgiou is not a mobster. He’s not a hit man or a spy. He’s a statistician. And the sin at the heart of his supposed crimes was publishing correct budget numbers.

For decades, the term “Greek statistics” had been a punchline. Official data were massaged so that the government could claim it was meeting European Union fiscal commitments and retain access to international capital markets. The Greek statistical service, which was controlled by whatever party held power, had taken to reverse-engineering its official budget data. That is, it would choose a final number at the outset and then backfill the assumptions necessary to produce that result. (This technique is not unique to the Greek government, of course.)

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Top Museums and Archaeological Sites in Greece: Most visited in 2019

The Acropolis of Athens and the Acropolis Museum were the most visited archaeological sites and museums in Greece the first eight month of 2019, Greek Statistics Authority said in a report. The ELSTAT lists the 5 top museums and sites based on the revenues.

Total revenues increased by 28.2% in museums and 9.4% in archaeological sites. The number of visitors to the museums in the country recorded an increase of 5.4%, while the number of visitors to the archaeological sites increased by 2.5%.

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Giorgos or Yiannis? The Most Popular Names in Greece Revealed

The Greek statistical authority ELSTAT announced on Tuesday (in May) the most popular names currently seen across the nation of Greece.

According to the data, the most common names are Giorgos and Maria, representing 8.8 and 8.3 percent, respectively, of the country’s male and female populations.

The second most popular name in the country for men and boys is Ioannis or Yiannis at 6.5 percent, while among women and girls it is Eleni (5.2 percent).

In third place, 6.4 percent of the country’s males are named Dimitris and 3.7 percent of its females are named Aikaterini or Katerina.

Constantinos or Costas is in fourth place among males with 6 percent, and Vassiliki or Vaso at 3.2 percent among women and girls.

Last but not least, Nikolaos and Sofia are currently in fifth place, with 5.7 and 2.3 percent respectively.

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Population change in Greek provinces 2008-2018. Insight into the country's demographic future.

Source: Alex Sakalis - @alexsakalis

ELSTAT:

http://www.statistics.gr/en/statistics/-/publication/SPO18/-

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John FitzGerald: Public servant emerges as unlikely Greek hero

Homer’s Greek heroes had different qualities – mercurial Achilles was renowned for his bravery in battle, whereas the more patient Odysseus overcame his trials through his quick wits.

Andreas Georgiou is a modern-day Greek hero, a public servant who has told the truth, even at the risk of imprisonment. When, during the economic crisis, he took over the job of director of the Greek statistical office, he knew this task brought problems. However, he probably did not expect to have to be a hero, being prosecuted for telling the truth and doing his job.

In the years before the economic crisis, the Greek central statistics office (CSO) had supped with the “lotus eaters”, publishing seriously dishonest figures for the Greek economy. They hid from Greek citizens the fact that the public finances were rapidly deteriorating and that the growth in the economy relied on ever-rising borrowing. Misleading data meant a very ill-prepared Greece joined the euro zone, although the true figures could have disqualified them from membership.

Rigorous approach However, once the statistical failures were discovered and publicised, the Greek CSO recruited Georgiou to move from the safe haven of the International Monetary Fund in order to introduce a new more rigorous approach to Greek statistics. In doing his work and revealing the true state of the Greek public finances he was supported by the European statistical office (Eurostat).

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Exports advance 12.4 percent in first five months of year

Greek exports – including fuel products – recorded a double-digit growth rate in May compared to the same month last year, according to data published on Friday by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).

The momentum that exports retained in May led to a yearly expansion of 12.4 percent (excluding fuel products whose prices fluctuate due to oil rates) in the first five months of the year, which offset rising imports and narrowed the trade deficit.

In absolute figures, exports amounted to 2.94 billion euros in May, growing 14.4 percent on an annual basis. Excluding fuel products, exports rose by 144.6 million euros, or 8.4 percent year-on-year, ELSTAT figures showed.

In the January-May period, exports including fuel came to 13.41 billion euros, rising 13.7 percent, with all the main categories of products posting an advance, ranging from 3.9 percent for tobacco and alcoholic drinks to 42.8 percent in the category of olive oil and similar products.

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Eurostat: Housing Costs Greeks 4 Times More than European Average

Greeks pay dearly to have the nice, big house of their dreams, as 40 percent of them spend close to half of their income to maintain their home, new Eurostat figures show.

Specifically, four out of ten Greeks (40.5 percent) spend more than 40 percent of their income for the maintenance of their home, while the European Union average spending on housing is 11.1 percent.

The data compiled is until the end of 2016, with minor changes since, as construction of new houses in the years of the economic crisis has practically stopped.

The figures in the years before are virtually unchanged as well. In 2015 Greeks spent 40.9 percent of their income on their housing needs compared to 11.3 percent of the EU average. In 2014 it was 40.7 percent as opposed to 11.5 percent in the EU.

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The Scandalous Persecution of a Greek Whistle-Blower

The statistician who exposed the true extent of Greece's fiscal collapse must think that doing the right thing was the worst decision he ever made. Andreas Georgiou has been vilified at home and charged with multiple violations of the country's civil and criminal law. An appeals court has just upheld his conviction for a minor procedural offense, giving him a suspended sentence, and with more serious charges still pending, his protracted legal ordeal isn't over yet.

This officially sanctioned persecution is disgraceful and ought to stop. The European Union has criticized the Greek authorities for their actions in the case, but to no great effect. That needs to change.

Georgiou was recruited in 2010 from the International Monetary Fund to clean up Greece's public accounts. For years, Greek politicians had leaned on national statisticians to disguise the extent of public borrowing. When Athens asked the EU and the IMF for help, they demanded an accurate accounting. Georgiou found that the budget deficit was 15.4 percent of gross domestic product, much higher than previously thought.

That number was the benchmark used to calculate the size of Greece’s bailout and the degree of budget tightening demanded in return -- prompting allegations that Georgiou had manipulated the figures, siding with foreign creditors against his country. His persecution at the hands of the press and his own government began.