# Cyprus and Greece compared

Cyprus and Greece side by side: 43 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 9 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/cyp-vs-grc
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Cyprus: 16 August 1960 — The Republic of Cyprus becomes independent
- Greece: February 1830 — The London Protocol recognises Greece as an independent state

## Economy

| Metric | Cyprus | Observed | Greece | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $38 B | 2024 | $256 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $38,674 | 2024 | $24,626 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 3.9% | 2024 | 2.1% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 1.8% | 2024 | 2.7% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 190.4% | 2024 | 89.8% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Cyprus | Observed | Greece | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1.4 m | 2024 | 10 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 81.8 yrs | 2024 | 81.8 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 66.7% | 2024 | 79.0% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 1.4 | 2024 | 1.2 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Cyprus | Observed | Greece | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 72.4 | 2024 | 70.5 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 72.5 | 2024 | 68.3 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 68.2 | 2024 | 55.1 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 66.5 | 2024 | 62.4 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 68.8 | 2024 | 62.1 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 58.6 | 2024 | 53.9 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Cyprus | Observed | Greece | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 8.1% | 2023 | 8.4% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 3.56 | 2022 | 6.58 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 5.0 | 2024 | 3.8 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 99.0% | 2024 | 91.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 99.7% | 2024 | 96.7% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Cyprus | Observed | Greece | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 98.7% | 2011 | 93.9% | 2009 |
| Education spending | 4.7% | 2022 | 3.4% | 2022 |
| Primary enrolment | 105.3% | 2024 | 102.0% | 2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 106.7% | 2024 | 105.2% | 2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 120.9% | 2024 | 165.1% | 2023 |

## Technology

| Metric | Cyprus | Observed | Greece | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.7% | 2023 | 1.5% | 2023 |
| Researchers (per million) | 1,686 | 2023 | 5,283 | 2023 |
| Internet users | 89.6% | 2024 | 86.3% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 156 | 2024 | 114 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 18.0% | 2024 | 15.0% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Cyprus | Observed | Greece | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 9,240 km² | 2023 | 128,900 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 18.7% | 2023 | 30.3% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 14.0% | 2023 | 41.7% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 5.4 | 2024 | 5.0 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 15.6% | 2021 | 21.5% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Cyprus | Observed | Greece | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 |
| Bauxite | — | — | 960 kt | 2025 |

## Military

| Metric | Cyprus | Observed | Greece | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 1.6% | 2024 | 3.1% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $598 M | 2024 | $8.0 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 13,000 | 2020 | 147,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/CYP.md and https://terralore.co/country/GRC.md.

## Entangled histories (9 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- from c. 1200 BCE: **Greek settlement and the city-kingdoms** — After the collapse of Mycenaean Greece, Greek-speaking settlers established the city-kingdoms of Cyprus, among them Salamis, Kition and Paphos, making Greek the island's predominant language. (from the Cyprus chronicle; sources: Cyprus: History; Paphos (World Heritage List, inscribed 1980))
- from c. 12th c. BCE: **The sanctuary of Aphrodite at Paphos** — Old Paphos became the principal centre of the worship of Aphrodite, whose temple bore witness to one of the oldest Mycenaean settlements and drew pilgrims from across the Greek world. (from the Cyprus chronicle; sources: Paphos (World Heritage List, inscribed 1980); Paphos)
- 8th–6th c. BCE: **Assyrian, Egyptian and Persian overlordship** — The Cypriot kingdoms paid tribute successively to the Assyrian, Egyptian and Persian empires, sharing in the wider Greek world's long struggle against Persian domination. (from the Cyprus chronicle; sources: Cyprus: History)
- after 1571: **Two communities take shape** — Under Ottoman rule the Orthodox Church was restored and its archbishop made leader of the Greek Cypriots, while Muslim settlement established the Turkish Cypriot community alongside it. (from the Cyprus chronicle; sources: Cyprus: Ottoman rule)
- 1950: **The énosis plebiscite** — The Orthodox Church organised a plebiscite in which the overwhelming majority of Greek Cypriots voted for union with Greece; Britain refused, and Turkish Cypriots opposed it, sharpening communal division. (from the Cyprus chronicle; sources: EOKA; Cyprus: History)
- Feb 1959: **The Zürich-London Agreements** — Greece and Turkey reached a compromise at Zürich, endorsed in London by Britain and Cypriot leaders, setting the terms for an independent Cyprus that excluded both énosis and partition. (from the Cyprus chronicle; sources: EOKA; Cyprus: History)
- 16 Aug 1960: **Independence and the Treaty of Guarantee** — The Republic of Cyprus became independent under a Greek-Turkish power-sharing constitution; the Treaty of Guarantee bound Britain, Greece and Turkey to its independence and territorial integrity, and Britain kept two Sovereign Base Areas. (from the Cyprus chronicle; sources: Treaty of Guarantee, signed at Nicosia, 16 August 1960; A Guide to the History of Recognition, Diplomatic and Consular Relations: Cyprus)
- 15 Jul 1974: **The Greek-junta-backed coup** — The military junta ruling Greece, through the Cypriot National Guard, overthrew President Makarios in pursuit of énosis; Makarios escaped abroad and a hardline nationalist was installed. (from the Cyprus chronicle; sources: Cyprus: History; Cyprus profile – Timeline)
- 24 Apr 2004: **The Annan Plan referendums** — A UN reunification plan was put to simultaneous referendums; Turkish Cypriots approved it but about three-quarters of Greek Cypriots voting rejected it, leaving the island divided on the eve of EU membership. (from the Cyprus chronicle; sources: Cyprus profile – Timeline; Cyprus (EU country profile))

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/CYP/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/GRC/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Cyprus and Greece compared", terralore.co/compare/cyp-vs-grc, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.