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Living in Irákleion

Irákleion is a city in Greece. Irákleion numbered 149,501 residents at the end of 2021. At the end of 2021, unemployment in Irákleion reached 12.65%. Annual PM2.5 levels for Irákleion stood at 12 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Which Greece-wide rules apply when you move to Irákleion?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in GreeceNational rates and thresholds that apply in Irákleion.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent or cost figure is published for Irákleion yet. Greece has country-level context; it is not substituted for this city.

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Irákleion?

The unemployment rate is about 12.7 % (October 2021).

  • Unemployment rate: 12.65 % · Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), 2021 Population and Housing Census5
Unemployment across cities in GreeceUnemployment in Irákleion is 12.7%. Of 274 cities with data, 210 have unemployment of 10 to under 20%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Greece per band39 cities: 0% to under 10%390–10210 cities: 10% to under 20%21010–20Irákleion 12.7%22 cities: 20% to under 30%2220–301 city: 30% to under 40%130–401 city: 40% to under 50%140–501 city: 80% to under 90%180–90

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Unemployment rate12.65 %country median 13.6%31 Dec 2021Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), 2021 Population and Housing Census5Official

Mobility and administration

Irákleion's nearest airport was HER, 4 km away and offered 59 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count59 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights7Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km4 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports8Official
Nearest Major Airport IataHER3 Aug 2026OurAirports8Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Irákleion. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Preparatory Greek-language classes for migrants and refugees in Second Chance Schools — State Language Course

General Secretariat for Vocational Education, Training and Lifelong Learning — Ministry of Education

For legally resident migrants, refugees aged 18 or over who meet the Second Chance School conditions.

GreekIn Personnot_published
Open official information
Open the full Greece section
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Irákleion.

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperature moved from 12.9°C in January to 25.9°C in July.

Is the air quality good in Irákleion?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 12 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency (EEA)1

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Irákleion annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit52512.0PM2.5µg/m³

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean12 µg/m³31 Dec 2024European Environment Agency (EEA)1Official · nearest-station reading
Climate Monthly Extreme High CJan 20.07 · Feb 21.43 · Mar 23.97 · Apr 28.58 · May 32.73 · Jun 34.54 · Jul 34.14 · Aug 34.34 · Sep 32.71 · Oct 32.46 · Nov 26.24 · Dec 23.39 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center6Official · coordinate grid
Climate Monthly Extreme Low CJan 4.94 · Feb 4.37 · Mar 5.74 · Apr 9.72 · May 13.49 · Jun 17.36 · Jul 20.75 · Aug 22.14 · Sep 18.74 · Oct 13.87 · Nov 9.59 · Dec 6.31 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center6Official · coordinate grid
Average temperature by monthJan 12.91 · Feb 12.92 · Mar 14.28 · Apr 16.39 · May 19.98 · Jun 23.69 · Jul 25.89 · Aug 26.17 · Sep 24.3 · Oct 21.12 · Nov 17.87 · Dec 14.66 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center6Official · coordinate grid

Cities of a similar size in Greece

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All Greece cities
Lárisa146,595 residentsLarissa164,095 residentsPeristéri133,630 residentsPiraeus168,151 residentsPátra170,755 residentsHeraklion179,302 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Irákleion?

The published population was 149,501 people in 2021. Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT)2

MetricValuePeriodSource
Population149,501 people31 Dec 2021Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT)2Official

International community in Irákleion

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Permanent resident population in the 2021 Population and Housing Census · 2021 Census

Published groupPeopleShare
Total149,500100.0%
Greece138,71992.8%
Other country10,7857.2%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source3

Citizenship

Permanent resident population in the 2021 Population and Housing Census · 2021 Census

Published groupPeopleShare
Total149,500100.0%
Greece141,22394.5%
Outside Greece8,2795.5%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source4

Is Irákleion a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker48%strong on work, weak on safety · range 37–59%
Skilled employee49%strong on work, weak on safety · range 38–60%
Student60%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 48–72%
Family46%strong on family, weak on safety · range 34–58%
Retirement58%strong on cost, weak on admin · range 44–72%
Population149,501 people31 Dec 2021Official source · Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT)
Unemployment rate12.65 %31 Dec 2021Official source · Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), 2021 Population and Housing Census
PM2.5 — annual mean12 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · European Environment Agency (EEA)
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-05

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Irákleion when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Is Irákleion part of Heraklion?

Irákleion belongs to the official functional urban area of Heraklion; this describes an urban and commuting relationship, not municipal ownership. It is about 4.3 km away by straight-line distance.

Relationship type: Fua Member Of. Source9

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Irákleion?

The published population was 149,501 people in 2021. Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).

Is the air quality good in Irákleion?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 12 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency (EEA).

What is the unemployment rate in Irákleion?

The unemployment rate is about 12.7 % (October 2021). Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), 2021 Population and Housing Census.

Is Irákleion a good place to live?

Irákleion may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Is Irákleion part of Heraklion?

Irákleion belongs to the official functional urban area of Heraklion; this describes an urban and commuting relationship, not municipal ownership. It is about 4.3 km away by straight-line distance.

How many people born in Greece live in Irákleion?

The official country of birth distribution records 138,719 people (92.8%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 12). Irákleion, Greece: jobs, air quality [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/gr/irakleion/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_irakleion-greece-jobs-air-quality_8c9068e3dbad,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Irákleion, Greece: jobs, air quality},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/gr/irakleion/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Irákleion, Greece: jobs, air quality](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/gr/irakleion/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. European Environment Agency (EEA) air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
  2. Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) statistics.gr · checked 2026-08-05
  3. Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) statistics.gr · checked 2026-08-30
  4. Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) statistics.gr · checked 2026-08-30
  5. Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), 2021 Population and Housing Census statistics.gr · checked 2026-08-05
  6. NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  7. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  8. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  9. wikidata.org place coordinates wikidata.org · checked 2026-08-28

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.