The following factors are identified to have a critical effect on seismic risk in Greece. First, exposure to seismic hazard is strongly non-uniform, with over half of the country's 10 million population-and accordingly most of the industry and infrastructure-concentrated in only two major urban conglomerates. In addition, many of the potentially damaging earthquakes occur in sparsely populated areas or have their foci under the sea. Last, the enforcement and upgrading of seismic codes since 1959, in combination with a generally good quality of construction materials and workmanship, contribute to a relatively reduced vulnerability of structures.