Athens has experienced dramatic growth in the past 150 years. Such growth, combined with changing political structures and government, has inhibited Athens from being a planned city.
| Year | Athens | Greater Athens |
| 3,000 BCE | n/a | known to be inhabited |
| 430 BCE | 140,000 | 233,000 |
| 1833 | 4,000 | n/a |
| 1921 | 750,000 | n/a |
| 1959 | 1,490,000 | n/a |
| 1992 | 1,500,000 | 4,000,000 |
Notes:
In 1921, a repatriation of Greeks from Turkey inundated the country.