The Ministry of Development was established on 1 February 1996 by Prime Minister Costas Simitis through the merger of three former ministries: the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Technology, the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Tourism. On 7 October 2009, it was abolished and replaced by the Ministry of the Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping (Υπουργείο Οικονομίας, Ανταγωνιστικότητας και Ναυτιλίας). The new ministry was established following the division of the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, when the national economy portfolio was merged with the Ministry of Development and the Mercantile Marine Ministry.
On 7 September 2010, it was renamed the Ministry of Regional Development and Competitiveness (Υπουργείο Περιφερειακής Ανάπτυξης και Ανταγωνιστικότητας) to reflect the impending re-establishment of a separate Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Islands and Fisheries. However, no Presidential Decree was issued to formalize the renaming, and the ministry retained its earlier official name despite the loss of the shipping portfolio on 30 September.[1] After the reincorporation of the latter on 27 June 2011, it was renamed the Ministry of Development, Competitiveness and Shipping (Υπουργείο Ανάπτυξης, Ανταγωνιστικότητας και Ναυτιλίας). On 21 June 2012, it was split again from the Ministry of Shipping and merged instead with the Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks to become the Ministry of Development, Competitiveness, Infrastructure, Transport and Networks. The merger was reversed following a cabinet reshuffle on 25 June 2013, but on 27 January 2015 all three ministries were amalgamated into the Ministry of the Economy, Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism in the first Tsipras cabinet. Οn 23 September 2015, it was renamed the Ministry of the Economy, Development and Tourism upon the restoration of the infrastructure and shipping ministries. On 5 November 2016, it was renamed the Ministry of the Economy and Development upon the restoration of the Ministry of Tourism. On 9 July 2019, it was renamed the Ministry of Development and Investment by the incoming New Democracy government. Upon the formation of the second Mitsotakis cabinet on 27 June 2023, it reverted to its original name.