Map of Greenland | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 80% ice capped. The Inuit came to Greenland from North America in a series of migrations that stretched from 2,500 BC to the11th century. Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland became part of the Kingdom of Denmark in 1953. It joined the European Community (now the EU) with Denmark in 1973 but withdrew in 1985 over a dispute centered on stringent fishing quotas. Greenland remains a member of the EU's Overseas Countries and Territories Association. The Danish parliament granted Greenland home rule in 1979; the law went into effect the following year. Greenland voted in favor of self-government in 2008 and acquired greater responsibility for internal affairs when the Act on Greenland Self-Government was signed into law in 2009. The Kingdom of Denmark, however, continues to exercise control over several policy areas on behalf of Greenland, including foreign affairs, security, and financial policy, in consultation with Greenland's Self-Rule Government.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 2,166,086 km²
Land: 2,166,086 km² (approximately 1,710,000 km² ice-covered)
Comparative: slightly more than three times the size of Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 0 km

Coastline: 44,087 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line

Climate: arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters

Terrain: flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast

Elevation
Highest point: Gunnbjorn Fjeld 3,694 m
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation: 1,792 m

Natural resources

Land use
Agricultural land: 0.6% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 0% (2022 est.)
Permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)
Permanent pasture: 0.6% (2023 est.)
Forest: 0% (2023 est.)
Other: 99.4% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island

Geography
Note: dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe; sparse population confined to small settlements along coast; close to one-quarter of the population lives in the capital, Nuuk; world's second largest ice sheet after that of Antarctica, covering an area of 1.71 million km² (660,000 sq mi), or about 79% of the island, and containing 2.85 million cu km (684 thousand m³i) of ice (almost 7% of the world's fresh water)


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Population
Total: 57,751 (2024 est.)
Male: 29,843
Female: 27,908
Distribution: settlement concentrated on the southwest shoreline, with limited settlements scattered along the remaining coast; interior is uninhabited
Growth rate: -0.05% (2024 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups

Languages: Greenlandic, Danish, English
Note: West Greenlandic or Kalaallisut is the official language; Tunumiisut (East Greenlandic) and Inuktun (Polar Inuit Greenlandic) are considered dialects of Kalaallisut and spoken by about 10% of Greenlanders

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran, traditional Inuit spiritual beliefs

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 20.4% (male 5,964/female 5,798)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 20,050/female 18,711)
65 years and over: 12.5% (2024 est.) (male 3,829/female 3,399)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 49 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 30.3 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 18.6 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 5.4 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 35.3 years (2024 est.)
Male: 35.9 years
Female: 34.7 years

Population growth rate: -0.05% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 13.5 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 9.2 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Net migration rate

Population distribution: settlement concentrated on the southwest shoreline, with limited settlements scattered along the remaining coast; interior is uninhabited

Urbanization
Urban population: 87.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 18,000 NUUK (capital) (2018)

Environment

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 8.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 9.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.5 years (2024 est.)
Male: 71.8 years
Female: 77.3 years

Total fertility rate: 1.88 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Total: 37.5% of population (2022 est.)
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type

Capital
Name: Nuuk
Geographic coordinates: 64 11 N, 51 45 W
Time difference: UTC-2 (3 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Time zone note: Greenland has three time zones
Etymology: nuuk is the Inuit word for 'cape;' until 1979, the name was Godthab, from the Danish words meaning 'good hope'

Administrative divisions: 5 municipalities (kommuner, singular - kommune); Avannaata, Kujalleq, Qeqertalik, Qeqqata, Sermersooq
Note: Northeast Greenland National Park (Kalaallit Nunaanni Nuna Eqqissisimatitaq) and the Pituffik Space Base (formerly known as Thule Air Base) in northwest Greenland are two unincorporated areas; the national park's 972,000 km² -- about 46% of the island -- makes it the largest national park in the world and also the most northerly

Dependent areas

Independence

National holiday

Constitution

Legal system: Denmark's laws apply in some areas, and Greenland's law for the remainder

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage

Executive branch
Chief of state: King FREDERIK X of Denmark (since 14 January 2024), represented by High Commissioner Julie Praest WILCHE (since May 2022) (2024)
Head of government: Prime Minister Jens-Frederik NIELSEN (since 28 March 2025)
Cabinet: Self-rule Government (Naalakkersuisut) elected by the Parliament (Inatsisartut)
Election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; premier indirectly elected by Parliament for a 4-year term
Election results: 2025: Jens-Frederik NIELSEN (D) elected premier
2021: Mute B. EGEDE elected premier; Parliament vote - Mute B. EGEDE (Inuit Ataqatigiit) unanimous
2014: Kim KIELSEN elected premier; Parliament vote - Kim KIELSEN (S) 27.2%, Sara OLSVIG (IA) 25.5%, Randi Vestergaard EVALDSEN (D) 19.5%, other 27.8%

Legislative branch
Legislature name: Parliament (Inatsisartut)
Legislative structure: unicameral
Number of seats: 31 (directly elected)
Electoral system: proportional representation
Scope of elections: full renewal
Term in office: 4 years
Most recent election date: 4/6/2021
Parties elected and seats per party: IA (12); S (10); N (4); D (3); A (2)
Percentage of women in chamber: 35%
Expected date of next election: 2025
Note: Greenland elects 2 members to the Danish Parliament to serve 4-year terms

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red, with a large disk set slightly to the left; the top half of the disk is red, and the bottom is white

National symbols

National anthem
Title: 'Nuna asiilasooq' (The Land of Great Length)
Lyrics/music: unknown
History: adopted 1979, when home rule was granted; the Greenlandic government recognizes this local Kalaallit song as a secondary anthem

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 3 (2 cultural, 1 natural); note - excerpted from the Denmark entry
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 0.9% (2023 est.); 2% (2022 est.); 1.6% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 0.9% (2023 est.); 2% (2022 est.); 1.6% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 32.6% (2023 est.)
Government consumption: 41.7% (2023 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 34.7% (2023 est.)
Investment in inventories: 1.3% (2023 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 40.8% (2023 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -51.1% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 16.6% (2023 est.)
Industry: 18.4% (2023 est.)
Services: 61% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Agriculture products

Industries: fish processing (mainly shrimp and Greenland halibut), anorthosite and ruby mining, handicrafts, hides and skins, small shipyards

Industrial production growth rate: -1.3% (2023 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force

Unemployment rate

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $1.719 billion (2016 est.)
Expenditures: $1.594 billion (2016 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $1.357 billion (2023 est.); $1.286 billion (2022 est.); $1.122 billion (2021 est.)
Note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: fish, shellfish, processed crustaceans, ships, precious stones (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $1.7 billion (2023 est.); $1.657 billion (2022 est.); $1.635 billion (2021 est.)
Note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: refined petroleum, ships, garments, plastic products, furniture (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates


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Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 190,000 kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 534.5 million kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 10 million kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 13.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 85.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Imports: 5 metric tons (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 383 million metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Refined petroleum consumption: 4,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions: 527,000 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 12 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 527,000 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 6,000 (2020 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 67,000 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 118 (2021 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet
Users percent of population: 70% (2017 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 18,000 (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 32 (2022 est.)


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 25 (2025)

Heliports: 54 (2025)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 10 (2023)
By type: other 10

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs