Greenland Population 2024 (Live)

56,747

Greenland is currently experiencing negative population growth of -0.1% annually, with a fertility rate of 2.1 births per woman, which is below the replacement level.

Population Rank
Growth Rate
2024 World Percentage
Land Area
410,450
The current population of Greenland is 56,747 based on projections of the latest United Nations data. The UN estimates the July 1, 2024 population at 56,789.

Greenland Growth Rate

Greenland Population 2024 (Live)

Greenland Population Clock

Greenland Population (as of 3/11/2024)56,747
Next UN Estimate (July 1, 2024)56,789
Births per Day2
Deaths per Day1
Migrations per Day
Net Change per Day
Population Change Since Jan. 1
  • Net decrease of 1 person every Infinity minutes

  • Population estimates based on interpolation of data from World Population Prospects

Components of Population Change

One birth every 720 minutes
One death every 1440 minutes
One immigrant every Infinity minutes
Net gain of one person every Infinity minutes

Greenland Population Clock

City
2024 Population
Nuuk14,798
Sisimiut5,227
Ilulissat4,413
Qaqortoq3,224
Aasiaat3,005

Cities in Greenland

The largest city and capital of Greenland is Nuuk, which has a population of more than 16,000. Nuuk is one of the smallest capital cities in the world in terms of population. The name Nuuk is actually a Kalaallisut word for "cape," which refers to the city's position at the end of the Nuup Kangerlua fjord. Nuuk is also the northernmost capital in the world.

Other major cities in Greenland include Sisimiut (pop: 6,000) and Ilulissat (pop: 4,500). All other cities and towns have a population of less than 4,000.

Greenland Population Density Map

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (/km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
202456,7890.3%0.14209231
202356,6430.25%0.14209231
202056,0260.17%0.14209231
201955,931 0.14209231
201855,9310.01%0.14209231
201755,9280.02%0.14209231
201555,895-0.16%0.14209231
201056,351-0.19%0.14208231
200556,8870.25%0.14210231
200056,1840.14%0.14210231
199555,7880.07%0.14208231
199055,5990.88%0.14207231
198553,2201.21%0.13207231
198050,1060.39%0.12207231
197549,1511.58%0.12206231
197045,4343.35%0.11206231
196538,5393.71%0.09207231
196032,1244.09%0.08207231
195526,2952.61%0.06206231

Greenland Population by Year (Historical)

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (/km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
202456,7890.3%0.14209231
202556,9160.32%0.14209231
203057,1520.08%0.14209231
203556,785-0.13%0.14209231
204056,041-0.26%0.14210231
204555,077-0.35%0.13210231
205053,997-0.4%0.13210231
205552,873-0.42%0.13211231
206051,732-0.43%0.13211231
206550,547-0.46%0.12211231
207049,267-0.51%0.12211231
207547,870-0.57%0.12211231
208046,398-0.62%0.11211231
208544,925-0.64%0.11213231
209043,498-0.64%0.11213231
209542,066-0.67%0.10212231

Greenland Population by Year (Projections)

Greenland Population Pyramid 2024

Greenland Median Age

34.3

Total

35.1

Male

33.4

Female

Greenland Population by Age

There are people over age 18 in Greenland.

Census Years

Year
Date
20212021
20101 December 2010

Greenland Population Pyramid

Greenland is an autonomous country of the Kingdom of Denmark located east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago between the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. While part of the North American continent, Greenland is more culturally associated with Europe, particularly Norway and Denmark.

Greenland is the 12th largest country in the world in terms of area, with a population density of only 0.026 people per square kilometer, which ranks last in the world. Most Greenlanders live in the fjords in the southwest of the main island, where the climate is milder.

Greenland Demographics

Greenland has a population of just shy of 57,000. 88% of Greenlanders are Greenlandic Inuit, which includes mixed persons. The rest of are white European descent, mostly Greenland Danes. There are also thousands of Greenlandic Inuit in Denmark proper. Most Greenlanders are Lutheran.

In Greenlandic (or Kallallisut), the country is Kalaallit Nunaat, or "land of the Kalaallit," who are the indigenous Greenlandic Inuit people who live in the western part of the country.

The languages of Danish and Greenlandic have been used officially since the country established home rule in 1979 and most people can speak both languages, although Kalaallisut became the only official language in 2009. Danish remains the most widely used language in the country's administration and higher education.

Greenland has the highest suicide rate in the world and the nation faces other pressing social issues, including high rates of alcoholism, HIV, and unemployment.

Greenland History

Greenland was home to many Paleo-Eskimo people in prehistoric times, with the first settlement in the area occurring around 2500 BC. Around 986 AD, the west coast of Greenland was settled by Norwegians and Icelanders through the arrival of 14 boats led by Erik the Red. This group created three settlements known as the Eastern Settlement, the Western Settlement and the Ivittuut, or Middle Settlement, on fjords. The island was shared with the late Dorset culture and the Thule culture to the north.

The settlements thrived for a long time but eventually disappeared in the 1400s, likely due to the declining temperatures with the onset of the Little Ice Age, famine and increasing conflicts with the local Inuit peoples.

In 1500, King Manuel I of Portugal sent an explorer, Corte-Real, to Greenland looking for a Northwest Passage to Asia. Corte-Real found the sea frozen and headed south, arriving in Newfoundland and Labrador and supplying new information about Greenland's southern coastline.

In the early 17th century, King Christian IV of Denmark sent expeditions to Greenland to find the lost eastern Norse settlement and reestablish Danish sovereignty over the island. The expeditions were largely unsuccessful. While the Norse settlements died off and the area came under the control of the Inuit groups, Denmark never relinquished its claims to the island that it inherited from the Norwegians, asserting its sovereignty over the island in the 18th century.

The Treaty of Kiel in 1814 dissolved the union between Norway and Denmark and Norway occupied the eastern coast of Greenland as Erik the Red's Land in 1931. Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany in 1940, severing the island's connection to Denmark. A year later, the United States occupied the island to defend it from invasion from Germany, and this occupation continued until 1945.

The U.S. was allowed to re-establish its air base on the island in 1950 and its colonial status ended when the island was incorporated as a country in 1953, which gave Danish citizenship to Greenlanders. Greenlanders were recognized as separate people under international law in 2009.

Greenland Facts

  • Greenland is the largest island in the world, with more than 75% of its land area covered by the only contemporary ice sheet outside of Antarctica.
  • Greenland is the world's least densely populated country.
  • The name Greenland comes from early Scandinavian settlers. It is said that Erik the Red moved to the region after being exiled from Iceland for manslaughter and named the region Greenland in hopes the nice name would attract more people.
  • The capital, Nuuk, is one of the world's smallest capital cities by population and the world's northernmost country capital.

Is Greenland a Continent?

It is understandable why anyone would ask the question, “is Greenland a continent” and that is because of its position geographically. The answer is no, it is not. Greenland is a part of the continent of North America, officially, and is located on the North American Tectonic plate. However, it is also politically connected to Denmark which is in the European continent. Its size and this location makes many people wonder this question.

On the east side of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago is located between the Atlantic and the Arctic ocean, which is another element that leads people to ask if Greenland is a continent.

Greenland’s Size

Greenland is considered to be the largest island on the planet and the twelfth largest country. Still, its population is less than 57,000. Despite its size and size ranking in the world, it is considered the country with the lowest population density in the world. Greenland’s population density is approximately 0.026 people per square kilometer. This could be due to its climate, as it is also the second largest ice mass in the world.

The capital of Greenland is Nuuk, and is home to approximately 18,326 people.

The Inuit

The Inuit call Greenland home, with some studies indicating they have been here since the sixteenth century. The first Inuits in Greenland being descendants of the Thule culture with many coming from Alaska and others from North Canada. The Thule Air Base is located in Greenland. It is a Lutheran population where most people live along the southwest of the island where the climate is typically milder. The majority of the population is native or indigenous, and it is the only country in both Americas that has that population.

History of Greenland

Greenland has been populated by migrants from the Arctic for over 4,500 years, and the Inuits have been here since the thirteenth century. By the mid-thirteenth century, Greenland would be governed by the Norwegian crown. Come 1499, the Portuguese would claim Greenland, calling it Terra do Lavrador, a name that would later be taken by Canada for its territory now called Labrador.

When the seventeenth century arrived, so did the Danish explorers. Trading became stronger and the Danish claimed Greenland as their sovereign land, now being governed by the Constitution of Denmark since 1953. Home rule would be granted to Greenland by 1979, and by 2008, Greenland passed the Self-Government Act which transferred sovereignty to Greenland. Greenland now rules itself with its own succession regulations and policing capacity. The Danish have kept control of money, foreign policy, and defense. Natural resources and hydropower are a significant component of the Greenland economy and is home to a substantial amount of the world’s renewable energy supply.

The answer to the question, is Greenland a continent, is no. It is definitely its own island though, and it does very well at it.

Greenland Population Rank 2024
Area (km²)
2,166,086
2024 Growth Rate
Capital
GDP (IMF '23)
-
GDP (UN '22)
$2.93 Bn

Greenland - General Info

Sources