Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Greenland instead of China, you would:

Health

live 7.8 years less

In China, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Greenland, that number is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 3.0 times more likely to be obese

In China, 9.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Greenland, that number is 28.1% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

make 4.2 times more money

China has a GDP per capita of $13,862 as of 2025, while in Greenland, the GDP per capita is $58,499 as of 2023.

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Life

have 77.3% more children

In China, there are approximately 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Greenland, there are 12.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In China, approximately 4.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Greenland, on the other hand, 8.8 children do as of 2022.

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Geography

see 3.0 times more coastline

China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In Greenland, that number is 44,087 km.

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Infrastructure

find 32.2% less home broadband

China has 47.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Greenland has 32.0 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 12.1% more CO2

China emits 9.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Greenland emits 10.4 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: China vs. Greenland

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Greenland is 3.2 times more expensive than China overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
China is about 4.4 times bigger than Greenland.
→
Moving from China to Greenland · UN DESA 2020
10 people born in China live in Greenland.
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Greenland: At a glance

Greenland is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 2,166,086 sq km. Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 81% ice-capped. Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland was made an integral part 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 was granted self-government in 1979 by the Danish parliament; the law went into effect the following year. Greenland voted in favor of increased self-rule in November 2008 and acquired greater responsibility for internal affairs when the Act on Greenland Self-Government was signed into law in June 2009. 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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How big is Greenland compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.

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