Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 12.0 years less

In Denmark, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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 95.7% more likely to be obese

In Denmark, 14.3% 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 24.0% less money

Denmark has a GDP per capita of $76,970 as of 2025, while in Greenland, the GDP per capita is $58,499 as of 2023.

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Life

have 26.3% more children

In Denmark, there are approximately 9.5 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 2.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Denmark, approximately 3.5 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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Basic Needs

be 30.3% less likely to have internet access

In Denmark, approximately 99.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Greenland, about 69.5% do as of 2021.

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Expenditures

spend 60.4% more on education

Denmark spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Greenland spends 10.2% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

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Geography

see 6.0 times more coastline

Denmark has a total of 7,314 km of coastline. In Greenland, that number is 44,087 km.

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Infrastructure

find 26.3% less home broadband

Denmark has 43.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Greenland has 32.0 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 2.4 times more CO2

Denmark emits 4.3 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Denmark vs. Greenland

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Greenland is 15.3% more expensive than Denmark overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Denmark is about 50 times smaller than Greenland.
→
Moving from Denmark to Greenland · UN DESA 2020
4,539 people born in Denmark 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 Denmark? See an in-depth size comparison.

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