Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Greenland instead of Faroe Islands, you would:

Health

live 12.8 years less

In Faroe Islands, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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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Economy

be 4.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Faroe Islands, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2017. In Greenland, that number is 9.1% as of 2015.

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be 62.0% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Faroe Islands, 10.0% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Greenland, however, that number is 16.2% as of 2015.

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make 21.1% less money

Faroe Islands has a GDP per capita of $74,175 as of 2024, while in Greenland, the GDP per capita is $58,499 as of 2023.

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Life

have 11.1% more children

In Faroe Islands, there are approximately 10.8 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 46.1% more likely to die during infancy

In Faroe Islands, approximately 6.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Greenland, on the other hand, 8.8 children do as of 2022.

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Basic Needs

be 28.8% less likely to have internet access

In Faroe Islands, approximately 97.6% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Greenland, about 69.5% do as of 2021.

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Expenditures

spend 34.2% more on education

Faroe Islands spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Greenland spends 10.2% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

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Geography

see 39.5 times more coastline

Faroe Islands has a total of 1,117 km of coastline. In Greenland, that number is 44,087 km.

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Environment

emit 261.2 times more CO2

Faroe Islands emits 0.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Greenland emits 10.4 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: The World Factbook (2015–2022), World Bank (2023–2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Faroe Islands vs. Greenland

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Greenland is 9.6% more expensive than Faroe Islands overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Faroe Islands is about 1,555 times smaller than Greenland.
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Moving from Faroe Islands to Greenland · UN DESA 2020
273 people born in Faroe Islands 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 Faroe Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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