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

Health

live 12.8 years longer

In Greenland, the average life expectancy is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Faroe Islands, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 75.8% less likely to be unemployed

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

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be 38.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

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

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make 26.8% more money

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

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Life

be 31.5% less likely to die during infancy

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

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Basic Needs

be 40.4% more likely to have internet access

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

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Expenditures

spend 25.5% less on education

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

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Geography

see 97.5% less coastline

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

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Environment

emit 99.6% less CO2

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

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

Faroe Islands: At a glance

Faroe Islands is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 1,393 sq km. The population of the Faroe Islands is largely descended from Viking settlers who arrived in the 9th century. The islands have been connected politically to Denmark since the 14th century. A high degree of self-government was granted the Faroese in 1948, who have autonomy over most internal affairs while Denmark is responsible for justice, defense, and foreign affairs. The Faroe Islands are not part of the European Union.
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How big is Faroe Islands compared to Greenland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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