Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 20.3% less likely to be obese

In Jamaica, 35.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Greenland, that number is 28.1% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 1.3 years less

In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Greenland, that number is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 7.3 times more money

Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,003 as of 2025, while in Greenland, the GDP per capita is $58,499 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Life

be 12.7% more likely to be literate

In Jamaica, the literacy rate is 88.7% as of 2015. In Greenland, it is 100.0% as of 2015.

View global rankings →

be 46.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Jamaica, approximately 16.4 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.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 14.2% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Jamaica, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Greenland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 22.9% less likely to have internet access

In Jamaica, approximately 90.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Greenland, about 69.5% do as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 43.1 times more coastline

Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In Greenland, that number is 44,087 km.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 2.0 times more home broadband

Jamaica has 16.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Greenland has 32.0 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 3.7 times more CO2

Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Greenland emits 10.4 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2015–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Jamaica vs. Greenland

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Greenland is 64.0% more expensive than Jamaica overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Jamaica is about 197 times smaller than Greenland.
→
Moving from Jamaica to Greenland · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

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.
Read more

How big is Greenland compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Greenland or Jamaica. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.