Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 13.8 years less

In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 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 4.8 times more likely to be obese

In Japan, 5.9% 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 62.7% more money

Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Greenland, the GDP per capita is $58,499 as of 2023.

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Life

have 2.1 times more children

In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 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 4.9 times more likely to die during infancy

In Japan, approximately 1.8 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 18.8% less likely to have internet access

In Japan, approximately 85.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Greenland, about 69.5% do as of 2021.

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Expenditures

spend 3.1 times more on education

Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Greenland spends 10.2% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

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Geography

see 48.2% more coastline

Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Greenland, that number is 44,087 km.

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Infrastructure

find 17.2% less home broadband

Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Greenland has 32.0 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 33.3% more CO2

Japan emits 7.8 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 (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Japan vs. Greenland

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Greenland is 2.0 times more expensive than Japan overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Japan is about 6 times smaller than Greenland.
→
Moving from Japan to Greenland · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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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 Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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