Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Greenland instead of North Korea, you would:

Health

live 3.5 years less

In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 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 2.3 times more likely to be obese

In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Greenland, that number is 28.1% of people as of 2024.

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Life

be 34.2% less likely to die during infancy

In North Korea, approximately 13.3 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 73.9% more likely to have access to electricity

In North Korea, approximately 58% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Greenland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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Geography

see 17.7 times more coastline

North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Greenland, that number is 44,087 km.

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Environment

emit 4.2 times more CO2

North Korea emits 2.5 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 (2023–2024), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: North Korea vs. Greenland

Cost of Living Comparison · 4 categories - 2026 data
Greenland is 4.8 times more expensive than North Korea overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
North Korea is about 18 times smaller than Greenland.
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Moving from North Korea 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 North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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