Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Greenland instead of United Kingdom, you would:

Health

live 11.1 years less

In United Kingdom, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 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 12.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In United Kingdom, 18.6% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Greenland, however, that number is 16.2% as of 2015.

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Life

have 21.3% more children

In United Kingdom, there are approximately 9.9 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 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In United Kingdom, approximately 4.1 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 27.2% less likely to have internet access

In United Kingdom, approximately 95.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Greenland, about 69.5% do as of 2021.

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Expenditures

spend 72.6% more on education

United Kingdom spends 5.9% 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 3.5 times more coastline

United Kingdom has a total of 12,429 km of coastline. In Greenland, that number is 44,087 km.

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Infrastructure

find 24.1% less home broadband

United Kingdom has 42.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Greenland has 32.0 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 2.5 times more CO2

United Kingdom emits 4.2 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 (2017–2024), The World Factbook (2015–2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: United Kingdom vs. Greenland

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Greenland is 13.5% more expensive than United Kingdom overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
United Kingdom is about 9 times smaller than Greenland.
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Moving from United Kingdom to Greenland · UN DESA 2020
14 people born in United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom? See an in-depth size comparison.

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