Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 31.5% less likely to be obese

In United States, 41.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Greenland, that number is 28.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 8.6 years less

In United States, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 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

make 35.0% less money

United States has a GDP per capita of $90,027 as of 2025, while in Greenland, the GDP per capita is $58,499 as of 2023.

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Life

have 13.2% more children

In United States, there are approximately 10.6 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 59.1% more likely to die during infancy

In United States, approximately 5.5 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 26.6% less likely to have internet access

In United States, approximately 94.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Greenland, about 69.5% do as of 2021.

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Expenditures

spend 88.2% more on education

United States spends 5.4% 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 2.2 times more coastline

United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Greenland, that number is 44,087 km.

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Infrastructure

find 17.7% less home broadband

United States has 38.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Greenland has 32.0 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 23.3% less CO2

United States emits 13.6 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: United States vs. Greenland

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Greenland is 5.6% more expensive than United States overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
United States is about 4.5 times bigger than Greenland.
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Moving from United States to Greenland · UN DESA 2020
38 people born in United States 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 States? See an in-depth size comparison.

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