Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Greenland
Greenland: Population density (people per sq. km of land area) was 0.1385 people per sq. km of land area in 2024. ▲ Rising
Population density in Greenland, 1961–2024
Source: FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in people per sq. km of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population density in Greenland is 0.1385 people per sq. km of land area, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population density in Greenland peaked at 0.1636 people per sq. km of land area in 1996 and was at its lowest, 0.0986 people per sq. km of land area, in 1961.
That places Greenland 216th out of 216 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Greenland, year by year
| Year | people per sq. km of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.0986 people per sq. km of land area | — |
| 1962 | 0.1024 people per sq. km of land area | +3.9% |
| 1963 | 0.1065 people per sq. km of land area | +4.0% |
| 1964 | 0.11 people per sq. km of land area | +3.3% |
| 1965 | 0.1147 people per sq. km of land area | +4.3% |
| 1966 | 0.1185 people per sq. km of land area | +3.3% |
| 1967 | 0.1226 people per sq. km of land area | +3.5% |
| 1968 | 0.127 people per sq. km of land area | +3.6% |
| 1969 | 0.1314 people per sq. km of land area | +3.5% |
| 1970 | 0.1358 people per sq. km of land area | +3.3% |
| 1971 | 0.1381 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 0.1414 people per sq. km of land area | +2.3% |
| 1973 | 0.1434 people per sq. km of land area | +1.4% |
| 1974 | 0.1449 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 0.1452 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 0.1454 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 0.1446 people per sq. km of land area | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 0.144 people per sq. km of land area | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 0.1452 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 0.1469 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 0.1493 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 0.1507 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 0.1525 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 0.1542 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 0.1557 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 0.1566 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 0.1583 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 0.1604 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 0.1618 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 0.1627 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 0.1624 people per sq. km of land area | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 0.1618 people per sq. km of land area | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 0.1615 people per sq. km of land area | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 0.1624 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 0.1633 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 0.1636 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 0.1364 people per sq. km of land area | -16.6% |
| 1998 | 0.1367 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 0.1367 people per sq. km of land area | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.1369 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 0.1374 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 0.1379 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 0.1383 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 0.1386 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 0.1387 people per sq. km of land area | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 0.1383 people per sq. km of land area | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 0.1378 people per sq. km of land area | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 0.1372 people per sq. km of land area | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 0.1372 people per sq. km of land area | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.1377 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 0.1386 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 0.1384 people per sq. km of land area | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 0.1376 people per sq. km of land area | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 0.1372 people per sq. km of land area | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 0.1367 people per sq. km of land area | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 0.1369 people per sq. km of land area | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 0.1369 people per sq. km of land area | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.1365 people per sq. km of land area | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 0.137 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 0.1373 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 0.138 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 0.138 people per sq. km of land area | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.1385 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 0.1385 people per sq. km of land area | -0.1% |
Greenland compared with similar countries
- Greenland's 0.1385 people per sq. km of land area is below the median for high income countries, which is 147 people per sq. km of land area, 0% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Greenland's 0.1385 people per sq. km of land area is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 85.13 people per sq. km of land area, 0% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1147 people per sq. km of land area | 0.0986 people per sq. km of land area | 0.1314 people per sq. km of land area | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.1428 people per sq. km of land area | 0.1358 people per sq. km of land area | 0.1454 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1546 people per sq. km of land area | 0.1469 people per sq. km of land area | 0.1618 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1548 people per sq. km of land area | 0.1364 people per sq. km of land area | 0.1636 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1378 people per sq. km of land area | 0.1369 people per sq. km of land area | 0.1387 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1373 people per sq. km of land area | 0.1365 people per sq. km of land area | 0.1386 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1381 people per sq. km of land area | 0.1373 people per sq. km of land area | 0.1385 people per sq. km of land area | 5 |
Countries ranked near Greenland
More urban development data for Greenland
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 1.64 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO 80.0% (2017)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population density in Greenland?
- Population density in Greenland was 0.1385 people per sq. km of land area in 2024, according to FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest population density recorded in Greenland?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1636 people per sq. km of land area in 1996.
- What is the lowest population density recorded in Greenland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0986 people per sq. km of land area in 1961.
- How does Greenland rank for population density?
- Greenland ranks 216th out of 216 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population density rising or falling in Greenland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Greenland data come from?
- The figures come from FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.