Annual change in population in Greenland
Greenland: Annual change in population was -63 people in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
-63 people
Change on year
down 23.5%
World rank
200th
of 236 countries
All-time high
1,431 people
in 1967
All-time low
-337 people
in 2014
Years of data
73
1951–2023
Annual change in population in Greenland, 1951–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual change in population in Greenland is -63 people, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 23.5% on the previous year and up 76.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual change in population in Greenland peaked at 1,431 people in 1967 and was at its lowest, -337 people, in 2014.
That places Greenland 200th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual change in population in Greenland, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 458 people | — |
| 1952 | 505 people | +10.3% |
| 1953 | 633 people | +25.3% |
| 1954 | 691 people | +9.2% |
| 1955 | 765 people | +10.7% |
| 1956 | 916 people | +19.7% |
| 1957 | 1,086 people | +18.6% |
| 1958 | 1,172 people | +7.9% |
| 1959 | 1,289 people | +10.0% |
| 1960 | 1,377 people | +6.8% |
| 1961 | 1,312 people | -4.7% |
| 1962 | 1,232 people | -6.1% |
| 1963 | 1,256 people | +1.9% |
| 1964 | 1,302 people | +3.7% |
| 1965 | 1,358 people | +4.3% |
| 1966 | 1,407 people | +3.6% |
| 1967 | 1,431 people | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 1,380 people | -3.6% |
| 1969 | 1,358 people | -1.6% |
| 1970 | 1,326 people | -2.4% |
| 1971 | 1,034 people | -22.0% |
| 1972 | 760 people | -26.5% |
| 1973 | 721 people | -5.1% |
| 1974 | 647 people | -10.3% |
| 1975 | 542 people | -16.2% |
| 1976 | 423 people | -22.0% |
| 1977 | 164 people | -61.2% |
| 1978 | -5 people | -103.0% |
| 1979 | 31 people | -720.0% |
| 1980 | 328 people | +958.1% |
| 1981 | 602 people | +83.5% |
| 1982 | 622 people | +3.3% |
| 1983 | 633 people | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 645 people | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 602 people | -6.7% |
| 1986 | 525 people | -12.8% |
| 1987 | 521 people | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 539 people | +3.5% |
| 1989 | 514 people | -4.6% |
| 1990 | 317 people | -38.3% |
| 1991 | 90 people | -71.6% |
| 1992 | 29 people | -67.8% |
| 1993 | 11 people | -62.1% |
| 1994 | -14 people | -227.3% |
| 1995 | 91 people | -750.0% |
| 1996 | 163 people | +79.1% |
| 1997 | 95 people | -41.7% |
| 1998 | 60 people | -36.8% |
| 1999 | -27 people | -145.0% |
| 2000 | 80 people | -396.3% |
| 2001 | 205 people | +156.2% |
| 2002 | 184 people | -10.2% |
| 2003 | 164 people | -10.9% |
| 2004 | 145 people | -11.6% |
| 2005 | 43 people | -70.3% |
| 2006 | -68 people | -258.1% |
| 2007 | -94 people | +38.2% |
| 2008 | -124 people | +31.9% |
| 2009 | -136 people | +9.7% |
| 2010 | 87 people | -164.0% |
| 2011 | 219 people | +151.7% |
| 2012 | -56 people | -125.6% |
| 2013 | -265 people | +373.2% |
| 2014 | -337 people | +27.2% |
| 2015 | -147 people | -56.4% |
| 2016 | 34 people | -123.1% |
| 2017 | 12 people | -64.7% |
| 2018 | 6 people | -50.0% |
| 2019 | 9 people | +50.0% |
| 2020 | -4 people | -144.4% |
| 2021 | -40 people | +900.0% |
| 2022 | -51 people | +27.5% |
| 2023 | -63 people | +23.5% |
Greenland compared with similar countries
- Greenland's -63 people is below the median for high income countries, which is 3,163 people. (85 countries reporting)
- Greenland's -63 people is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15,382 people. (56 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual change in population in Greenland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +958.1% | 31 people | 328 people |
| 2021 | -900.0% | -4 people | -40 people |
| 1995 | +750.0% | -14 people | 91 people |
| 1979 | +720.0% | -5 people | 31 people |
| 2000 | +396.3% | -27 people | 80 people |
| 2013 | -373.2% | -56 people | -265 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 835 people | 458 people | 1,289 people | 9 |
| 1960s | 1,341 people | 1,232 people | 1,431 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 564.3 people | -5 people | 1,326 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 553.1 people | 328 people | 645 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 81.5 people | -27 people | 317 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 39.9 people | -136 people | 205 people | 10 |
| 2010s | -43.8 people | -337 people | 219 people | 10 |
| 2020s | -39.5 people | -63 people | -4 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Greenland
- 197 Bermuda -51 people compare
- 198 Saint Helena -53 people compare
- 198 Saint Pierre and Miquelon -53 people compare
- 201 Wallis and Futuna -107 people compare
- 202 Tuvalu -175 people compare
- 203 Dominica -316 people compare
More population data for Greenland
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.6084 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -2.75 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.6084 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.7286 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.8929 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.7% (2100)
- Population density 0.0907 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 1,776 people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.7% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate 0.1176 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual change in population in Greenland?
- Annual change in population in Greenland was -63 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual change in population recorded in Greenland?
- The highest recorded value was 1,431 people in 1967.
- What is the lowest annual change in population recorded in Greenland?
- The lowest recorded value was -337 people in 2014.
- How does Greenland rank for annual change in population?
- Greenland ranks 200th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual change in population rising or falling in Greenland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 76.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Greenland data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual change in population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 73 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual change in population, calculated as the difference between population on 1 July of consecutive years.