Annual population growth in Greenland
Greenland: Annual population growth was -63 in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
-63
Change on year
down 23.5%
World rank
200th
of 236 countries
All-time high
1,431
in 1967
All-time low
-337
in 2014
Years of data
73
1951–2023
Annual population growth in Greenland, 1951–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual population growth in Greenland is -63, 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 population growth in Greenland peaked at 1,431 in 1967 and was at its lowest, -337, 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 population growth in Greenland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 458 | — |
| 1952 | 505 | +10.3% |
| 1953 | 633 | +25.3% |
| 1954 | 691 | +9.2% |
| 1955 | 765 | +10.7% |
| 1956 | 916 | +19.7% |
| 1957 | 1,086 | +18.6% |
| 1958 | 1,172 | +7.9% |
| 1959 | 1,289 | +10.0% |
| 1960 | 1,377 | +6.8% |
| 1961 | 1,312 | -4.7% |
| 1962 | 1,232 | -6.1% |
| 1963 | 1,256 | +1.9% |
| 1964 | 1,302 | +3.7% |
| 1965 | 1,358 | +4.3% |
| 1966 | 1,407 | +3.6% |
| 1967 | 1,431 | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 1,380 | -3.6% |
| 1969 | 1,358 | -1.6% |
| 1970 | 1,326 | -2.4% |
| 1971 | 1,034 | -22.0% |
| 1972 | 760 | -26.5% |
| 1973 | 721 | -5.1% |
| 1974 | 647 | -10.3% |
| 1975 | 542 | -16.2% |
| 1976 | 423 | -22.0% |
| 1977 | 164 | -61.2% |
| 1978 | -5 | -103.0% |
| 1979 | 31 | -720.0% |
| 1980 | 328 | +958.1% |
| 1981 | 602 | +83.5% |
| 1982 | 622 | +3.3% |
| 1983 | 633 | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 645 | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 602 | -6.7% |
| 1986 | 525 | -12.8% |
| 1987 | 521 | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 539 | +3.5% |
| 1989 | 514 | -4.6% |
| 1990 | 317 | -38.3% |
| 1991 | 90 | -71.6% |
| 1992 | 29 | -67.8% |
| 1993 | 11 | -62.1% |
| 1994 | -14 | -227.3% |
| 1995 | 91 | -750.0% |
| 1996 | 163 | +79.1% |
| 1997 | 95 | -41.7% |
| 1998 | 60 | -36.8% |
| 1999 | -27 | -145.0% |
| 2000 | 80 | -396.3% |
| 2001 | 205 | +156.2% |
| 2002 | 184 | -10.2% |
| 2003 | 164 | -10.9% |
| 2004 | 145 | -11.6% |
| 2005 | 43 | -70.3% |
| 2006 | -68 | -258.1% |
| 2007 | -94 | +38.2% |
| 2008 | -124 | +31.9% |
| 2009 | -136 | +9.7% |
| 2010 | 87 | -164.0% |
| 2011 | 219 | +151.7% |
| 2012 | -56 | -125.6% |
| 2013 | -265 | +373.2% |
| 2014 | -337 | +27.2% |
| 2015 | -147 | -56.4% |
| 2016 | 34 | -123.1% |
| 2017 | 12 | -64.7% |
| 2018 | 6 | -50.0% |
| 2019 | 9 | +50.0% |
| 2020 | -4 | -144.4% |
| 2021 | -40 | +900.0% |
| 2022 | -51 | +27.5% |
| 2023 | -63 | +23.5% |
Greenland compared with similar countries
- Greenland's -63 is below the median for high income countries, which is 3,163. (85 countries reporting)
- Greenland's -63 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15,382. (56 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual population growth 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 | 328 |
| 2021 | -900.0% | -4 | -40 |
| 1995 | +750.0% | -14 | 91 |
| 1979 | +720.0% | -5 | 31 |
| 2000 | +396.3% | -27 | 80 |
| 2013 | -373.2% | -56 | -265 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 835 | 458 | 1,289 | 9 |
| 1960s | 1,341 | 1,232 | 1,431 | 10 |
| 1970s | 564.3 | -5 | 1,326 | 10 |
| 1980s | 553.1 | 328 | 645 | 10 |
| 1990s | 81.5 | -27 | 317 | 10 |
| 2000s | 39.9 | -136 | 205 | 10 |
| 2010s | -43.8 | -337 | 219 | 10 |
| 2020s | -39.5 | -63 | -4 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Greenland
- 197 Bermuda -51 compare
- 198 Saint Helena -53 compare
- 198 Saint Pierre and Miquelon -53 compare
- 201 Wallis and Futuna -107 compare
- 202 Tuvalu -175 compare
- 203 Dominica -316 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)
- Population growth rate -0.65 (2100)
- Population density 0.0907 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 1,776 (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.65 (2100)
- Urbanization vs gdp, annual growth rate 0.2882 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual population growth in Greenland?
- Annual population growth in Greenland was -63 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual population growth recorded in Greenland?
- The highest recorded value was 1,431 in 1967.
- What is the lowest annual population growth recorded in Greenland?
- The lowest recorded value was -337 in 2014.
- How does Greenland rank for annual population growth?
- Greenland ranks 200th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual population growth 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Annual population growth. 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).