Birth rate in Greenland
Greenland: Birth rate was 14.11 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
14.11 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
112th
of 236 countries
All-time high
46.92 births per 1,000 people
in 1961
All-time low
14.11 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate in Greenland, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Greenland recorded 14.11 births per 1,000 people for birth rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and down 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Greenland peaked at 46.92 births per 1,000 people in 1961 and was at its lowest, 14.11 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
That places Greenland 112th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate in Greenland, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 41.54 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 42.29 births per 1,000 people | +1.8% |
| 1952 | 42.8 births per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
| 1953 | 43.67 births per 1,000 people | +2.0% |
| 1954 | 44.77 births per 1,000 people | +2.5% |
| 1955 | 45.69 births per 1,000 people | +2.0% |
| 1956 | 45.43 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1957 | 45.63 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1958 | 45.83 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1959 | 46.29 births per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 1960 | 46.66 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1961 | 46.92 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1962 | 45.94 births per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 1963 | 44.83 births per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 1964 | 43.62 births per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 1965 | 42.09 births per 1,000 people | -3.5% |
| 1966 | 39.41 births per 1,000 people | -6.4% |
| 1967 | 36.62 births per 1,000 people | -7.1% |
| 1968 | 32.98 births per 1,000 people | -10.0% |
| 1969 | 28.5 births per 1,000 people | -13.6% |
| 1970 | 24.18 births per 1,000 people | -15.1% |
| 1971 | 22.06 births per 1,000 people | -8.8% |
| 1972 | 20.92 births per 1,000 people | -5.2% |
| 1973 | 19.28 births per 1,000 people | -7.8% |
| 1974 | 17.62 births per 1,000 people | -8.6% |
| 1975 | 17.22 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1976 | 17.3 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 18.09 births per 1,000 people | +4.6% |
| 1978 | 17.88 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 18.52 births per 1,000 people | +3.6% |
| 1980 | 20.15 births per 1,000 people | +8.8% |
| 1981 | 20.54 births per 1,000 people | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 20.37 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1983 | 19.65 births per 1,000 people | -3.5% |
| 1984 | 20.27 births per 1,000 people | +3.2% |
| 1985 | 21.2 births per 1,000 people | +4.5% |
| 1986 | 20.41 births per 1,000 people | -3.7% |
| 1987 | 20.58 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 21.91 births per 1,000 people | +6.5% |
| 1989 | 22.15 births per 1,000 people | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 22.41 births per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 21.88 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 22.17 births per 1,000 people | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 21.57 births per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 20.64 births per 1,000 people | -4.3% |
| 1995 | 19.75 births per 1,000 people | -4.3% |
| 1996 | 19.11 births per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 19.19 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 17.51 births per 1,000 people | -8.8% |
| 1999 | 16.57 births per 1,000 people | -5.4% |
| 2000 | 15.96 births per 1,000 people | -3.6% |
| 2001 | 16.47 births per 1,000 people | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 16.56 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 15.76 births per 1,000 people | -4.8% |
| 2004 | 15.62 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 15.36 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 14.88 births per 1,000 people | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 15.04 births per 1,000 people | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 15.16 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 15.66 births per 1,000 people | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 15.17 births per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 14.59 births per 1,000 people | -3.8% |
| 2012 | 14.22 births per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 14.45 births per 1,000 people | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 14.53 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 15.04 births per 1,000 people | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 15.1 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 15.17 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 14.9 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 14.81 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 14.72 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 14.57 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 14.36 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 14.11 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
Greenland compared with similar countries
- Greenland's 14.11 births per 1,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.6 births per 1,000 people, 1.5× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Greenland's 14.11 births per 1,000 people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 9.31 births per 1,000 people, 1.5× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 44.4 births per 1,000 people | 41.54 births per 1,000 people | 46.29 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 40.76 births per 1,000 people | 28.5 births per 1,000 people | 46.92 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 19.31 births per 1,000 people | 17.22 births per 1,000 people | 24.18 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.72 births per 1,000 people | 19.65 births per 1,000 people | 22.15 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.08 births per 1,000 people | 16.57 births per 1,000 people | 22.41 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.65 births per 1,000 people | 14.88 births per 1,000 people | 16.56 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.8 births per 1,000 people | 14.22 births per 1,000 people | 15.17 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.44 births per 1,000 people | 14.11 births per 1,000 people | 14.72 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Greenland
- 109 Venezuela 15.09 births per 1,000 people compare
- 110 Ecuador 15.03 births per 1,000 people compare
- 111 New Caledonia 14.26 births per 1,000 people compare
- 113 Sri Lanka 14.11 births per 1,000 people compare
- 114 Niue 13.87 births per 1,000 people compare
- 115 Vietnam 13.83 births per 1,000 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 birth rate in Greenland?
- Birth rate in Greenland was 14.11 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Greenland?
- The highest recorded value was 46.92 births per 1,000 people in 1961.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Greenland?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.11 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Greenland rank for birth rate?
- Greenland ranks 112th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Greenland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Greenland data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.