Population aged 65 years or older (thousands) in Greenland
Greenland: Population aged 65 years or older (thousands) was 6.23 thousands in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
6.23 thousands
Change on year
up 6.6%
World rank
211th
of 233 countries
All-time high
6.23 thousands
in 2025
All-time low
1.15 thousands
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Population aged 65 years or older in Greenland, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
In 2025, population aged 65 years or older in Greenland stood at 6.23 thousands. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.6% on the previous year and up 46.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population aged 65 years or older in Greenland peaked at 6.23 thousands in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.15 thousands, in 1970.
That places Greenland 211th out of 233 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Population aged 65 years or older (thousands) in Greenland, year by year
| Year | thousands | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.15 thousands | — |
| 1971 | 1.21 thousands | +5.4% |
| 1972 | 1.29 thousands | +6.5% |
| 1973 | 1.36 thousands | +5.6% |
| 1974 | 1.43 thousands | +5.4% |
| 1975 | 1.49 thousands | +4.3% |
| 1976 | 1.56 thousands | +4.3% |
| 1977 | 1.61 thousands | +3.6% |
| 1978 | 1.67 thousands | +3.5% |
| 1979 | 1.72 thousands | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 1.75 thousands | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 1.81 thousands | +3.1% |
| 1982 | 1.84 thousands | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 1.88 thousands | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 1.89 thousands | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 1.91 thousands | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 1.94 thousands | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 1.96 thousands | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 1.99 thousands | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 2.03 thousands | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 2.08 thousands | +2.2% |
| 1991 | 2.15 thousands | +3.5% |
| 1992 | 2.22 thousands | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 2.31 thousands | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 2.38 thousands | +3.2% |
| 1995 | 2.45 thousands | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 2.55 thousands | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 2.62 thousands | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 2.69 thousands | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 2.76 thousands | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 2.79 thousands | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 2.88 thousands | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 2.94 thousands | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 3 thousands | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 3.06 thousands | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 3.13 thousands | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 3.28 thousands | +4.8% |
| 2007 | 3.44 thousands | +4.6% |
| 2008 | 3.58 thousands | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 3.71 thousands | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 3.82 thousands | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 3.95 thousands | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 4.07 thousands | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 4.16 thousands | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 4.22 thousands | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 4.25 thousands | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 4.39 thousands | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 4.53 thousands | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 4.65 thousands | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 4.75 thousands | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 4.88 thousands | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 5.04 thousands | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 5.25 thousands | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 5.47 thousands | +4.2% |
| 2024 | 5.84 thousands | +6.8% |
| 2025 | 6.23 thousands | +6.6% |
Greenland compared with similar countries
- Greenland's 6.23 thousands is below the median for high income countries, which is 291.46 thousands, 2% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Greenland's 6.23 thousands is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 974.42 thousands, 1% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.45 thousands | 1.15 thousands | 1.72 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.9 thousands | 1.75 thousands | 2.03 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.42 thousands | 2.08 thousands | 2.76 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.18 thousands | 2.79 thousands | 3.71 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.28 thousands | 3.82 thousands | 4.75 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.45 thousands | 4.88 thousands | 6.23 thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near Greenland
- 209 Cayman Islands 6.94 thousands compare
- 210 Micronesia (country) 6.88 thousands compare
- 212 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 6.2 thousands compare
- 213 Kiribati 5.83 thousands compare
- 214 Saint Kitts and Nevis 5.39 thousands 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 population aged 65 years or older in Greenland?
- Population aged 65 years or older in Greenland was 6.23 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population aged 65 years or older recorded in Greenland?
- The highest recorded value was 6.23 thousands in 2025.
- What is the lowest population aged 65 years or older recorded in Greenland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.15 thousands in 1970.
- How does Greenland rank for population aged 65 years or older?
- Greenland ranks 211th out of 233 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population aged 65 years or older rising or falling in Greenland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Greenland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population aged 65 years or older (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release