Population growth rates in Greenland
Greenland: Population growth rates was -0.141 in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
-0.141
Change on year
down 38.2%
World rank
191st
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.39
in 1960
All-time low
-0.659
in 2014
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Population growth rates in Greenland, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Greenland recorded -0.141 for population growth rates in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 38.2% on the previous year and up 74.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth rates in Greenland peaked at 4.39 in 1960 and was at its lowest, -0.659, in 2014.
That places Greenland 191st 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.
Population growth rates in Greenland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.16 | — |
| 1951 | 1.74 | -19.5% |
| 1952 | 2.52 | +44.8% |
| 1953 | 2.66 | +5.8% |
| 1954 | 2.82 | +6.0% |
| 1955 | 3.07 | +9.0% |
| 1956 | 3.81 | +23.8% |
| 1957 | 3.99 | +4.9% |
| 1958 | 4.17 | +4.6% |
| 1959 | 4.38 | +4.9% |
| 1960 | 4.39 | +0.3% |
| 1961 | 3.64 | -17.1% |
| 1962 | 3.58 | -1.6% |
| 1963 | 3.56 | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 3.58 | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 3.53 | -1.5% |
| 1966 | 3.65 | +3.5% |
| 1967 | 3.38 | -7.3% |
| 1968 | 3.19 | -5.7% |
| 1969 | 3.05 | -4.3% |
| 1970 | 2.88 | -5.8% |
| 1971 | 1.64 | -43.0% |
| 1972 | 1.6 | -2.6% |
| 1973 | 1.43 | -10.7% |
| 1974 | 1.25 | -12.6% |
| 1975 | 1 | -19.5% |
| 1976 | 0.698 | -30.4% |
| 1977 | -0.036 | -105.2% |
| 1978 | 0.018 | -150.0% |
| 1979 | 0.106 | +488.9% |
| 1980 | 1.21 | +1038.7% |
| 1981 | 1.21 | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 1.23 | +1.8% |
| 1983 | 1.21 | -1.8% |
| 1984 | 1.26 | +4.6% |
| 1985 | 1.01 | -20.1% |
| 1986 | 0.969 | -3.8% |
| 1987 | 0.979 | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 0.98 | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 0.902 | -8.0% |
| 1990 | 0.228 | -74.7% |
| 1991 | 0.095 | -58.3% |
| 1992 | 0.022 | -76.8% |
| 1993 | -0.002 | -109.1% |
| 1994 | -0.029 | +1350.0% |
| 1995 | 0.349 | -1303.4% |
| 1996 | 0.221 | -36.7% |
| 1997 | 0.137 | -38.0% |
| 1998 | 0.041 | -70.1% |
| 1999 | -0.112 | -373.2% |
| 2000 | 0.393 | -450.9% |
| 2001 | 0.326 | -17.0% |
| 2002 | 0.315 | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 0.284 | -9.8% |
| 2004 | 0.227 | -20.1% |
| 2005 | -0.076 | -133.5% |
| 2006 | -0.16 | +110.5% |
| 2007 | -0.194 | +21.3% |
| 2008 | -0.233 | +20.1% |
| 2009 | -0.26 | +11.6% |
| 2010 | 0.588 | -326.2% |
| 2011 | 0.188 | -68.0% |
| 2012 | -0.387 | -305.9% |
| 2013 | -0.549 | +41.9% |
| 2014 | -0.659 | +20.0% |
| 2015 | 0.118 | -117.9% |
| 2016 | 0.025 | -78.8% |
| 2017 | 0.011 | -56.0% |
| 2018 | -0.002 | -118.2% |
| 2019 | 0.039 | -2050.0% |
| 2020 | -0.055 | -241.0% |
| 2021 | -0.08 | +45.5% |
| 2022 | -0.102 | +27.5% |
| 2023 | -0.141 | +38.2% |
Greenland compared with similar countries
- Greenland's -0.141 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.492. (85 countries reporting)
- Greenland's -0.141 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.0725. (56 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth rates 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +2050.0% | -0.002 | 0.039 |
| 1994 | -1350.0% | -0.002 | -0.029 |
| 1995 | +1303.4% | -0.029 | 0.349 |
| 1980 | +1038.7% | 0.106 | 1.21 |
| 1979 | +488.9% | 0.018 | 0.106 |
| 2000 | +450.9% | -0.112 | 0.393 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.13 | 1.74 | 4.38 | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.56 | 3.05 | 4.39 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.06 | -0.036 | 2.88 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.09 | 0.902 | 1.26 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.095 | -0.112 | 0.349 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0622 | -0.26 | 0.393 | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.0628 | -0.659 | 0.588 | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.0945 | -0.141 | -0.055 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Greenland
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 population growth rates in Greenland?
- Population growth rates in Greenland was -0.141 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population growth rates recorded in Greenland?
- The highest recorded value was 4.39 in 1960.
- What is the lowest population growth rates recorded in Greenland?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.659 in 2014.
- How does Greenland rank for population growth rates?
- Greenland ranks 191st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population growth rates rising or falling in Greenland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 74.3%. 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 Population growth rates. 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).