Share of population living in rural areas in Greenland
Greenland: Share of population living in rural areas was 57.5% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of population living in rural areas in Greenland, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Greenland recorded 57.5% for share of population living in rural areas in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in rural areas in Greenland peaked at 100.0% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 57.5%, in 2020.
That places Greenland 22nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in rural areas in Greenland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 100.0% | — |
| 1955 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 87.3% | -12.7% |
| 1975 | 85.6% | -2.0% |
| 1980 | 81.7% | -4.5% |
| 1985 | 80.1% | -1.9% |
| 1990 | 78.4% | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 76.8% | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 66.5% | -13.3% |
| 2005 | 64.9% | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 62.7% | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 60.0% | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 57.5% | -4.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 86.4% | 85.6% | 87.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 80.9% | 80.1% | 81.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 77.6% | 76.8% | 78.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 65.7% | 64.9% | 66.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 61.4% | 60.0% | 62.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 57.5% | 57.5% | 57.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Greenland
- 19 Palau 60.7% compare
- 20 Namibia 58.2% compare
- 21 Saint Kitts and Nevis 57.8% compare
- 23 Madagascar 57.1% compare
- 24 Dominica 57.1% compare
- 25 Papua New Guinea 53.7% 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 share of population living in rural areas in Greenland?
- Share of population living in rural areas in Greenland was 57.5% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Greenland?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1950.
- What is the lowest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Greenland?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.5% in 2020.
- How does Greenland rank for share of population living in rural areas?
- Greenland ranks 22nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Greenland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Greenland data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.