Urban population in Greenland
Greenland: Urban population was 50,337 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Greenland, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in Greenland stood at 50,337. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Greenland peaked at 50,337 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 18,931, in 1960.
Greenland ranks 194th of 218 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Greenland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 18,931 | — |
| 1961 | 20,146 | +6.4% |
| 1962 | 21,690 | +7.7% |
| 1963 | 23,495 | +8.3% |
| 1964 | 25,214 | +7.3% |
| 1965 | 27,046 | +7.3% |
| 1966 | 28,451 | +5.2% |
| 1967 | 29,822 | +4.8% |
| 1968 | 31,229 | +4.7% |
| 1969 | 32,595 | +4.4% |
| 1970 | 33,913 | +4.0% |
| 1971 | 34,672 | +2.2% |
| 1972 | 35,610 | +2.7% |
| 1973 | 36,229 | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 36,691 | +1.3% |
| 1975 | 36,865 | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 37,064 | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 37,023 | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 36,992 | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 37,613 | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 38,348 | +2.0% |
| 1981 | 39,154 | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 39,721 | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 40,382 | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 41,107 | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 41,768 | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 42,318 | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 42,968 | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 43,590 | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 44,095 | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 44,465 | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 44,497 | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 44,405 | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 44,418 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 44,841 | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 45,230 | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 45,316 | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 45,401 | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 45,508 | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 45,534 | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 45,764 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 46,113 | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 46,451 | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 46,734 | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 46,977 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 47,080 | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 47,036 | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 47,056 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 47,103 | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 47,230 | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 47,646 | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 48,088 | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 48,224 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 48,221 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 48,232 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 48,284 | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 48,447 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 48,528 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 48,586 | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 48,928 | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 49,199 | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 49,597 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 49,751 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 50,077 | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 50,197 | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 50,337 | +0.3% |
Greenland compared with similar countries
- Greenland's 50,337 is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.24 million, 2% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Greenland's 50,337 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.59 million, 1% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 25,862 | 18,931 | 32,595 | 10 |
| 1970s | 36,267 | 33,913 | 37,613 | 10 |
| 1980s | 41,345 | 38,348 | 44,095 | 10 |
| 1990s | 44,962 | 44,405 | 45,534 | 10 |
| 2000s | 46,754 | 45,764 | 47,230 | 10 |
| 2010s | 48,318 | 47,646 | 48,928 | 10 |
| 2020s | 49,860 | 49,199 | 50,337 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Greenland
- 191 Seychelles 55,821 compare
- 192 Channel Islands 54,993 compare
- 193 Saint Lucia 52,417 compare
- 195 Dominica 48,735 compare
- 196 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 47,945 compare
- 197 Turks and Caicos Islands 44,229 compare
More climate change data for Greenland
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 148,208 kg (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 0.8215 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 0.8215 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.0031 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) 0.8215 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 0.8215 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions 0.0031 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Direct emissions 0.0023 kt (2050)
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Indirect emissions (N2O that) 0.0002 kt (2050)
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Indirect emissions (N2O that leaches) 0.0005 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Greenland?
- Urban population in Greenland was 50,337 in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Greenland?
- The highest recorded value was 50,337 in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Greenland?
- The lowest recorded value was 18,931 in 1960.
- How does Greenland rank for urban population?
- Greenland ranks 194th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Greenland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Greenland data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.