Greenland population pyramid 2026
55,629 people in 2026 (projected). Greenland has more men than women at almost every age, and a deep notch at ages 50–54 marks the abrupt fall in births from the late 1960s.
- 2026 population
- 55.6Krank 210 of 237
- Median age
- 35.5 yearsoldest rank 102
- Fertility rate
- 1.90births per woman · below replacement
- Structure
- Transitional12.3% age 65+
Greenland population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Greenland age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 20.6% of the population, while 12.3% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 67.1% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Greenland’s age structure as transitional; the guide to population pyramid types explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 49.1: about 49 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (30.8 children and 18.3 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Greenland’s population pyramid
A sudden break in births
Greenland has about 56,000 inhabitants, so each five-year band holds only a few thousand people and small shifts show up as visible steps. The largest step reflects a very rapid fertility decline: from about 6.7 children per woman in 1960 to 3.5 in 1970 and 2.4 by 1980. The fall coincided with a Danish-run contraception campaign from the mid-1960s in which intrauterine devices were fitted to thousands of Greenlandic women and girls, many without informed consent; the campaign has since become the subject of an official Danish–Greenlandic inquiry.
The cohorts born just before the decline, about 1962–66, form a bulge at ages 60–64 in 2026, about a fifth wider than the bands around them. Those born in about 1972–76 form a notch at 50–54, about a quarter narrower. Smaller echoes follow: a bulge at 30–34 and a notch at 20–24.
A male majority
Unusually, men outnumber women at almost every age, by about 110 to 100 overall and 123 to 100 at ages 70–74. In 1975 there were about 155 men per 100 women at ages 30–34, a period when many workers from Denmark, mostly men, were employed on the island; in later decades more women than men have tended to leave for education and work in Denmark. Net emigration since 2000 is estimated at about 9,000 people, and the chart alone cannot show how much each flow contributes to today’s imbalance. The guide to sex ratios by age shows how rarely older men outnumber older women.
The UN puts the population peak in 2005. Greenland’s age profile is closest to those of Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Armenia, and under the medium scenario it falls to about 50,000 by 2050, with deaths first exceeding births in 2030.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
Comparing each five-year band with its neighbours picks out the cohorts that break a smooth slope. These irregularities usually record past surges or deficits in births, or migration concentrated at particular ages; the pattern alone does not identify which. The guide to baby booms and echo cohorts explains how to date and interpret them.
| Age band in 2026 | Born about | Feature | Versus neighbouring bands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50–54 | 1972–1976 | Notch (smaller cohort) | −25% |
| 60–64 | 1962–1966 | Bulge (larger cohort) | +22% |
| 20–24 | 2002–2006 | Notch (smaller cohort) | −11% |
Births outnumber deaths in 2026; the medium scenario projects deaths to exceed births from 2030. People aged 65 and older are projected to outnumber children under 15 by 2040.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Greenland is projected to record 714 births (about 2 births a day) and 589 deaths, a natural increase of 125. Net migration adds −249 people, ranking #215 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 20,434 births, 11,553 deaths, and cumulative net migration of −9,111. Over that period migration moved the total more than the balance of births and deaths did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of −3,224 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 72.9 years39.8 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 68.4 years39.2 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 14.7 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 9.2per 1,000 births · 140 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 10.9per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 28.1 yearssex ratio at birth 105.0
Women in Greenland are projected to live 4.5 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 140 to 9.2 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #123 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 28.1 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Greenland
The median age of 35.5 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 1.90 births per woman is below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 70.4 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 55,629 | #210 | Largest first |
| Median age | 35.5 years | #102 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 1.90 | #119 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | -0.2% | #191 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 70.4 years | #173 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 12.3% | #104 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Greenland
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30–34 | 4,472 | 8.0% | 2.3K / 2.2K |
| 2 | 35–39 | 4,435 | 8.0% | 2.3K / 2.1K |
| 3 | 60–64 | 4,353 | 7.8% | 2.3K / 2.1K |
| 4 | 5–9 | 4,010 | 7.2% | 2.1K / 2K |
| 5 | 55–59 | 3,950 | 7.1% | 2.1K / 1.8K |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Greenland has 29,170 males and 26,459 females. That is 110.2 males per 100 females, ranking #15 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 52.4% of the population and females for 47.6%. There are 2,711 more males than females overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 119.0 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 105.0 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Greenland has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 23,209 in 1950 to 55,629 in 2026, a change of 140%. Over the same span, median age moved from 17.6 to 35.5 years.
The under-15 share changed from 41.9% to 20.6%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 1.9% to 12.3%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Greenland’s population is projected to decline by about 10%, reaching 49,898 in 2050. The median age changes from 35.5 to 39.6 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 5.4 percentage points to 17.7%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 17.2%. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The annual UN series reaches its highest estimated population of 56,950 in 2005. Historical population totals are estimates rather than exact head counts. Compare timing across countries in the population peak ranking.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 23,209 | 17.6 | 5.64 | 39.5 | 964 | 514 | +51 | +2.2% |
| 1960 | 32,105 | 17.2 | 6.69 | 58.5 | 1,498 | 320 | +234 | +4.4% |
| 1970 | 45,465 | 18.1 | 3.54 | 63.0 | 1,100 | 308 | +518 | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 50,111 | 22.8 | 2.35 | 62.2 | 1,010 | 405 | +4 | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 55,630 | 26.8 | 2.42 | 63.2 | 1,246 | 477 | −648 | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 56,208 | 31.1 | 2.35 | 65.6 | 897 | 463 | −229 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 56,614 | 32.5 | 2.24 | 68.5 | 859 | 477 | −46 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 56,080 | 33.6 | 2.00 | 70.2 | 825 | 522 | −328 | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 55,922 | 34.2 | 1.95 | 70.1 | 789 | 551 | −318 | -0.1% |
| 2024* | 55,840 | 34.6 | 1.93 | 70.2 | 762 | 563 | −284 | -0.2% |
| 2026* | 55,629 | 35.5 | 1.90 | 70.4 | 714 | 589 | −249 | -0.2% |
| 2030* | 55,050 | 37.1 | 1.86 | 70.9 | 643 | 645 | −166 | -0.3% |
| 2040* | 52,672 | 40.1 | 1.82 | 72.1 | 590 | 765 | −109 | -0.5% |
| 2050* | 49,898 | 39.6 | 1.80 | 73.4 | 580 | 759 | −79 | -0.5% |
| 2060* | 47,364 | 40.8 | 1.77 | 74.6 | 498 | 684 | −75 | -0.6% |
| 2070* | 44,597 | 42.8 | 1.76 | 75.9 | 451 | 675 | −59 | -0.7% |
| 2080* | 41,853 | 43.0 | 1.74 | 77.2 | 433 | 643 | −47 | -0.6% |
| 2090* | 39,491 | 43.5 | 1.74 | 78.5 | 390 | 571 | −41 | -0.6% |
| 2100* | 37,230 | 44.9 | 1.73 | 79.7 | 351 | 547 | −35 | -0.7% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 1,917 | 1,827 | 3,744 | 6.7% |
| 5–9 | 2,058 | 1,952 | 4,010 | 7.2% |
| 10–14 | 1,920 | 1,810 | 3,730 | 6.7% |
| 15–19 | 1,820 | 1,712 | 3,532 | 6.3% |
| 20–24 | 1,665 | 1,575 | 3,240 | 5.8% |
| 25–29 | 1,901 | 1,823 | 3,724 | 6.7% |
| 30–34 | 2,276 | 2,196 | 4,472 | 8.0% |
| 35–39 | 2,288 | 2,147 | 4,435 | 8.0% |
| 40–44 | 2,032 | 1,817 | 3,849 | 6.9% |
| 45–49 | 1,676 | 1,438 | 3,114 | 5.6% |
| 50–54 | 1,460 | 1,182 | 2,642 | 4.7% |
| 55–59 | 2,143 | 1,807 | 3,950 | 7.1% |
| 60–64 | 2,300 | 2,053 | 4,353 | 7.8% |
| 65–69 | 1,774 | 1,434 | 3,208 | 5.8% |
| 70–74 | 1,034 | 841 | 1,875 | 3.4% |
| 75–79 | 532 | 430 | 962 | 1.7% |
| 80–84 | 276 | 271 | 547 | 1.0% |
| 85–89 | 83 | 113 | 196 | 0.4% |
| 90–94 | 16 | 28 | 44 | 0.1% |
| 95–99 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0.0% |
| 100+ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Greenland’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Dominica94% overlap · median age 36.6
- Saint Kitts and Nevis93% overlap · median age 36.5
- North Korea93% overlap · median age 36.8
- Armenia93% overlap · median age 37.2
- Antigua and Barbuda93% overlap · median age 36.7
- New Caledonia92% overlap · median age 34.8
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Greenland.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Greenland Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/greenland/
MLA
“Greenland Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/greenland/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “Greenland Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/greenland/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Greenland in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Greenland's population in 2026 is projected at 55,629.
What is the median age in Greenland?
The projected median age in Greenland in 2026 is 35.5 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Greenland?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 1.90 births per woman, below the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Greenland's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will decline by about 10%, from 55.6K to 49.9K.
What share of Greenland is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 12.3% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 17.7%.
How many babies are born in Greenland each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 714 births and 589 deaths in 2026, about 2 births a day. Births exceed deaths by 125.
What is life expectancy in Greenland for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 72.9 years for women and 68.4 years for men, a gap of 4.5 years in favour of women.
Does Greenland have more immigrants or emigrants?
Greenland is projected to lose about 249 more people through emigration than it gains in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of −9,111.
What is the sex ratio in Greenland?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 110.2 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.