Population Statistics, Methodology

Published

12.05.2026

Population Statistics Register

The population statistics are based on Statistics Greenland’s population statistics register. The register is based on information from the Danish Civil Registration System (CPR), which is updated, among other things, with information from the Greenlandic population registers.

Population stock statistics include persons residing in Greenland on 1 January. The residence criterion follows the principles described in the Danish Ministry of the Interior’s guidelines on the registration of residence in the population registers and CPR.

Reporting Delays

Births, deaths, migrations and other events are often registered with some delay after the actual event date. For this reason, a delimitation period is applied in the population statistics to account for delayed reporting.

There is no limitation period for reporting or correcting information.

Migration

Information on immigration and emigration is reported by the municipal population registers. Registration therefore depends both on when the move is reported and when the municipality becomes aware of the event.

Not all persons who move are aware of the rules and deadlines for reporting a move. However, around 60 per cent of all immigrations and emigrations are registered within the first week after the event.

Time Delimitation

To enable the publication of timely statistics, one calendar month is allowed to pass after the reference date before publication.

For the sake of a simple and consistent compilation, migrations are only included if less than 5 years, corresponding to 1,825 days, have passed between the event date and the reporting or registration date. Migrations reported after a longer delay are considered registration errors and concern only very few cases. In 2018, there were no migrations with a reporting delay exceeding 5 years.

Information from the CPR System

The population statistics register contains selected information from the CPR system. The received basic information is checked for errors.

Sex and age are derived directly from the personal identification number. These data are only erroneous in isolated cases, and errors are usually corrected within the child’s first year of life.

The place-of-residence code is derived from registered address information. These data are generally more uncertain than information on sex and age. This is partly because citizens themselves are responsible for reporting address changes, and partly because addresses may be recorded with varying levels of precision in the population registers.

After 2009, a locality code has been linked to address information. This code is used unchanged in processing and dissemination. The locality code is determined by Asiaq, which as an unofficial rule of thumb states that a locality should not extend beyond an area within which a person can both live and work on a daily basis.

Registered Partners

Due to the small number of registered partners, these are not shown separately in the statistics. Instead, the information is recoded into the traditional marital status categories.

Families and Households

The basis for family statistics is the household statistics. A household consists of all persons sharing an address, regardless of their relationship to one another. An address may be an ordinary dwelling or an institution, such as a student residence, nursing home or children’s home.

In addition, certain addresses are used administratively for registering persons without a fixed residence. This may include homeless persons, crew members on ships or employees stationed at remote facilities.

A family consists of one or more persons living at the same registered address. The family may consist of a single person or a couple with or without children. In some cases, the family includes all persons in the household; in other cases, a household is divided into several families.

Families are divided into three main types:

Couple families
Single persons
Non-home-living children

For couple families and single persons, the family may additionally include home-living children aged 0–17 and home-living young persons aged 18–24.

Children are persons who:

are under 18 years of age
have never been married
do not have children themselves
are not part of a cohabiting or consensual union

Home-living children live at the same address as at least one parent. If the child does not share an address with at least one parent, the child is classified as non-home-living. Non-home-living children may, for example, live with other close relatives, in foster care, at social institutions or in student housing.

Home-living young persons are persons aged 18–24 who, apart from the age condition, fulfil the criteria for being home-living children. They are counted as part of their parents’ family.

All persons who are not children or home-living young persons are considered adults. Adults who are not part of a couple are classified as single persons.

Types of Couples

Three types of couples are distinguished.

Married couples Two persons who are married or living in a registered partnership.

Cohabiting couples Two persons living at the same address who have common children, regardless of the children’s age and regardless of whether the children still live at home.

Consensual unions Two persons of opposite sex living at the same address without being married to each other and without having common children. They may, however, have children from previous relationships. The persons must have an age difference of less than 15 years and must not, according to family references in the CPR, be closely related. Persons aged 16 years or older may be included in a consensual union.

Adults in all family types may have home-living children and young persons. These may be common children or children from previous relationships. Common children can only occur in the family types married couples and cohabiting couples.

A family may consist of no more than two generations. If three generations live together, they are divided into two or more families.

Methodology and Data Basis for Family Statistics

The source of the family statistics is Statistics Greenland’s population register. The register contains address information as well as information on parents and spouses for persons residing in Greenland on 1 January. Data are available for each year from 1994 to 2019.

Addresses

There is no authorised address register in Greenland. When moving to a new address in Greenland, municipalities therefore enter the address as free text in the population register. The same address may therefore be written in several different ways, which can make it difficult to identify which persons actually share an address.

Different spellings are rarely a problem when an entire family moves together and reports the move at the same time. The problem mainly arises when persons move to the address at different times, for example when children move back home after attending boarding school, or when new couples are formed.

Some persons are registered at addresses that are not actual dwellings, but business addresses or administrative addresses. Administrative addresses are typically used for homeless persons and persons who do not actually reside permanently in Greenland but nevertheless require a Greenlandic address, such as crew members or craftsmen on short-term stays.

Administrative addresses are compiled separately in the family statistics, allowing them to be included or excluded in selected StatBank tables. Business addresses cannot immediately be identified. However, persons sharing the same business address are rarely assumed to have close family relations and are therefore generally classified as single adults.

Parent References

The registers contain information on citizens’ legal parents to the extent that the information has been registered.

A person is not necessarily registered with the same parents in all years. Parent references may change, for example through adoption.

Parent references may also be missing in one or more years. For children and young persons, the father reference is most often missing. This may be because the father is unknown or because paternity is only acknowledged several years after the child’s birth.

Obvious errors in parent references are corrected. This applies, for example, to cases where a grandparent is registered as a parent, or where the age difference between child and parent is unrealistically small.

Married Persons

Married persons who are not registered as living at the same address are considered to belong to different families in the family statistics.

Some adjustments have been made relative to the population register’s marriage information, for example where the marriage is only registered for one spouse, or where one spouse is too young to legally marry.

Registered partners and married same-sex couples are not shown separately, but are included together with opposite-sex spouses.

Cohabiting Couples

Cohabiting couples are two persons living at the same address who have one or more common children. The persons are considered cohabiting regardless of whether the child lives at the same address.

If the common child did not have an address in Greenland during the period 1994–2016, Statistics Greenland has no information on the child’s parents. In such cases, there is a risk that cohabiting couples are not identified. This may apply, for example, to couples immigrating to Greenland later in life.

Consensual Unions

Consensual unions are defined as two persons living at the same address who are neither married to each other nor have common children, but who are of opposite sex and have an age difference of less than 15 years. It is also required that no other adults or non-home-living persons aged 16 or 17 reside at the address. Persons aged 16 years or older may be included in a consensual union.

Persons identified as potentially living in consensual unions are checked for close family relationships using the CPR parent references. This prevents persons from being incorrectly classified as couples with, for example, children, grandchildren, siblings, siblings’ children or cousins.

Changes Since the Previous Compilation

With the publication of the 2019 family statistics, several minor methodological changes were introduced. Previously, the statistics were based on population register information available up to the publication date. Going forward, only population register information available up to the reference date is used.

The changes mainly affect the identification of paternity for preschool-aged children and the number of persons assumed to be living in consensual unions.

Concepts

Geographical Divisions

On 1 January 2018, Qaasuitsup Kommunia was divided into two municipalities. There is still a need for statistics based on the municipal structure that existed before the municipal reform in 2009. These areas are referred to as districts. Population statistics are also available at a more detailed geographical level, namely inhabited localities.

Previously, there was also a category called “outside the municipal division”. This included, among other things, the civilian population in defence areas established under the Danish-American treaty of 1951, as well as weather stations. Kangerlussuaq was incorporated into Sisimiut Municipality in 2001.

The StatBank tables show the current geographical division, also retrospectively. For example, Kangerlussuaq is classified as part of Qeqqata Kommunia, Sisimiut district, from 1977 onwards.

As of 1 August 2017, there is still uncertainty regarding the distinction between settlements, sheep farms, stations and several other locality types. Population statistics therefore include all such places as settlements. In some cases, the address information cannot be determined; in these cases, the category “other localities” is used.

Asiaq’s locality register is continuously updated, but the information must first be adopted by the population registers before it can be used in the population statistics register.

--- title: "Population Statistics, Methodology" toc: true toc-title: Methodology date: last-modified date-format: "DD.MM.YYYY" --- ### Population Statistics Register The population statistics are based on Statistics Greenland’s population statistics register. The register is based on information from the Danish Civil Registration System (CPR), which is updated, among other things, with information from the Greenlandic population registers. Population stock statistics include persons residing in Greenland on 1 January. The residence criterion follows the principles described in the Danish Ministry of the Interior’s guidelines on the registration of residence in the population registers and CPR. ### Reporting Delays Births, deaths, migrations and other events are often registered with some delay after the actual event date. For this reason, a delimitation period is applied in the population statistics to account for delayed reporting. There is no limitation period for reporting or correcting information. ### Migration Information on immigration and emigration is reported by the municipal population registers. Registration therefore depends both on when the move is reported and when the municipality becomes aware of the event. Not all persons who move are aware of the rules and deadlines for reporting a move. However, around 60 per cent of all immigrations and emigrations are registered within the first week after the event. ### Time Delimitation To enable the publication of timely statistics, one calendar month is allowed to pass after the reference date before publication. For the sake of a simple and consistent compilation, migrations are only included if less than 5 years, corresponding to 1,825 days, have passed between the event date and the reporting or registration date. Migrations reported after a longer delay are considered registration errors and concern only very few cases. In 2018, there were no migrations with a reporting delay exceeding 5 years. ### Information from the CPR System The population statistics register contains selected information from the CPR system. The received basic information is checked for errors. Sex and age are derived directly from the personal identification number. These data are only erroneous in isolated cases, and errors are usually corrected within the child’s first year of life. The place-of-residence code is derived from registered address information. These data are generally more uncertain than information on sex and age. This is partly because citizens themselves are responsible for reporting address changes, and partly because addresses may be recorded with varying levels of precision in the population registers. After 2009, a locality code has been linked to address information. This code is used unchanged in processing and dissemination. The locality code is determined by Asiaq, which as an unofficial rule of thumb states that a locality should not extend beyond an area within which a person can both live and work on a daily basis. ### Registered Partners Due to the small number of registered partners, these are not shown separately in the statistics. Instead, the information is recoded into the traditional marital status categories. ## Families and Households The basis for family statistics is the household statistics. A household consists of all persons sharing an address, regardless of their relationship to one another. An address may be an ordinary dwelling or an institution, such as a student residence, nursing home or children’s home. In addition, certain addresses are used administratively for registering persons without a fixed residence. This may include homeless persons, crew members on ships or employees stationed at remote facilities. A family consists of one or more persons living at the same registered address. The family may consist of a single person or a couple with or without children. In some cases, the family includes all persons in the household; in other cases, a household is divided into several families. Families are divided into three main types: * Couple families * Single persons * Non-home-living children For couple families and single persons, the family may additionally include home-living children aged 0–17 and home-living young persons aged 18–24. **Children** are persons who: * are under 18 years of age * have never been married * do not have children themselves * are not part of a cohabiting or consensual union **Home-living children** live at the same address as at least one parent. If the child does not share an address with at least one parent, the child is classified as non-home-living. Non-home-living children may, for example, live with other close relatives, in foster care, at social institutions or in student housing. **Home-living young persons** are persons aged 18–24 who, apart from the age condition, fulfil the criteria for being home-living children. They are counted as part of their parents’ family. All persons who are not children or home-living young persons are considered adults. Adults who are not part of a couple are classified as single persons. ### Types of Couples Three types of couples are distinguished. **Married couples** Two persons who are married or living in a registered partnership. **Cohabiting couples** Two persons living at the same address who have common children, regardless of the children’s age and regardless of whether the children still live at home. **Consensual unions** Two persons of opposite sex living at the same address without being married to each other and without having common children. They may, however, have children from previous relationships. The persons must have an age difference of less than 15 years and must not, according to family references in the CPR, be closely related. Persons aged 16 years or older may be included in a consensual union. Adults in all family types may have home-living children and young persons. These may be common children or children from previous relationships. Common children can only occur in the family types married couples and cohabiting couples. A family may consist of no more than two generations. If three generations live together, they are divided into two or more families. ## Methodology and Data Basis for Family Statistics The source of the family statistics is Statistics Greenland’s population register. The register contains address information as well as information on parents and spouses for persons residing in Greenland on 1 January. Data are available for each year from 1994 to 2019. ### Addresses There is no authorised address register in Greenland. When moving to a new address in Greenland, municipalities therefore enter the address as free text in the population register. The same address may therefore be written in several different ways, which can make it difficult to identify which persons actually share an address. Different spellings are rarely a problem when an entire family moves together and reports the move at the same time. The problem mainly arises when persons move to the address at different times, for example when children move back home after attending boarding school, or when new couples are formed. Some persons are registered at addresses that are not actual dwellings, but business addresses or administrative addresses. Administrative addresses are typically used for homeless persons and persons who do not actually reside permanently in Greenland but nevertheless require a Greenlandic address, such as crew members or craftsmen on short-term stays. Administrative addresses are compiled separately in the family statistics, allowing them to be included or excluded in selected StatBank tables. Business addresses cannot immediately be identified. However, persons sharing the same business address are rarely assumed to have close family relations and are therefore generally classified as single adults. ### Parent References The registers contain information on citizens’ legal parents to the extent that the information has been registered. A person is not necessarily registered with the same parents in all years. Parent references may change, for example through adoption. Parent references may also be missing in one or more years. For children and young persons, the father reference is most often missing. This may be because the father is unknown or because paternity is only acknowledged several years after the child’s birth. Obvious errors in parent references are corrected. This applies, for example, to cases where a grandparent is registered as a parent, or where the age difference between child and parent is unrealistically small. ### Married Persons Married persons who are not registered as living at the same address are considered to belong to different families in the family statistics. Some adjustments have been made relative to the population register’s marriage information, for example where the marriage is only registered for one spouse, or where one spouse is too young to legally marry. Registered partners and married same-sex couples are not shown separately, but are included together with opposite-sex spouses. ### Cohabiting Couples Cohabiting couples are two persons living at the same address who have one or more common children. The persons are considered cohabiting regardless of whether the child lives at the same address. If the common child did not have an address in Greenland during the period 1994–2016, Statistics Greenland has no information on the child’s parents. In such cases, there is a risk that cohabiting couples are not identified. This may apply, for example, to couples immigrating to Greenland later in life. ### Consensual Unions Consensual unions are defined as two persons living at the same address who are neither married to each other nor have common children, but who are of opposite sex and have an age difference of less than 15 years. It is also required that no other adults or non-home-living persons aged 16 or 17 reside at the address. Persons aged 16 years or older may be included in a consensual union. Persons identified as potentially living in consensual unions are checked for close family relationships using the CPR parent references. This prevents persons from being incorrectly classified as couples with, for example, children, grandchildren, siblings, siblings’ children or cousins. ### Changes Since the Previous Compilation With the publication of the 2019 family statistics, several minor methodological changes were introduced. Previously, the statistics were based on population register information available up to the publication date. Going forward, only population register information available up to the reference date is used. The changes mainly affect the identification of paternity for preschool-aged children and the number of persons assumed to be living in consensual unions. ## Concepts ### Geographical Divisions On 1 January 2018, Qaasuitsup Kommunia was divided into two municipalities. There is still a need for statistics based on the municipal structure that existed before the municipal reform in 2009. These areas are referred to as districts. Population statistics are also available at a more detailed geographical level, namely inhabited localities. Previously, there was also a category called “outside the municipal division”. This included, among other things, the civilian population in defence areas established under the Danish-American treaty of 1951, as well as weather stations. Kangerlussuaq was incorporated into Sisimiut Municipality in 2001. The StatBank tables show the current geographical division, also retrospectively. For example, Kangerlussuaq is classified as part of Qeqqata Kommunia, Sisimiut district, from 1977 onwards. As of 1 August 2017, there is still uncertainty regarding the distinction between settlements, sheep farms, stations and several other locality types. Population statistics therefore include all such places as settlements. In some cases, the address information cannot be determined; in these cases, the category “other localities” is used. Asiaq’s locality register is continuously updated, but the information must first be adopted by the population registers before it can be used in the population statistics register.