Quarterly Population
Population is measured each quarter. Find the latest figures on recent developments.
The population is measured as persons with residence in the country at the start of the quarter. Changes — births, deaths, immigration and emigration, address registrations — are recorded continuously in the national civil registers.
(0,4 %)
(0,4 %)
Population by municipality
Population on 1 April increased by 0.4 % since 1 January 2026 and was 0.4 % higher than on 1 April 2025. The largest annual growth is in Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq at 1 %. The largest annual decline is in Kommune Qeqertalik at 0.8 %.
The share having Danish citizenship is falling in the largest cities
The share of residents holding Danish citizenship is declining in the five largest towns. The development accelerated in Ilulissat from 2022 onwards, and with 91 per cent it had the lowest share of Danish citizens in 2026. Sisimiut and Nuuk remained the highest, both at 96 per cent. The same trend is seen in Qaqortoq, where the share was 95 per cent in 2026. Outside the five largest towns, 2 per cent of the population do not hold Danish citizenship.
Largest increase: asian citizens
The figure shows the development in the number of people with Asian citizenship in the five largest towns from 2017 to 2026.
Throughout the entire period, Nuuk has had by far the largest group and has increased steadily to around 1,167 persons in 2026. Ilulissat has experienced the second-largest growth, rising to around 352 persons.
In Qaqortoq, Sisimiut and Aasiaat, growth accelerated particularly from 2022 onwards. Qaqortoq stands out with a marked increase from 2023 and has within a few years almost caught up with Sisimiut.
The growth in Nuuk, Ilulissat and Qaqortoq coincides with the construction of the new international airports and suggests increased in-migration of foreign labour.
Quarterly development
A demographic account shows population change from one period to the next and explains it through demographic components. Errors in the data or the calculation are gathered in a correction item, which is larger than in the annual demographic account due to delayed reports — especially of emigrations.
Natural increase
The development continues the long-term trend, with the natural increase gradually declining as a result of lower fertility and an ageing population. In the most recent quarters, the natural increase has remained at a relatively low level compared with earlier years.
Net migration
The figure shows a clear seasonal variation in both immigration and emigration. Emigration is highest in the third quarter, when many young people travel to Denmark to attend continuation school or begin further education.
From a longer-term perspective, Greenland has nevertheless almost always experienced overall net emigration. This development is driven by more people born in Greenland moving abroad than returning.
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Internal migration
Most internal migration takes place within the same locality. There is also considerable migration from settlements to towns, while migration between towns represents the second largest migration flow. Migration between settlements as well as migration to and from outlying districts remains relatively limited.
Internal migration also follows a clear seasonal pattern, with higher activity during the summer months and around the start of the school and study year.
Marriages and divorces
Many weddings take place during periods with better weather and longer days.
The number of divorces is more stable throughout the year and remains significantly lower than the number of marriages, although some months show larger fluctuations.
Overall, the development reveals a clear seasonal pattern for marriages, while divorces are distributed more evenly across the year.
See tables in StatBank Greenland
Method, concepts and data sources
The quarterly population counts persons with registered residence in Greenland at the start of the quarter.
The time indicates status at the start of the quarter, e.g. 2026Q2 for 1 April 2026.
A locality is an official geographical unit in Greenland used to
divide municipalities into smaller areas. The concept was introduced as
part of the municipal reform in 2009, when the former 18 municipalities
were merged into larger municipalities.
A locality typically
corresponds to a town, settlement, station, airport, sheep farm, mining
area, or another inhabited place.
Each locality always belongs to
one specific municipality.
Localities are used especially in
statistics and address registers, as they provide a more detailed
geographical division than municipalities. This makes it possible to
produce more precise statistics on, for example, population, migration,
and families at the local level.
The locality classification is
maintained in cooperation with Asiaq.