Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 103,000 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Greenland’s coastline is 8.9 times as long as Iceland’s
Greenland: 44,087 km (2026 edition) · Iceland: 4,970 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Greenland’s highest peak towers 1,584 m above Iceland’s
Greenland: 3,694 m (2026 edition) · Iceland: 2,110 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 16% of Iceland, versus 0.6% of Greenland
Greenland: 0.6% (2024) · Iceland: 16.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iceland has 6.9 times as many people as Greenland
Greenland: 56,831 (2025) · Iceland: 392,404 (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iceland is 28 times as densely populated as Greenland
Greenland: 0.14 per km² (2025) · Iceland: 4 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iceland are 8.3 cm taller than in Greenland
Greenland: 173.8 cm (2019) · Iceland: 182.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iceland are 7.5 cm taller than in Greenland
Greenland: 161.4 cm (2019) · Iceland: 168.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iceland is 1.6 years older than in Greenland
Greenland: 34.2 years (2023) · Iceland: 35.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Greenland have 0.1 more children on average than in Iceland
Greenland: 1.71 children per woman (2024) · Iceland: 1.56 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
16% of people in Iceland are 65 or older, versus 12% in Greenland
Greenland: 11.5% (2025) · Iceland: 16% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 21.6 per 1,000 (2025)
How many official languages?
Greenland and Iceland are practically level
Greenland: 1 (2026) · Iceland: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iceland’s economy is 12 times the size of Greenland’s
Greenland: $3.33 billion (2023) · Iceland: $38.6 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iceland produces 6% more per person than Greenland
Greenland: Int$78,906 (2023) · Iceland: Int$83,431 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 26.8 (2019)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 0.1% (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 3.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 0% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 23.2% (2023)
How expensive is it?
Iceland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× Greenland’s
Greenland: 74% (2023) · Iceland: 118% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: $7,642 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Iceland live 13 years longer than in Greenland
Greenland: 70.3 years (2024) · Iceland: 82.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 2.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 4.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 2.8 per 1,000 (2020)
How common is suicide?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 10.4 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in Greenland are obese, versus 24% in Iceland
Greenland: 29.3% (2024) · Iceland: 23.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 9.2% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 7.54 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 7.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 98.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 3,681 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 1,452 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 5.58 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Iceland are online, versus 69% in Greenland
Greenland: 69% (2017) · Iceland: 98% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Iceland is 6.8 times as fast as in Greenland
Greenland: 57 Mbps (2026) · Iceland: 385 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Greenland and Iceland are practically level
Greenland: 100% (2024) · Iceland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
94% of people in Iceland live in cities, versus 89% in Greenland
Greenland: 89% (2025) · Iceland: 94% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iceland has 121 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Greenland 119
Greenland: 119 (2022) · Iceland: 121 (2024)
How much do they fly?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 11.07 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 0.6% of Iceland, but only 0.0% of Greenland
Greenland: 0% (2024) · Iceland: 0.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Greenland emits 15% more CO₂ than someone in Iceland
Greenland: 11.1 t (2024) · Iceland: 9.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Iceland’s electricity is renewable, versus 83% in Greenland
Greenland: 83.3% (2024) · Iceland: 100% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iceland carries 4.2 times as much fine dust as in Greenland
Greenland: 1.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Iceland: 4.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.1 times as likely to be murdered in Greenland as in Iceland
Greenland: 5.4 per 100k (2016) · Iceland: 1.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Greenland: no data · Iceland: 3.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iceland is on average 19.5 °C warmer than Greenland
Greenland: -17.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iceland: 2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Iceland gets 3.1 times as much rain as Greenland
Greenland: 462 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Iceland: 1,439 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Which has more people, Greenland or Iceland?
Iceland has 6.9 times as many people as Greenland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Greenland or Iceland?
People in Iceland live 13 years longer than in Greenland. Life expectancy at birth is 70.3 years in Greenland and 82.8 in Iceland.
Are people taller in Greenland or Iceland?
Men in Iceland are 8.3 cm taller than in Greenland (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).