The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Greenland’s coastline is 3.5 times as long as the United Kingdom’s.
Greenland: 44,087 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Greenland’s highest peak towers 2,349 m above the United Kingdom’s.
Greenland: 3,694 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 1,223 times as many people as Greenland.
Greenland: 56,831 (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 2,074 times as densely populated as Greenland.
Greenland: 0.14 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 4.4 cm taller than in Greenland.
Greenland: 173.8 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Kingdom are 2.5 cm taller than in Greenland.
Greenland: 161.4 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 5.6 years older than in Greenland.
Greenland: 34.2 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Greenland have 0.2 more children on average than in the United Kingdom.
Greenland: 1.71 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in the United Kingdom are 65 or older, versus 12% in Greenland.
Greenland: 11.5% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025)
How many official languages?
Greenland and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Greenland: 1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 1,203 times the size of Greenland’s.
Greenland: $3.33 billion (2023) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Greenland produces 22% more per person than the United Kingdom.
Greenland: Int$78,906 (2023) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Greenland’s.
Greenland: 74% (2023) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the United Kingdom live 11 years longer than in Greenland.
Greenland: 70.3 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
Greenland and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Greenland: 29.3% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United Kingdom are online, versus 69% in Greenland.
Greenland: 69% (2017) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Greenland and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Greenland: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Greenland live in cities, versus 83% in the United Kingdom.
Greenland: 89% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Kingdom has 122 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Greenland 119.
Greenland: 119 (2022) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 13% of the United Kingdom, but only 0.0% of Greenland.
Greenland: 0% (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Greenland emits 2.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in the United Kingdom.
Greenland: 11.1 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
83% of Greenland’s electricity is renewable, versus 52% in the United Kingdom.
Greenland: 83.3% (2024) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Kingdom carries 8 times as much fine dust as in Greenland.
Greenland: 1.1 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.8 times as likely to be murdered in Greenland as in the United Kingdom.
Greenland: 5.4 per 100k (2016) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Greenland: no data · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United Kingdom is on average 27.4 °C warmer than Greenland.
Greenland: -17.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United Kingdom gets 2.3 times as much rain as Greenland.
Greenland: 462 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Which has more people, Greenland or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 1,223 times as many people as Greenland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Greenland or the United Kingdom?
People in the United Kingdom live 11 years longer than in Greenland. Life expectancy at birth is 70.3 years in Greenland and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in Greenland or the United Kingdom?
Men in the United Kingdom are 4.4 cm taller than in Greenland (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
