The duel
World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Greenland: no data · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Greenland’s coastline is 100 times as long as the median country’s.
Greenland: 44,087 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Greenland’s highest peak towers 1,359 m above the median country’s.
Greenland: 3,694 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 130 times as many people as Greenland.
Greenland: 56,831 (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 710 times as densely populated as Greenland.
Greenland: 0.14 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Greenland and the median country are practically level.
Greenland: 173.8 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Greenland are 0.8 cm taller than in the median country.
Greenland: 161.4 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Greenland is 3.1 years older than in the median country.
Greenland: 34.2 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.2 more children on average than in Greenland.
Greenland: 1.71 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
12% of people in Greenland are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country.
Greenland: 11.5% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Greenland: no data · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Greenland and the median country are practically level.
Greenland: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 14 times the size of Greenland’s.
Greenland: $3.33 billion (2023) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Greenland produces 3.7 times as much per person as the median country.
Greenland: Int$78,906 (2023) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Greenland: no data · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Greenland: no data · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Greenland: no data · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Greenland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× the median country’s.
Greenland: 74% (2023) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Greenland: no data · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 4.3 years longer than in Greenland.
Greenland: 70.3 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
Greenland: no data · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Greenland: no data · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in Greenland are obese, versus 24% in the median country.
Greenland: 29.3% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Greenland: no data · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Greenland: no data · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Greenland: no data · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Greenland: no data · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Greenland: no data · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Greenland: no data · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Greenland: no data · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Greenland: no data · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 69% in Greenland.
Greenland: 69% (2017) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Greenland and the median country are practically level.
Greenland: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Greenland live in cities, versus 64% in the median country.
Greenland: 89% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Greenland has 119 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115.
Greenland: 119 (2022) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Greenland: no data · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Greenland: no data · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of the median country, but only 0.0% of Greenland.
Greenland: 0% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Greenland emits 3.7 times as much CO₂ as someone in the median country.
Greenland: 11.1 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
83% of Greenland’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Greenland: 83.3% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 15 times as much fine dust as in Greenland.
Greenland: 1.1 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.4 times as likely to be murdered in Greenland as in the median country.
Greenland: 5.4 per 100k (2016) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Greenland: no data · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 40.4 °C warmer than Greenland.
Greenland: -17.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The median country gets 2.2 times as much rain as Greenland.
Greenland: 462 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Which has more people, Greenland or the median country?
The median country has 130 times as many people as Greenland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Greenland or the median country?
People in the median country live 4.3 years longer than in Greenland. Life expectancy at birth is 70.3 years in Greenland and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Greenland or the median country?
Greenland and the median country are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).