Net migration in Greenland
Greenland: Net migration was -265 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Net migration in Greenland, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
Analysis
Greenland recorded -265 for net migration in 2025.
The figure is up 6.7% on the previous year and up 15.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, net migration in Greenland peaked at 518 in 1970 and was at its lowest, -748, in 1992.
That places Greenland 98th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Net migration in Greenland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 234 | — |
| 1961 | -24 | -110.3% |
| 1962 | -33 | +37.5% |
| 1963 | -7 | -78.8% |
| 1964 | 30 | -528.6% |
| 1965 | 63 | +110.0% |
| 1966 | 212 | +236.5% |
| 1967 | 199 | -6.1% |
| 1968 | 264 | +32.7% |
| 1969 | 396 | +50.0% |
| 1970 | 518 | +30.8% |
| 1971 | 54 | -89.6% |
| 1972 | 84 | +55.6% |
| 1973 | 104 | +23.8% |
| 1974 | 109 | +4.8% |
| 1975 | 22 | -79.8% |
| 1976 | -127 | -677.3% |
| 1977 | -524 | +312.6% |
| 1978 | -490 | -6.5% |
| 1979 | -465 | -5.1% |
| 1980 | 4 | -100.9% |
| 1981 | -18 | -550.0% |
| 1982 | -7 | -61.1% |
| 1983 | 39 | -657.1% |
| 1984 | 22 | -43.6% |
| 1985 | -157 | -813.6% |
| 1986 | -115 | -26.8% |
| 1987 | -126 | +9.6% |
| 1988 | -205 | +62.7% |
| 1989 | -250 | +22.0% |
| 1990 | -648 | +159.2% |
| 1991 | -692 | +6.8% |
| 1992 | -748 | +8.1% |
| 1993 | -733 | -2.0% |
| 1994 | -696 | -5.0% |
| 1995 | -433 | -37.8% |
| 1996 | -463 | +6.9% |
| 1997 | -521 | +12.5% |
| 1998 | -486 | -6.7% |
| 1999 | -513 | +5.6% |
| 2000 | -229 | -55.4% |
| 2001 | -282 | +23.1% |
| 2002 | -313 | +11.0% |
| 2003 | -295 | -5.8% |
| 2004 | -311 | +5.4% |
| 2005 | -476 | +53.1% |
| 2006 | -480 | +0.8% |
| 2007 | -505 | +5.2% |
| 2008 | -522 | +3.4% |
| 2009 | -562 | +7.7% |
| 2010 | -46 | -91.8% |
| 2011 | -244 | +430.4% |
| 2012 | -553 | +126.6% |
| 2013 | -653 | +18.1% |
| 2014 | -702 | +7.5% |
| 2015 | -315 | -55.1% |
| 2016 | -342 | +8.6% |
| 2017 | -350 | +2.3% |
| 2018 | -330 | -5.7% |
| 2019 | -308 | -6.7% |
| 2020 | -328 | +6.5% |
| 2021 | -324 | -1.2% |
| 2022 | -323 | -0.3% |
| 2023 | -318 | -1.5% |
| 2024 | -284 | -10.7% |
| 2025 | -265 | -6.7% |
Greenland compared with similar countries
- Greenland's -265 is below the median for high income countries, which is 843. (85 countries reporting)
- Greenland's -265 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 166. (57 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Net migration in Greenland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | -813.6% | 22 | -157 |
| 1976 | -677.3% | 22 | -127 |
| 1983 | +657.1% | -7 | 39 |
| 1981 | -550.0% | 4 | -18 |
| 1964 | +528.6% | -7 | 30 |
| 2011 | -430.4% | -46 | -244 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 133.4 | -33 | 396 | 10 |
| 1970s | -71.5 | -524 | 518 | 10 |
| 1980s | -81.3 | -250 | 39 | 10 |
| 1990s | -593.3 | -748 | -433 | 10 |
| 2000s | -397.5 | -562 | -229 | 10 |
| 2010s | -384.3 | -702 | -46 | 10 |
| 2020s | -307 | -328 | -265 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Greenland
More financial sector data for Greenland
- Net migration, annual growth rate 6.69 % change on previous year (2025)
- Official exchange rate 6.62 LCU per US$, period average (2025)
- GDP deflator: linked series 140.95 base year varies by country (2023)
- Inflation, GDP deflator: linked series 1.9% (2023)
- GDP deflator: linked series (base year varies by country), annual 1.86 % change on previous year (2023)
- Banking crisis dummy 0 1=banking crisis, 0=none (2017)
- Outward Direct investment, Assets (gross), All financial instruments 0 (2024)
- Inward Direct investment, Assets (gross), All financial instruments 0 (2024)
- International migrant stock 10.4% (2024)
- International migrant stock, total 5,812 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is net migration in Greenland?
- Net migration in Greenland was -265 in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest net migration recorded in Greenland?
- The highest recorded value was 518 in 1970.
- What is the lowest net migration recorded in Greenland?
- The lowest recorded value was -748 in 1992.
- How does Greenland rank for net migration?
- Greenland ranks 98th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is net migration rising or falling in Greenland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Greenland data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Net migration. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Net migration is the net total of migrants during the period, that is, the number of immigrants minus the number of emigrants, including both citizens and noncitizens.