Greenland vs Russia
Russia is 7.88 times larger than Greenland. Greenland would fit into Russia about 7.9 times.
GreenlandRussiaGreenland moved onto Russia · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.13×
Greenland is 0.13× the area of Russia. Put the other way, Russia is 7.88× the size of Greenland.
 Greenland |  Russia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 7.88× the area | 2,166,086 km² | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 14 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRussia: 2,525× the population | 56,8312025 | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityRussia: 320× the density | 0.03 / km² | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 |
| Urban populationGreenland: 1.18× the urban share | 89%2025 | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateGreenland: 1.2× the births per woman | 1.71 per woman2024 | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthGreenland: 0.10 points higher | −0.01%2025 | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateGreenland: 1.43× the birth rate | 12.0 per 1,0002024 | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateRussia: 1.33× the death rate | 9.3 per 1,0002024 | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Greenland: 3.7 points higher | 20.7%2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Russia: 6.3 points higher | 11.5%2025 | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationRussia: 2.9 per 1,000 higher | −4.7 per 1,0002025 | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | — | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyRussia: 3.1 years longer | 70.3 years2024 | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortality | — | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | — | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | — | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development Index | — | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | — | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRussia: 770× the economy | $3.33B2023 | $2.56T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Greenland: 1.59× the output per person | $78,9062023 | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthRussia: 0.1 points higher | +0.9%2023 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| Inflation | — | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 |
| Unemployment | — | 2.1%#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agriculture | — | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industry | — | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in services | — | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investment | — | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsGreenland: 22.6 points higher | 40.8% of GDP2023 | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | — | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet users | — | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRussia: 1.56× the mobile subscriptions | 119 per 1002022 | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | 0% of land2024 | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRussia: 1.34× the CO₂ per person | 10.4 t a year2024 | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGreenland: 8.2 points higher | 11.7%2022 | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Russia: 7.25× the air pollution | 1.6 µg/m³2023 | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landGreenland: 30.4 points higher | 41.9% of land2025 | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable land | — | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stress | — | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 |
| Precipitation | — | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityGreenland: 1.73 higher | +0.792025 | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionGreenland: 2.46 higher | +1.482025 | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateRussia: 1.26× the homicide rate | 5.4 per 100,0002016 | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Territory of Denmark | Independent state |
| Government | Dependent territoryparliamentary democracy (Parliament of Greenland or Inatsisartut) | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation |
| Member of | — | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | Nuuk | Moscow |
| Currency | Danish krone (DKK) | Russian ruble (RUB) |
| Official languages | Greenlandic | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−2, summer time UTC−1 · UTC−4 to UTC, 3 time zones | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones |
| Calling code | +299 | +7 |
| Region | Northern America, North America | Eastern Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Greenland sits at about 73° N and is stretched to 11.8× its true area; Russia at 66° N is stretched to 6.06×. That difference is why Greenland looks so much bigger than it is next to Russia. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Greenland bigger than Russia?
- No. Greenland is 7.88 times smaller than Russia. Greenland covers 2,166,086 km² and Russia covers 17,075,400 km².
- How many times does Greenland fit into Russia?
- About 7.9 times: Russia has 7.88× the area of Greenland.
- Why do Greenland and Russia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Greenland is drawn about 11.8× its true area there and Russia about 6.06×. That is why Greenland looks so much bigger than it really is next to Russia. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Greenland or Russia?
- Russia: 143,513,328 people against 56,831. Density: Greenland 0.03 per km², Russia 8.4 per km².
- Where do people live longer, Greenland or Russia?
- In Russia: life expectancy at birth is 73.4 years, against 70.3 — 3.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Greenland and Russia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Greenland: dependent territory; Russia: semi-presidential republic.