Greenland vs Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is 4% larger than Greenland.
GreenlandSaudi ArabiaGreenland moved onto Saudi Arabia · Equal-area projection
0.96×
Greenland is 0.96× the area of Saudi Arabia. Put the other way, Saudi Arabia is 1.04× the size of Greenland.
 Greenland |  Saudi Arabia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaSaudi Arabia: 1.04× the area | 2,166,086 km² | 2,250,000 km²#12 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSaudi Arabia: 651× the population | 56,8312025 | 36,973,555#43 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySaudi Arabia: 626× the density | 0.03 / km² | 16 / km²#176 of 194 |
| Urban populationGreenland: 1.05× the urban share | 89%2025 | 85%#32 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateSaudi Arabia: 1.35× the births per woman | 1.71 per woman2024 | 2.31 per woman#79 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSaudi Arabia: 4.64 points higher | −0.01%2025 | +4.63%#2 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateSaudi Arabia: 1.38× the birth rate | 12.0 per 1,0002024 | 16.5 per 1,000#88 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateGreenland: 4.04× the death rate | 9.3 per 1,0002024 | 2.3 per 1,000#187 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Saudi Arabia: 2.9 points higher | 20.7%2025 | 23.6%#101 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Greenland: 8.4 points higher | 11.5%2025 | 3.1%#166 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSaudi Arabia: 7.9 per 1,000 higher | −4.7 per 1,0002025 | +3.2 per 1,000#29 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | — | 0.06 per 1,000#129 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancySaudi Arabia: 8.7 years longer | 70.3 years2024 | 79.0 years#45 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortality | — | 4.7 per 1,000 births#144 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | — | 3.41 per 1,000#48 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | — | 83.9%#18 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development Index | — | 0.900#36 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | — | $36,070#33 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPSaudi Arabia: 384× the economy | $3.33B2023 | $1.28T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Greenland: 1.07× the output per person | $78,9062023 | $73,784#19 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthSaudi Arabia: 3.6 points higher | +0.9%2023 | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 |
| Inflation | — | +2.0%#120 of 176 · 2025 |
| Unemployment | — | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in agriculture | — | 2.5% of jobs#152 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industry | — | 23.1% of jobs#54 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in services | — | 74.4% of jobs#31 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investment | — | 2.6% of GDP#73 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsGreenland: 11.1 points higher | 40.8% of GDP2023 | 29.7% of GDP#104 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | — | 6.5% of GDP#7 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet users | — | 100%#1 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsSaudi Arabia: 1.34× the mobile subscriptions | 119 per 1002022 | 160 per 100#20 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | 0% of land2024 | 1% of land#175 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personSaudi Arabia: 1.77× the CO₂ per person | 10.4 t a year2024 | 18.5 t a year#8 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGreenland: 11.6 points higher | 11.7%2022 | 0.1%#183 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Saudi Arabia: 45.9× the air pollution | 1.6 µg/m³2023 | 73.5 µg/m³#2 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landGreenland: 23.4 points higher | 41.9% of land2025 | 18.5% of land#90 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable land | — | 2.0% of land#161 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stress | — | 974.2%#3 of 176 · 2022 |
| Precipitation | — | 59 mm#178 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityGreenland: 0.77 higher | +0.792025 | +0.02#103 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionGreenland: 0.67 higher | +1.482025 | +0.81#41 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateGreenland: 6.0× the homicide rate | 5.4 per 100,0002016 | 0.9 per 100,000#110 of 146 · 2019 |
| State | ||
| Status | Territory of Denmark | Independent state |
| Government | Dependent territoryparliamentary democracy (Parliament of Greenland or Inatsisartut) | Absolute monarchy |
| Member of | — | G20, OPEC |
| Capital | Nuuk | Riyadh |
| Currency | Danish krone (DKK) | Saudi riyal (SAR) |
| Official languages | Greenlandic | Arabic |
| 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 |
| Calling code | +299 | +966 |
| Region | Northern America, North America | Western Asia, Asia |
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; Saudi Arabia at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why Greenland looks so much bigger than it is next to Saudi Arabia. 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 Saudi Arabia?
- No. Greenland is 4% smaller than Saudi Arabia. Greenland covers 2,166,086 km² and Saudi Arabia covers 2,250,000 km².
- How many times does Greenland fit into Saudi Arabia?
- About 1.0 times: Saudi Arabia has 1.04× the area of Greenland.
- Why do Greenland and Saudi Arabia 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 Saudi Arabia about 1.2×. That is why Greenland looks so much bigger than it really is next to Saudi Arabia. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Greenland or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia: 36,973,555 people against 56,831. Density: Greenland 0.03 per km², Saudi Arabia 16 per km².
- Where do people live longer, Greenland or Saudi Arabia?
- In Saudi Arabia: life expectancy at birth is 79.0 years, against 70.3 — 8.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Greenland and Saudi Arabia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Greenland: dependent territory; Saudi Arabia: absolute monarchy.