Greenland vs United States
United States is 4.54 times larger than Greenland. Greenland would fit into United States about 4.5 times.
GreenlandUnited StatesGreenland moved onto United States · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.22×
Greenland is 0.22× the area of United States. Put the other way, United States is 4.54× the size of Greenland.
 Greenland |  United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaUnited States: 4.54× the area | 2,166,086 km² | 9,826,675 km²#3 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited States: 6,014× the population | 56,8312025 | 341,784,857#3 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityUnited States: 1,326× the density | 0.03 / km² | 35 / km²#145 of 194 |
| Urban populationGreenland: 1.1× the urban share | 89%2025 | 80%#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateGreenland: 1.05× the births per woman | 1.71 per woman2024 | 1.63 per woman#121 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthUnited States: 0.53 points higher | −0.01%2025 | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateGreenland: 1.13× the birth rate | 12.0 per 1,0002024 | 10.6 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateGreenland: 1.03× the death rate | 9.3 per 1,0002024 | 9.0 per 1,000#52 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Greenland: 3.6 points higher | 20.7%2025 | 17.1%#140 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65United States: 6.9 points higher | 11.5%2025 | 18.4%#38 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationUnited States: 8.3 per 1,000 higher | −4.7 per 1,0002025 | +3.6 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | — | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyUnited States: 8.6 years longer | 70.3 years2024 | 78.9 years#46 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortality | — | 5.5 per 1,000 births#139 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | — | 3.68 per 1,000#39 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | — | 79.4%#27 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development Index | — | 0.938#16 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | — | $88,810#5 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUnited States: 9,248× the economy | $3.33B2023 | $30.77T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)United States: 1.14× the output per person | $78,9062023 | $90,027#9 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthUnited States: 1.3 points higher | +0.9%2023 | +2.2%#126 of 187 · 2025 |
| Inflation | — | +2.9%#92 of 176 · 2024 |
| Unemployment | — | 4.2%#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 1.1%#82 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 41.8#30 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agriculture | — | 1.5% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industry | — | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in services | — | 79.6% of jobs#16 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investment | — | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsGreenland: 29.8 points higher | 40.8% of GDP2023 | 11.0% of GDP#159 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spending | — | 3.1% of GDP#27 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet users | — | 95%#27 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsGreenland: 1.05× the mobile subscriptions | 119 per 1002022 | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | 0% of land2024 | 34% of land#92 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personUnited States: 1.3× the CO₂ per person | 10.4 t a year2024 | 13.6 t a year#13 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGreenland: 0.8 points higher | 11.7%2022 | 10.9%#139 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)United States: 4.38× the air pollution | 1.6 µg/m³2023 | 7.0 µg/m³#173 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landGreenland: 29.0 points higher | 41.9% of land2025 | 12.9% of land#131 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable land | — | 16.6% of land#64 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stress | — | 28.2%#57 of 176 · 2022 |
| Precipitation | — | 715 mm#111 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityGreenland: 1.09 higher | +0.792025 | −0.30#122 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionGreenland: 0.61 higher | +1.482025 | +0.87#39 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateUnited States: 1.07× the homicide rate | 5.4 per 100,0002016 | 5.8 per 100,000#46 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Territory of Denmark | Independent state |
| Government | Dependent territoryparliamentary democracy (Parliament of Greenland or Inatsisartut) | Presidential republicconstitutional federal republic |
| Member of | — | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Nuuk | Washington D.C. |
| Currency | Danish krone (DKK) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | Greenlandic | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−2, summer time UTC−1 · UTC−4 to UTC, 3 time zones | UTC−5, summer time UTC−4 · UTC−10 to UTC−5, 6 time zones |
| Calling code | +299 | +1 |
| Region | Northern America, North America | Northern America, North America |
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; United States at 45° N is stretched to 1.98×. That difference is why Greenland looks so much bigger than it is next to United States. 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 United States?
- No. Greenland is 4.54 times smaller than United States. Greenland covers 2,166,086 km² and United States covers 9,826,675 km².
- How many times does Greenland fit into United States?
- About 4.5 times: United States has 4.54× the area of Greenland.
- Why do Greenland and United States 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 United States about 1.98×. That is why Greenland looks so much bigger than it really is next to United States. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Greenland or United States?
- United States: 341,784,857 people against 56,831. Density: Greenland 0.03 per km², United States 35 per km².
- Where do people live longer, Greenland or United States?
- In United States: life expectancy at birth is 78.9 years, against 70.3 — 8.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Greenland and United States have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Greenland: dependent territory; United States: presidential republic.