Greenland, disputed land

Focus

Almost 90 per cent Inuit and a Danish minority: this is who lives in Greenland

17 January 2026

Case colorate nella città costiera di Ilulissat, nella Groenlandia occidentale. La città si trova sul fiordo di ghiaccio di Ilulissat, noto per i suoi iceberg particolarmente grandi nella baia di Disko. - Italy Photo Press - Groenlandia

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

In Greenland, almost 90% of the population is made up of the Inuit, an indigenous people adapted to Arctic life, who had been present for centuries before the arrival of Europeans and who speak the Greenlandic language. Then there are the Danes, who are the largest ethnic minority (about 8% of the total) and who in most cases speak both Danish and Greenlandic, and finally small communities from other European countries, Asia and North America. The average Greenlandic is 75% Inuit and 25% European descent. But in recent years, the island has seen a significant increase in immigration from Asia, particularly from Philippines, Thailand and China.

The population is mainly concentrated on the south-west coast, while the rest of the island is sparsely populated. With a population of about 56,000 inhabitants, Greenland is the least densely populated country in the world.

The presence of the Danes

On the island that has ended up in the sights of President Trump, the presence of Danes is linked to the long political relationship between Greenland and Denmark, which dates back to colonial times. In 1953 the Arctic island became part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but in 1979 it became an autonomous territory within the kingdom. The Danes constitute a significant minority and live mainly in urban centres, where they often work in public administration, health, education and trade.

Although Greenland has left the European Union, it is a dependent territory of an EU member state - Denmark - and therefore Greenlanders enjoy the same rights as EU citizens.

The Inuit

Ethnographically, the Inuit consist of three main groups: the Kalaallit of West Greenland, who speak Kalaallisut;

the Tunumiit, who live in the eastern part and speak Tunumiit oraasiat, 'East Greenlandic', and the Inughuit of northern Greenland, who speak Inuktun, 'Polar Inuit'.

Most Greenlanders are bilingual - they speak Kalaallisut and Danish - and are descended from the first Inuit who came to Greenland. The vast majority of ethnic Greenlanders reside in Greenland or elsewhere in the Danish Kingdom, mainly in Denmark, where Greenlandic residents number about 20,000. A small minority resides in other countries, mainly in Scandinavia and North America. Inuit sign language is the language of the local deaf community.

According to sources, the Inuit are descended from the Thule people, who settled in Greenland between 1200 and 1400 AD. Since 84% of Greenland's land mass is covered by the ice cap, the Inuit live in three regions: polar, eastern and western. In the 1950s, other Canadian Inuit joined the polar Inuit communities.