Summary
- Exports
- $1.6billion
- Imports
- $992million
- Trade balance
- +$589million
Products
What it exports
Frozen fish (36.2%) and crustaceans (shrimp, lobster, crab) (32.2%) together make up 68.4% of its exports.
What it imports
Refined petroleum (21.9%) and clasps, buckles and hooks (1.7%) together make up 23.6% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (96)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $1.2 billion | $7 million |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $239 million | $25 million |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $60 million | $14 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $8 million | $110 million |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $4 million | $60 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $3 million | $1 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $3 million | $19 million |
| 05 · Other animal products | $3 million | $68 thousand |
| 87 · Vehicles | $2 million | $48 million |
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $2 million | $1 million |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $1 million | $227 million |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $954 thousand | $8 million |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $924 thousand | $6 million |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $908 thousand | $18 million |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $491 thousand | $239 thousand |
| 51 · Wool | $360 thousand | $471 thousand |
| 39 · Plastics | $350 thousand | $22 million |
| 21 · Food preparations | $338 thousand | $16 million |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $241 thousand | $253 thousand |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $236 thousand | $43 million |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $220 thousand | $24 million |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $212 thousand | $2 million |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $152 thousand | $2 million |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $146 thousand | $19 million |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $128 thousand | $12 million |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $120 thousand | $4 million |
| 44 · Wood | $117 thousand | $14 million |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $115 thousand | $3 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $113 thousand | $33 million |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $103 thousand | $7 million |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $96 thousand | $23 million |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $75 thousand | $9 million |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $69 thousand | $21 million |
| 64 · Footwear | $58 thousand | $4 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $54 thousand | $7 million |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $50 thousand | $19 million |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $49 thousand | $538 thousand |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $41 thousand | $1 million |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $41 thousand | $1 million |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $29 thousand | $6 million |
| 69 · Ceramics | $27 thousand | $3 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $23 thousand | $5 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $21 thousand | $11 million |
| 74 · Copper | $20 thousand | $1 million |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $20 thousand | $159 thousand |
| 40 · Rubber | $19 thousand | $6 million |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $18 thousand | $3 million |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $17 thousand | $7 million |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $15 thousand | $3 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $14 thousand | $6 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $9 thousand | $2 million |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $9 thousand | $5 million |
| 26 · Ores and slag | $7 thousand | $3 thousand |
| 70 · Glass | $7 thousand | $5 million |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $6 thousand | $41 thousand |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $6 thousand | $270 thousand |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $5 thousand | $1 million |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $5 thousand | $1 million |
| 79 · Zinc | $4 thousand | $77 thousand |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $3 thousand | $3 million |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $2 thousand | $51 thousand |
| 52 · Cotton | $2 thousand | $215 thousand |
| 65 · Hats | $2 thousand | $647 thousand |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $2 thousand | $86 thousand |
| 07 · Vegetables | $1 thousand | $7 million |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $1 thousand | $326 thousand |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $1 thousand | $1 million |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $950 | $88 thousand |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $736 | $85 thousand |
| 41 · Hides and leather | $713 | $17 thousand |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $649 | $22 million |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $598 | $5 million |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $432 | $921 thousand |
| 50 · Silk | $371 | $0 |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $229 | $6 million |
| 75 · Nickel | $218 | $9 thousand |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $123 | $236 thousand |
| 78 · Lead | $63 | $73 thousand |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $58 | $48 thousand |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $46 | $5 million |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $44 | $161 thousand |
| 81 · Other base metals | $25 | $28 thousand |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $6 | $2 million |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $1 | $16 million |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $1 | $1 million |
| 24 · Tobacco | $0 | $12 million |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $0 | $8 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $0 | $1 million |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $0 | $70 thousand |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $0 | $51 thousand |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $0 | $50 thousand |
| 01 · Live animals | $0 | $10 thousand |
| 14 · Other plant products | $0 | $9 thousand |
| 80 · Tin | $0 | $7 thousand |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $0 | $3 thousand |
| 45 · Cork | $0 | $2 thousand |
Trading partners
Denmark is its main destination (45.5% of exports) and source (66.4% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 719 | 45.5% | Sea |
| China | 377 | 23.9% | Sea |
| United Kingdom | 88.2 | 5.6% | Sea |
| Japan | 76.8 | 4.9% | Sea |
| Iceland | 65.9 | 4.2% | Sea |
| Germany | 45 | 2.9% | Sea |
| Taiwan | 36.7 | 2.3% | Sea |
| Norway | 35 | 2.2% | Sea |
| United States | 32.3 | 2.1% | Sea |
| Poland | 18.1 | 1.2% | Sea |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 658 | 66.4% | Sea |
| Sweden | 178 | 17.9% | Sea |
| Iceland | 30.1 | 3% | Sea |
| Netherlands | 27.7 | 2.8% | Sea |
| Canada | 25.7 | 2.6% | Sea |
| Germany | 17.4 | 1.8% | Sea |
| United States | 12.8 | 1.3% | Air |
| Norway | 12.8 | 1.3% | Air |
| France | 6.2 | 0.62% | Air |
| Austria | 4.2 | 0.42% | Sea |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Greenland accounted for 0.01% of world exports, compared with 0.01% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports quadrupled since 1995
USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 1.6
- Imports 1
- Balance +0.6
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $415 million | $362 million | $53 million |
| 1996 | $396 million | $424 million | -$28 million |
| 1997 | $348 million | $330 million | $17 million |
| 1998 | $351 million | $374 million | -$23 million |
| 1999 | $343 million | $398 million | -$55 million |
| 2000 | $353 million | $308 million | $46 million |
| 2001 | $369 million | $323 million | $47 million |
| 2002 | $392 million | $356 million | $36 million |
| 2003 | $445 million | $492 million | -$47 million |
| 2004 | $454 million | $608 million | -$154 million |
| 2005 | $493 million | $691 million | -$198 million |
| 2006 | $534 million | $694 million | -$159 million |
| 2007 | $587 million | $794 million | -$207 million |
| 2008 | $666 million | $1 billion | -$343 million |
| 2009 | $501 million | $796 million | -$294 million |
| 2010 | $590 million | $910 million | -$320 million |
| 2011 | $715 million | $1 billion | -$296 million |
| 2012 | $737 million | $919 million | -$182 million |
| 2013 | $803 million | $892 million | -$90 million |
| 2014 | $817 million | $897 million | -$81 million |
| 2015 | $756 million | $714 million | $42 million |
| 2016 | $894 million | $787 million | $107 million |
| 2017 | $979 million | $849 million | $130 million |
| 2018 | $1.1 billion | $892 million | $240 million |
| 2019 | $1.3 billion | $995 million | $270 million |
| 2020 | $1.3 billion | $778 million | $559 million |
| 2021 | $1.4 billion | $931 million | $489 million |
| 2022 | $1.5 billion | $1 billion | $463 million |
| 2023 | $1.7 billion | $1.1 billion | $560 million |
| 2024 | $1.6 billion | $992 million | $589 million |
World rank
Greenland fell from 135th to 145th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 135th in 1995
- 145th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 135th |
| 1996 | 141st |
| 1997 | 144th |
| 1998 | 145th |
| 1999 | 147th |
| 2000 | 154th |
| 2001 | 154th |
| 2002 | 156th |
| 2003 | 157th |
| 2004 | 161st |
| 2005 | 162nd |
| 2006 | 163rd |
| 2007 | 162nd |
| 2008 | 164th |
| 2009 | 167th |
| 2010 | 165th |
| 2011 | 166th |
| 2012 | 164th |
| 2013 | 167th |
| 2014 | 164th |
| 2015 | 162nd |
| 2016 | 162nd |
| 2017 | 161st |
| 2018 | 154th |
| 2019 | 154th |
| 2020 | 150th |
| 2021 | 156th |
| 2022 | 154th |
| 2023 | 151st |
| 2024 | 145th |
What it sells
Its top export group is still fish and seafood: 79% in 2024
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 1%
- Other animal products 0%
- Precision and medical instruments 0%
- Salt, stone and cement 0%
- Electrical and electronic equipment 0%
- Mechanical machinery 1%
- Ships and boats 4%
- Prepared meat and fish 15%
- Fish and seafood 79%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fish and seafood | 64.7% | 79% |
| Prepared meat and fish | 28.7% | 15.1% |
| Ships and boats | 3.7% | 3.8% |
| Mechanical machinery | 0.26% | 0.52% |
| Electrical and electronic equipment | 0.12% | 0.25% |
| Salt, stone and cement | 0% | 0.2% |
| Precision and medical instruments | 0.07% | 0.2% |
| Other animal products | 0.33% | 0.18% |
| Other | 2.2% | 0.75% |
Who it trades with
Denmark went from 72% to 54% of Greenland's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- Denmark 54%
- China 15%
- Sweden 7%
- Iceland 4%
- United Kingdom 3%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 71.6% | 53.5% |
| China | 0.27% | 14.8% |
| Sweden | 0.97% | 7% |
| Iceland | 3% | 3.7% |
| United Kingdom | 3.1% | 3.5% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeLargest economic production hubs (gridded GDP, 2024)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeSources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.