Equality


This theme presents key statistics and data that shed light on gender differences in society. It provides information on gender differences in areas such as income, education and the labor market.

The purpose is to create a fact-based overview and contribute with a data basis for further analyses on gender equality. You can delve further into the topics by accessing tables and statistics through links to Statbank and Statistics Greenland’s other publications. These can be found under each topic.

Income

The average income for men is above the average income for women.

The figures below show the income gap measured by pre-tax business income. Business income includes not only wages but also income from self-employment. Conversely, social transfers such as public assistance are not business income.

The income gap shows how many percent men's average earned income exceeds women's. In 2023, this gap was 24.2 percent for the entire population over 14 years of age.

The difference in average income between men and women may be due to several factors, such as differences in working hours, level of education, field of education and age composition.

Income gap measured by earned income

Get more figures in Statbank about income for people over 14 years of age.

Income gap by highest completed education - 2023, Pre-tax Income


Family

Many children grow up in families with only one parent, and in the vast majority of cases this parent is a woman.

The figure shows the development in the number of children living with only one parent, distributed by the parent's gender.

Children who grow up in blended families also most often have an address with the mother and a new partner. The table shows the family types that 6-year-old children grow up in. 46 percent of the children do not live at the same address as their father.

Family type with at least 1 child under 18

Get more figures in the Statbank about Families with Children

6-year-olds by family type - 2025

Both parents 375
Single mother 224
Mother and Partner 86
None 52
Single Father 35
Father and Partner 14
Get more figures in the Statbank about public assistance

Education

More women than men receive an education beyond primary school level.

The figure shows the proportion of people aged 16–74 whose highest completed education is above primary school level. In 2023, this was the case for 48 percent of women and 40 percent of men.

There are differences in educational attainment between generations, and the level also varies depending on the place of birth. For example, people who immigrated from Denmark – most of whom are men – have on average a higher level of education than people born in Greenland.

Proportion of population between 16-74 years old, with education above primary school level

Get more figures in Statbank about the population’s highest completed education.

Number of Greenland-born people with selected educations

Isced11_level Women Men
Masters programme 309 134
Phd. Programmes 14 2
Get more figures in Statbank about the population’s highest completed education.

Employment

The proportion of men and women in employment is roughly the same.

The figure shows the proportion of permanent residents over the age of 14 who are employed – either part-time or full-time. In 2023, an average of 68 percent of men and 67 percent of women were employed.

Employed persons include both employees and the self-employed. The employment rate is affected by age and educational level, among other things. Therefore, the differences in the figure may reflect, among other things, that more women are in education, and that women are overrepresented in the older age groups, where employment is typically lower.

Share of population over 14 years of age in employment

Get more figures in Statbank about main occupation and employment rate among permanent residents

Registered job seekers - 2024


Health

Women live longer than men.

The figure shows life expectancy, which is a measure of how long an average person can expect to live, based on the mortality rate in the population. The average life expectancy for women is 3.6 years longer than for men.

A contributing factor to men's shorter lifespan is that suicide and accidents occur more often among younger men. Although it is still men who most often lose their lives to suicide, the proportion of women is increasing.

Life expectancy for newborns

Get more figures in the Statbank about life expectancy

Suicides - Since 1990


Labour market

There are significant differences between the industries where men and women work.

The figure illustrates selected industries where the difference between men and women is particularly clear. In the public sector, women are significantly overrepresented, while men dominate in industries such as fishing and construction.

Main occupation for people over 15

Get more figures in the Statbank about the labour market

People outside the labour force