Support for independence is growing among Greenlanders and will be a key issue in the island’s upcoming election. The next government will most likely seek larger fiscal transfers from Denmark, but it will also have to make the case against joining the United States, as President Donald Trump wants.
WASHINGTON, DC – As Greenland heads to the polls on March 11, Múte B. Egede, the prime minister since 2021, and his Inuit Ataqatigiit party favor independence from Denmark. But rising local support for that goal is tempered by concerns about living standards. Greenland receives an annual fiscal transfer from Denmark of about $623 million (roughly $11,000 per person, given an estimated population of 56,000). Together with other government services provided by Denmark, the total level of support is likely closer to $1 billion per year.
WASHINGTON, DC – As Greenland heads to the polls on March 11, Múte B. Egede, the prime minister since 2021, and his Inuit Ataqatigiit party favor independence from Denmark. But rising local support for that goal is tempered by concerns about living standards. Greenland receives an annual fiscal transfer from Denmark of about $623 million (roughly $11,000 per person, given an estimated population of 56,000). Together with other government services provided by Denmark, the total level of support is likely closer to $1 billion per year.