GL
Greenland
Summary
- Official Name
- Sovereignty Status
- Self-rule since 2009 by agreement with Denmark
- Population
- 56,900
- Principal Languages
- Danish, Greenlandic
- Literacy Rate
- 100% (2015 World Factbook)
- General References
- Campbell and King 2011
- Deaf Population
- 60–100
- Language Counts
- The number of established languages listed for Greenland is 3. All are living languages. Of these, 1 is indigenous and 2 are non-indigenous. Furthermore, 2 are institutional and 1 is vigorous. Also listed is 1 unestablished language.
Languages
- Danish dan
- Users: 4,200 in Greenland (2021 World Factbook), based on ethnicity. Status: 1 (National). Statutory national working language (1978, Home Rule Act No. 577, Article 9(2)). Classification: Indo-European, Germanic, North, East Scandinavian, Danish-Swedish, Danish-Riksmal, Danish
- Danish Sign Language dsl
- Scattered. Users: 60 in Greenland (2020 A. Bickford). Estimated based on 0.1% of the general population. Status: 6a* (Vigorous). Alternate Names: DTS, Dansk tegnsprog Classification: Sign language, Deaf community sign language
- English eng
- Users: 2,000 in Greenland (2021), based on ethnicity. Status: Unestablished. Classification: Indo-European, Germanic, West, English
- Greenlandic kal
- Widespread. Users: 50,700 in Greenland (2021 World Factbook), based on ethnicity. Total users in all countries: 57,700. Status: 1 (National). Statutory national language (1978, Home Rule Act No. 577 of 29 November, Article 9.1). Alternate Names: Greenlandic Inuktitut, Grønlandsk Autonym: Kalaallisut Classification: Eskimo-Aleut, Eskimo, Inuit-Inupiaq
Languages by Status
Danish
[dan] 1 (National). Statutory national working language (1978, Home Rule Act No. 577, Article 9(2)). 4,200 in Greenland (2021 World Factbook), based on ethnicity.
Greenlandic
[kal] 1 (National). Statutory national language (1978, Home Rule Act No. 577 of 29 November, Article 9.1). 50,700 in Greenland (2021 World Factbook), based on ethnicity. Total users in all countries: 57,700.
Danish Sign Language
[dsl] 6a* (Vigorous). 60 in Greenland (2020 A. Bickford). Estimated based on 0.1% of the general population.
English
[eng] Unestablished. 2,000 in Greenland (2021), based on ethnicity.
Maps
Graphs
Language Vitality Profile

Full explanation
Language Status Profile

Full explanation
