Did You Say Greenland?

So why not a blog about it. Of the roughly fifty-six thousand people who live in Greenland, 7.6 percent are over the age of 65. However, there is only limited knowledge about their living conditions.

​Essentially, Greenland is a forbidding, rugged land that possesses a stark beauty. Much of the island's interior lies beneath a vast ice cap that in some places is up to 9,800 feet thick. The inhospitable interior of the island relegates the entire population of Greenland to its rugged coastlines. Most settlements are on the west and southwest coast, including the capital city of Nuuk. This city, originally founded in 1721, is the island's oldest Danish settlement and by far the largest community in Greenland with 14,000 residents.

About 80 percent of Greenland's population is of Inuit or mixed Inuit and Danish-Norwegian heritage. The rest are of European ancestry. Life expectancy for the total population is 69.46 years (65.29 years for men, 73.65 years for women). And if you are thinking that Greenland might be a great place to retire, you might consider nearby Iceland instead which ranked 7th in a recent GlobalAgeWatch Index.  

Iceland boasts the lowest old-age poverty rate in its region at 1.6 percent. The country also ranks high in the health category, with a life expectancy of 25 additional years at age 60, nearly 18 of them expected to be healthy. 

Iceland also ranks above average in satisfaction with social connectedness, safety, public transportation and civic freedom among older adults. Yet, despite a high employment rate for older people at 81.1 percent, only 40.9 percent of the over-60 population has a secondary or higher education -- more than 20 percent below the regional average.

Back in Greenland, as the Arctic ice continues to melt due to global warming, Greenland’s mineral and energy resources – including iron ore, lead, zinc, diamonds, gold, rare earth elements, uranium and oil – are becoming more accessible. The political establishment in Greenland has made natural resource extraction a central part of its plans to become economically self-sufficient, and ultimately politically independent, from the Kingdom of Denmark. 

Learn More:
https://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Greenland.html#ixzz5xKmHwIpe
https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-greenland-gold-rush-promise-and-pitfalls-of-greenlands-energy-and-mineral-resources/
https://www.cbsnews.com/media/the-10-best-countries-to-live-in-for-people-over-60