Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Greenland
Greenland: Lakes and rivers permanent water area was 4.2% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Greenland, 2000–2022
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, lakes and rivers permanent water area in Greenland stood at 4.2%.
The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and down 24.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lakes and rivers permanent water area in Greenland peaked at 5.6% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 2000.
That places Greenland 15th out of 221 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Greenland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.5% | — |
| 2001 | 3.2% | +30.7% |
| 2002 | 4.0% | +23.2% |
| 2003 | 4.9% | +22.8% |
| 2004 | 5.0% | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 5.1% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 5.1% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 5.2% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 5.2% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 5.4% | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 5.5% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 5.5% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 5.6% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 5.6% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 5.6% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 5.6% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 5.3% | -5.7% |
| 2017 | 5.0% | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 4.7% | -6.2% |
| 2019 | 4.4% | -6.4% |
| 2020 | 4.1% | -6.4% |
| 2021 | 4.1% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 4.2% | +1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.6% | 2.5% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.3% | 4.4% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.2% | 4.1% | 4.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Greenland
- 12 Kazakhstan 5.7% compare
- 13 Estonia 4.5% compare
- 14 Armenia 4.4% compare
- 16 Kyrgyzstan 3.5% compare
- 17 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 3.4% compare
- 18 Uganda 3.3% compare
More environment data for Greenland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.3961 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Temperature change 2.17 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.605 °C (2025)
- Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Share of GDP 24.29 % (2024)
- Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Annual growth 2.61 % (2024)
- Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Annual growth 5.11 % (2024)
- Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Share of GDP US$ 24.29 % (2024)
- Nutrient potash K2O (total) — Use per capita 0.02 kg/cap (2024)
- Nutrient potash K2O (total) — Agricultural Use 1 t (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lakes and rivers permanent water area in Greenland?
- Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Greenland was 4.2% in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Greenland?
- The highest recorded value was 5.6% in 2015.
- What is the lowest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Greenland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 2000.
- How does Greenland rank for lakes and rivers permanent water area?
- Greenland ranks 15th out of 221 countries with data for 2022.
- Is lakes and rivers permanent water area rising or falling in Greenland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Greenland data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Lakes and rivers permanent water area (% of total land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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