Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Greenland

Greenland: Lakes and rivers permanent water area was 17,316 kmsq in 2022. β–² Rising

Latest (2022)
17,316 kmsq
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
11th
of 212 countries
All-time high
23,107 kmsq
in 2015
All-time low
10,108 kmsq
in 2000
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Greenland, 2000–2022

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k25.0k2000201120222000: 10.1k kmsq2001: 13.2k kmsq2002: 16.3k kmsq2003: 20.0k kmsq2004: 20.6k kmsq2005: 21.0k kmsq2006: 21.0k kmsq2007: 21.1k kmsq2008: 21.3k kmsq2009: 22.2k kmsq2010: 22.4k kmsq2011: 22.7k kmsq2012: 22.9k kmsq2013: 23.0k kmsq2014: 23.0k kmsq2015: 23.1k kmsq2016: 21.8k kmsq2017: 20.5k kmsq2018: 19.3k kmsq2019: 18.0k kmsq2020: 16.9k kmsq2021: 17.0k kmsq2022: 17.3k kmsq

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in kmsq.

Analysis

In 2022, lakes and rivers permanent water area in Greenland stood at 17,316 kmsq.

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 23,107 kmsq in 2015 and was at its lowest, 10,108 kmsq, in 2000.

Greenland ranks 11th of 212 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 18,685 kmsq 10,108 kmsq 22,199 kmsq 10
2010s 21,676 kmsq 18,025 kmsq 23,107 kmsq 10
2020s 17,068 kmsq 16,867 kmsq 17,316 kmsq 3

Countries ranked near Greenland

  1. 8 Argentina 25,229 kmsq compare
  2. 9 Malawi 23,500 kmsq compare
  3. 10 Finland 22,408 kmsq compare
  4. 12 Mongolia 13,861 kmsq compare
  5. 13 Norway 12,157 kmsq compare
  6. 14 Peru 11,808 kmsq compare

See the full ranking of 277 places β†’

More environment data for Greenland

All data for Greenland β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is lakes and rivers permanent water area in Greenland?
Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Greenland was 17,316 kmsq 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 23,107 kmsq in 2015.
What is the lowest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Greenland?
The lowest recorded value was 10,108 kmsq in 2000.
How does Greenland rank for lakes and rivers permanent water area?
Greenland ranks 11th out of 212 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 (square kilometres). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Greenland. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/lakes-and-rivers-permanent-water-area-square-kilometres/greenland/

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About this data

Indicator
Lakes and rivers permanent water area (square kilometres)
Unit
kmsq
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
277 places, 6,369 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed