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Science in Greenland

Greenland ranks #171 of 189 countries on research quality in 2022-now (#138 all time), with 223 research works and 9.1% of them in the world's top 10%.

World rank, 2022-now
#171
of 189 · #138 all time
Works, 2022-now
223
▲ 3% vs 2018-21
Citations
25k
20.0 per fractional work, all time
Top-10% rate
9.1%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
0.94×
1.00× is exactly expected
In the world top 100
0
0 in the top 1,000
Open access
51%
world 40%
International
61%
world 18%

Which fields of science does Greenland work in?

In 2022-now, 40% of research in Greenland is in Physical Sciences, 29% in Health Sciences. Its largest fields are Environmental Science (22%), Medicine (18%), Social Sciences (17%).

Physical Sciences: 103 fractional works · 39.6% of its workEnvironmental Science: 59 fractional works · 22.5% of its workEcology: 28 fractional works · 10.8% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 11 fractional works · 4.1% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 6 fractional works · 2.2% of its workNature and Landscape Conservation: 5 fractional works · 1.8% of its workEnvironmental Chemistry: 4 fractional works · 1.7% of its workManagement, Monitoring, Policy and Law: 2 fractional works · 0.9% of its workPollution: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEcological Modeling: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 36 fractional works · 13.8% of its workAtmospheric Science: 20 fractional works · 7.8% of its workOceanography: 9 fractional works · 3.6% of its workPaleontology: 2 fractional works · 0.9% of its workGeology: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workGeophysics: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEngineering: 5 fractional works · 2.1% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workBuilding and Construction: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workCivil and Structural Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workComputer Science: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMathematics: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workStatistics and Probability: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workChemistry: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workEnergy: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workHealth Sciences: 75 fractional works · 28.6% of its workMedicine: 47 fractional works · 18.1% of its workEpidemiology: 6 fractional works · 2.4% of its workEndocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism: 5 fractional works · 2.0% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 5 fractional works · 1.7% of its workSurgery: 4 fractional works · 1.7% of its workPhysiology: 3 fractional works · 1.1% of its workCardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine: 3 fractional works · 1.0% of its workPulmonary and Respiratory Medicine: 3 fractional works · 1.0% of its workPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health: 2 fractional works · 0.6% of its workOncology: 2 fractional works · 0.6% of its workInfectious Diseases: 2 fractional works · 0.6% of its workRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging: 2 fractional works · 0.6% of its workPathology and Forensic Medicine: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workDermatology: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workRheumatology: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workOphthalmology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPsychiatry and Mental health: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workNeurology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workNephrology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEmergency Medicine: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workObstetrics and Gynecology: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 4 fractional works · 1.7% of its workHealth Professions: 26 fractional works · 9.8% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 23 fractional works · 8.9% of its workRadiological and Ultrasound Technology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEmergency Medical Services: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workNursing: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workNutrition and Dietetics: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workVeterinary: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workSocial Sciences: 60 fractional works · 22.9% of its workSocial Sciences: 44 fractional works · 16.7% of its workSociology and Political Science: 16 fractional works · 6.3% of its workEducation: 9 fractional works · 3.6% of its workHealth: 4 fractional works · 1.5% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 3 fractional works · 1.2% of its workDemography: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workSafety Research: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workAnthropology: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workLinguistics and Language: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workCultural Studies: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workLaw: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPublic Administration: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workGeography, Planning and Development: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPsychology: 7 fractional works · 2.7% of its workClinical Psychology: 3 fractional works · 1.2% of its workSocial Psychology: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workDevelopmental and Educational Psychology: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workExperimental and Cognitive Psychology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workArts and Humanities: 5 fractional works · 1.9% of its workLiterature and Literary Theory: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workHistory: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 3 fractional works · 1.0% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workDecision Sciences: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workLife Sciences: 23 fractional works · 8.8% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 12 fractional works · 4.5% of its workGenetics: 7 fractional works · 2.5% of its workMolecular Biology: 3 fractional works · 1.3% of its workDevelopmental Biology: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 8 fractional works · 3.2% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 3 fractional works · 1.2% of its workFood Science: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workAquatic Science: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workAnimal Science and Zoology: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPlant Science: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workNeuroscience: 2 fractional works · 0.6% of its workCognitive Neuroscience: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workImmunology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workALL ITS WORKGreenland261fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences9%Physical Sciences40%Health Sciences29%Social Sciences23%

Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in 2022-now. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this country does than the world.

Its 4 domains and 23 fields, with their numbers
    1. Environmental Science5922.5%
    2. Earth and Planetary Sciences3613.8%
    3. Engineering52.1%
    4. Computer Science10.5%
    5. Mathematics10.4%
    6. Physics and Astronomy00.2%
    7. Chemistry00.1%
    8. Energy00.1%
    1. Medicine4718.1%
    2. Health Professions269.8%
    3. Nursing10.6%
    4. Veterinary00.1%
    1. Social Sciences4416.7%
    2. Psychology72.7%
    3. Arts and Humanities51.9%
    4. Business, Management and Accounting31.0%
    5. Economics, Econometrics and Finance10.3%
    6. Decision Sciences10.3%
    1. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology124.5%
    2. Agricultural and Biological Sciences83.2%
    3. Neuroscience20.6%
    4. Immunology and Microbiology10.5%
    5. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics00.0%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

Which keywords describe research in Greenland?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Climate Change, Arctic, Food Security, Vulnerability, Ecological Knowledge, Nutrition Transition, Arctic Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Knowledge.

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's

Size is fractional works in 2022-now in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this country's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Climate Change82▲ 12×43 topics
  2. Arctic23▲ 79×4 topics
  3. Food Security21▲ 15×3 topics
  4. Vulnerability19▲ 31×3 topics
  5. Ecological Knowledge19▲ 168×2 topics
  6. Nutrition Transition18▲ 219×2 topics
  7. Arctic Indigenous Peoples18▲ 403×1 topic
  8. Traditional Knowledge18▲ 166×1 topic
  9. Population Dynamics17▲ 25×6 topics
  10. Remote Sensing16▲ 5.0×12 topics
  11. Conservation14▲ 13×12 topics
  12. Sustainability12▲ 1.88×17 topics
  13. Predator-Prey Interactions12▲ 57×2 topics
  14. Acoustic Communication11▲ 84×2 topics
  15. Ocean Circulation11▲ 31×3 topics
  16. Anthropogenic Noise11▲ 147×1 topic
  17. Marine Mammals11▲ 147×1 topic
  18. Fisheries Sustainability10▲ 46×2 topics
  19. Decline10▲ 144×1 topic
  20. Sea Ice10▲ 144×1 topic
  21. Trophic Cascades9▲ 39×2 topics
  22. Governance8▲ 9.3×3 topics
  23. Geopolitics8▲ 19×2 topics
  24. Hydrology8▲ 22×3 topics
  25. International Relations8▲ 12×2 topics
  26. Northern Sea Route7▲ 108×1 topic
  27. Shipping7▲ 57×1 topic
  28. Ecosystem Management7▲ 45×1 topic
  29. Marine Fisheries7▲ 66×1 topic
  30. Invasive Species7▲ 6.0×11 topics
  31. Health Effects6▲ 4.1×14 topics
  32. Permafrost6▲ 51×2 topics
  33. Health Equity5▲ 6.5×4 topics
  34. Biogeography5▲ 6.5×7 topics
  35. Social Sciences4▲ 12×2 topics
  36. Habitat Selection4▲ 22×2 topics
  37. Benthic Communities4▲ 26×2 topics
  38. Marine Biodiversity4▲ 26×2 topics
  39. Decolonization4▲ 19×3 topics
  40. Methane Emissions4▲ 30×2 topics

Which research topics does Greenland publish the most in?

Its largest topics in 2022-now are Indigenous Studies and Ecology, Marine animal studies overview, Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics.

  1. 1 Indigenous Studies and Ecology General Health Professions 18 works
  2. 2 Marine animal studies overview Ecology 11 works
  3. 3 Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics Atmospheric Science 10 works
  4. 4 Arctic and Russian Policy Studies Sociology and Political Science 7 works
  5. 5 Marine and fisheries research Global and Planetary Change 7 works
  6. 6 Climate change and permafrost Atmospheric Science 4 works
  7. 7 Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights Health 4 works
  8. 8 Cryospheric studies and observations Atmospheric Science 3 works
  9. 9 Fish Ecology and Management Studies Nature and Landscape Conservation 3 works
  10. 10 Research in Social Sciences Education 3 works
  11. 11 Isotope Analysis in Ecology Ecology 3 works
  12. 12 Marine and coastal plant biology Oceanography 3 works

Which universities in Greenland lead research?

Ilisimatusarfik and Grønlands Naturinstitut rank highest in Greenland on research quality in 2022-now.

  1. 1IlisimatusarfikUniversity · Nuuk · #14,646 worldwide7.5% top 10% · 99 works
  2. 2Grønlands NaturinstitutResearch facility · Nuuk · #19,613 worldwide11.5% top 10% · 88 works

The track on each row is its top-10% rate; the tick is the average of all institutions, 10.0% (how it is set): teal above it, red below.

All ranked institutions in Greenland

Who are the top researchers in Greenland?

Lorenz Meire, John Mortensen and Alexandra Messerli rank highest among researchers based in Greenland.

  1. 1 Lorenz Meire #298,354 worldwide 3.2k citations · 174 works
  2. 2 John Mortensen #323,266 worldwide 3.8k citations · 99 works
  3. 3 Alexandra Messerli #413,578 worldwide 351 citations · 1,945 works
  4. 4 Erik W. Born #443,074 worldwide 11k citations · 227 works
  5. 5 Malene J. Simon #444,230 worldwide 2.8k citations · 88 works
  6. 6 Kirsty Langley #458,017 worldwide 4.1k citations · 1,078 works
  7. 7 Thomas Juul‐Pedersen #542,346 worldwide 3.1k citations · 117 works
  8. 8 Mads Peter Heide‐Jørgensen #563,478 worldwide 11k citations · 386 works
  9. 9 Aqqalu Rosing‐Asvid #579,837 worldwide 3.9k citations · 117 works
  10. 10 Kunuk Lennert #652,497 worldwide 1.1k citations · 24 works
Top researchers in Greenland

How open and international is Greenland's research?

51% of its research is openly available (world: 40%), and 61% is written with international co-authors (world: 18%).

openly available51.0%not open49.0%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors61.5%domestic only38.5%

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has Greenland's research grown?

Output in 2022-2025 was 3% higher than in 2018-2021.

still counting1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Greenland as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.0012% in 2024.

still counting0.0010%0.0020%0.0030%Greenland0.00075% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Greenland over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Over the whole record, 8.7% of its 1.2k works since 1951 reached the world top 10% for their field and year.

still counting5%10%15%Greenland12.0% in 2025all institutions10.0% in 202520102020

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 14.9% in 2011.

Which countries have research most like Greenland's?

Faroe Islands is Greenland's closest research twin: of all countries, its research is spread across the fields most like Greenland's, with both strong in Earth and Planetary Sciences.

  1. 1 Faroe IslandsBoth strong in Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environmental Science, Health Professions 0.79 Compare
  2. 2 New CaledoniaBoth strong in Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environmental Science, Health Professions 0.74 Compare
  3. 3 New ZealandBoth strong in Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environmental Science, Health Professions 0.71 Compare
  4. 4 MartiniqueBoth strong in Health Professions, Social Sciences 0.69 Compare
  5. 5 NorwayBoth strong in Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environmental Science, Health Professions 0.69 Compare

Similarity is the correlation of each side's location quotients across every field it publishes in, on a log scale: 1 is the same shape of research, 0 is unrelated. It ignores size. How it is measured.

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Greenland on Science Explorer

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