What is the relationship between Greenland and Denmark?
Executive summary
Greenland is an autonomous constituent country within the Kingdom of Denmark: its people exercise broad internal self-government while Denmark retains responsibility for the realm’s sovereignty, defence and certain aspects of foreign policy, and provides substantial annual financial transfers that underpin Greenland’s economy [1] [2] [3]. That arrangement is rooted in centuries of Danish–Norwegian colonial rule and confirmed repeatedly by international practice and law, but it coexists with an active Greenlandic political movement toward greater independence and an unresolved legacy of colonial-era injustices that shapes contemporary debates [4] [5] [6].
1. How history made the constitutional relationship
The formal connection began in the early modern period when Danish–Norwegian interests consolidated control over Inuit communities and trade in the 18th century, a colonial process followed by Greenland’s integration into Denmark after the Napoleonic-era split of the Denmark–Norway union and later legal confirmations of Danish sovereignty in the 20th century [7] [4] [5]. Denmark’s title was reinforced diplomatically and legally — notably by a 1916 US acknowledgement tied to the transfer of the Danish West Indies and a 1933 decision by the Permanent Court of International Justice rejecting Norway’s claim — and during World War II arrangements with the United States further cemented Danish control while also internationalizing Greenland’s strategic role [4] [7] [8].
2. What the current constitutional map looks like
Under the 1979 Home Rule and the 2009 Self-Government Act, Greenland controls most domestic matters—education, health, fisheries, natural resources and many civil laws—while the Kingdom retains sovereignty, responsibility for defence, and a coordinating role in certain international affairs; the Self-Government Act also lays out a legal pathway by which Greenlanders can decide on full independence [4] [1] [2]. Greenlandic institutions can negotiate and conclude agreements in areas they wholly control, and may have representatives attached to Danish diplomatic missions, but defence and security policy remain realm-level prerogatives [2] [1].
3. Money, bases and international backing
Denmark provides sizable annual subsidies that amount to a significant share of Greenland’s GDP—figures in the reporting show average transfers in recent years around several billion Danish kroner—while defence arrangements (including long-standing US ties and NATO considerations) mean allies and international law consistently treat Greenland’s sovereignty as part of the Kingdom of Denmark [3] [8] [9]. European and transatlantic institutions have publicly defended Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland and warned that any external attempts to appropriate or pressure Greenland would contravene international law [10] [8].
4. The politics of autonomy and the independence question
Greenlandic politics are increasingly oriented toward strengthening control over resources and foreign partnerships as ways to reduce economic dependence on Copenhagen; the Self-Government Act explicitly makes independence the prerogative of the Greenlandic people, but economic realities, strategic interests and divergent views inside Greenland mean independence remains a politically complex, long-term prospect rather than an imminent constitutional fait accompli [4] [11] [1]. External episodes — such as proposals from foreign leaders to “buy” Greenland — have tended to push Greenlandic politics toward more sober reassessment of options, exposing both local appetite for new partners and the political risk of being used as a geopolitical pawn [5] [7].
5. The shadow of colonialism and contemporary tensions
Contemporary relations are shaped not only by law and money but also by historical grievances: Danish policies of assimilation and controversial social programs from the 20th century — including the “little Danes” experiments and reproductive-health scandals — have left a legacy of distrust and motivated calls for reconciliation and institutional reforms in Denmark–Greenland relations [6] [12]. Reporting and scholarship therefore frame the relationship as simultaneously legal and contractual and as an ongoing process of decolonization and redefinition.
6. The pragmatic balance going forward
Practically, the relationship functions as a negotiated partnership: Denmark guarantees international representation, defence and financial support while Greenland exercises broad internal sovereignty and increasing influence on external economic relations; the balance is fragile and politically contested, subject to domestic Greenlandic choices, Danish policy, and strategic pressures from allies such as the United States [2] [1] [11]. Sources differ on trajectories — some stress the solidity of Denmark’s legal claim and the stability it provides [9] [8], others emphasize the colonial origins and the political momentum for greater Greenlandic autonomy [5] [6] — and both perspectives are necessary to understand what the relationship is today and how it may evolve.