Sermersooq – Greenland
Avaaraq Olsen is the mayor of Nuuk.
Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq stretches across fjords, mountains and the vast Greenlandic Ice sheet. The biggest city is the capital of Greenland, Nuuk, which is a unique blend of tradition and modernity. In every town and settlement scattered across more than 531.000 km² you can experience nature’s beauty and the Greenlandic cultural richness.
Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq has seen a continuous migration from rural areas to towns, primarily Nuuk, in the last decades. Nuuk is therefore seeing a rapid population growth. From 2004 to 2024 the population went from 14.710 to 20.091. The municipality has a need for imported labor in most industries. In 2024 about 18 pct. of the population was born outside of Greenland. Most migrants are travelling from Greenland to Denmark or vice versa. In the last decade an increasing number of the immigrants coming to Greenland for work opportunities are non-Danish citizens in particular from Thailand, Philippines and Poland.
Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq hopes to further the cooperation with other Arctic municipalities. We welcome the opportunity to participate in regional networking events and to continue working on shared sustainable development priorities and challenges with communities in other parts of the Arctic. We hope to share our best practices with other municipalities and also learn new ways to face the pressing international and local challenges that are now a reality in the Arctic.
Furthermore, we hope to gain valuable insights into how other municipalities promote sustainable economic growth. Increasing tourism is particularly relevant as a new, International Airport will open in Nuuk in november 2024 making Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq more accessible to the world.
Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq’s official website (Danish and Greenlandic only)
Ilisimatusarfik (University of Greenland)
Quick facts
Population
- English name: Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq
- Name local languages:Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq
- Population: 24 382
- Largest metropolitan area: Nuuk
- Population Nuuk: 20 091
Language and culture
- Traditional territory of: Inuit
- Languages spoken: Greenlandic (Kalaallisut) and Danish
Work and education
- Mayor industries: Administration, construction, service, tourism and fishing
- Higher education: Ilisimatusarfik (University of Greenland): Courses in Greenlandic, Danish and English. It is possible to study a semester as a guest student, e.g. though Erasmus+, Nordplus, UArctic
Arctic Mayors’ Forum
- Joined: 2017