More than 40 percent of those who pursue an education abroad still do not live in Greenland ten years later. New figures from Statistics Greenland show that the percentage of those who return home has remained unchanged since 2009.
Every year, Greenland sends young people out into the world to pursue educational programs that aren’t available here. Many of them don’t return.
This is shown by a new report from Statistics Greenland on where graduates live in the years following the completion of vocational or higher education abroad.
One year after completing their education, only 37 percent live in Greenland. Some continue their studies—typically pursuing a master’s degree after earning a bachelor’s—and the proportion who have returned home rises in the following years. However, it peaks at 56 percent after eight years and remains unchanged thereafter. After ten years, about 45 percent still live outside Greenland.
For those who pursue their education in Greenland, the picture is quite different. Ten years later, 90 percent still live in the country.
The same curve year after year
The most striking thing about the figures is how little has changed. Statistics Greenland has compared four cohorts of graduates from 2009 to 2020, and the trends are virtually identical. According to the statistics, the percentage of people who settle in Greenland after completing their education abroad has not changed significantly in recent years.
The most recent group, which can be tracked for eight years—the 2018–2020 graduating classes—is even slightly below the 2015–2017 group. About 52 percent of this group are living in Greenland after eight years, compared to about 57 percent for the earlier cohorts.
So the homecoming is the same today as it was fifteen years ago.
