Financial Times journalists analyzed the possibility of “buying” Greenland in light of US President Donald Trump’s territorial statements.
Source: Bukvy
The American Action Forum think tank estimated the market value of the island’s mineral resources at $186 billion. Doubling this amount to account for the region’s strategic value gives $370 billion.
Another approach is historical parallels: using the price per square mile from the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Greenland would cost $300 million in today’s dollars. Using the example of the Virgin Islands (1917), the price would be $3.8 trillion.
A theoretically possible option is an agreement with the population: offering each of the 57,000 residents US citizenship and a $1 million bonus, which would cost about $57 billion. Smaller incentives were also considered — from $10,000 to $100,000 per person — which drew criticism in Copenhagen and Nuuk.
FT emphasizes that the financial offer is not the only factor. The attractiveness of the US as a “buyer” also matters: life expectancy is lower, healthcare is more expensive, and the rate of gun-related homicides is 65 times higher than in Denmark.
A Verian survey showed that 85% of Greenlanders do not want to become US citizens, and the very idea of buying territories like companies complicates the implementation of such a deal.