How Much Would It Cost for the U.S. to Buy Greenland? Experts Say Possibly Trillions
President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire for the U.S. to acquire Greenland — the semi-autonomous Danish territory — despite firm pushback from both Copenhagen and the international community. According to Trump, the “best case” is for the U.S. to take control of Greenland peacefully, but he has not ruled out more aggressive options.
“The president believes Greenland holds critical strategic importance and that the people of Greenland would enjoy a better quality of life under American protection,” said Anna Kelly, deputy White House press secretary. “President Trump is committed to establishing lasting peace both at home and abroad.”
According to a senior White House official, the administration has been actively studying the potential cost of acquiring Greenland — including ongoing expenses to provide government services to future residents. “We’re looking at what it would cost to maintain Greenland as a U.S. territory, assuming popular support from its residents,” the official said.
How Much Would It Actually Cost?
In 1917, the U.S. purchased the U.S. Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million in gold, roughly $600 million in today’s dollars. But Greenland, by comparison, is on a completely different scale.
Greenland spans over 2.16 million square kilometers — more than 1,000 times larger than the U.S. Virgin Islands — and sits on one of the world’s most strategically important corridors between North America and Europe. The U.S. has eyed the island since at least 1946, when President Harry Truman offered $100 million in gold to Denmark for it. That offer was rejected.
Economists say valuing an entire territory is vastly more complex than pricing a business or real estate. Greenland’s 2021 GDP was just over $3.2 billion, but that number doesn’t reflect the full potential of its largely untapped natural resources, including rare earth elements, uranium, gold, silver, and offshore oil reserves. A Financial Times report once estimated Greenland’s total resource value could reach $1.1 trillion.
David Barker, a former economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, estimates Greenland’s value could range from $12.5 billion to $77 billion based on current economic activity — but that doesn’t factor in its military or geopolitical value.
The American Action Forum, a Washington-based think tank, has suggested that Greenland’s value could be as high as $3 trillion when its strategic location in the North Atlantic is included.
Ongoing Costs and U.S. Commitments
Beyond the purchase price, the U.S. would also have to fund Greenland’s basic government services. Denmark currently spends around $600 million annually to support Greenland’s 58,000 residents. Trump officials believe the U.S. would need to spend more. “The question isn’t just what we pay to buy it — it’s also what we’ll have to invest to keep it running,” one source told The Washington Post.
Vice President JD Vance, during a recent trip to Greenland, accused Denmark of “underinvesting” in the island. “Our message to Denmark is simple: You’re not doing enough for the people of Greenland or the security of this vital and beautiful region,” Vance said during a visit to Pituffik Space Base, a U.S. military installation in northwest Greenland.
Pituffik plays a critical role in America’s missile defense network and has long been part of U.S. early-warning systems. Strategically, Greenland offers military and surveillance advantages as Arctic sea lanes open due to melting ice.
Doug Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum, said the island’s value goes far beyond minerals. “Greenland gives us the ability to monitor the North Atlantic and Arctic shipping routes. That alone makes it more valuable than Iceland in terms of strategic coverage,” he said.
Strategic Vision, Economic Ambition
Experts say Trump’s Greenland ambitions combine both military and economic goals. “This is about national security and energy dominance,” said Sam Hammond, chief economist at the Foundation for American Innovation. “Greenland could become a staging area for Arctic policy, icebreaker fleets, and other projects — plus, of course, there’s the land and the resources.”
While Trump insists the acquisition could happen without military force, some close to the administration acknowledge the price tag could be in the trillions, making it one of the largest real estate acquisitions in human history — if it ever came to pass.
(According to The Washington Post, Financial Times, The Conversation)
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