The Population of the Circumpolar North

Abstract

This paper describes and compares the population of different regions of the circumpolar North. Available population data are presented on Native and non-Native populations at ten-year intervals for the period 1900-1990 for Alaska Yukon Territory, the Northwest Territories, Greenland, northern Norway, northern Sweden, northern Finland, and twelve regions of the Soviet North. These data show that there are substantial differences between northern regions in population density, Native population share, and population growth rates. Total population and population density are much higher in the European North than in the Asian North and the American North. The American North accounts for a relatively small share of total northern population. Non-Native growth rates are higher than Native growth rates, leading to a decline in the Native share of the population in most northern regions.

Although much has been written about the development of the circumpolar North, relatively little systematic empirical comparison has been undertaken of different northern regions. Population data provide a starting point for systematic comparison of northern development experience. Population provides a useful first indicator of the scale, pace and character of economic development.