Jens-Frederik Nielsen (born 22 June 1991) is a Greenlandic politician and former badminton player who has served as the

Prime Minister of Greenland The prime minister of Greenland (; ), also known as the premier of Greenland,Members of the Cabinet
G ...

since 2025. He is the leader of the

Demokraatit The Democrats ( ; , D) is a social liberal political party in Greenland. Historically a unionist party, the Democrats have traditionally been sceptical of Greenlandic independence and even further self-governance. The party's position has in the ...

party, and he formerly served as the Minister of Labour and Mineral Resources during the Kielsen VII Cabinet of 2020 to 2021. Nielsen is the first member of the Demokraatit party to hold the office of prime minister.

Early life and education

Nielsen was born and raised in

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

. His hometown is

Nuuk Nuuk (; , formerly ) is the capital and most populous city of Greenland, an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark. Nuuk is the seat of government and the territory's largest cultural and economic center. It is also the seat of gove ...

. He earned a degree in social science from the

University of Greenland The University of Greenland (; ) is Greenland's only university. It is in the capital city of Nuuk. Most courses are taught in Danish, a few in Greenlandic and classes by exchange lecturers often in English. The university had an enrollment of ...

. Nielsen has been a member of the Greenland national badminton team since 2009. At the

2023 Island Games The XIX Island Games (also known as the ''2023 NatWest Island Games'' for sponsorship reasons) were to have been held in Guernsey in 2021; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Games were postponed. This occasion will be the third time that ...

, Nielsen won gold in men's singles badminton.

Political career

In 2020, Nielsen was elected to succeed Niels Thomsen as chair of the

party. He was reelected to the role in March 2024. In May 2020, Nielsen was named the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources as part of the Kielsen VII Cabinet. During the

2025 Greenlandic general election General elections were held in Greenland on 11 March 2025 to elect the 31 members of the Inatsisartut. The opposition Democrats won a plurality of ten seats. Background Independence was the most important issue of the election. The government ...

, Nielsen received 4,850 personal votes. Nielsen received more votes than incumbent Prime Minister

Múte Bourup Egede Múte Inequnaaluk Bourup Egede (; born 11 March 1987) is a Greenlandic politician who served as the 7th Prime Minister of Greenland from 2021 to 2025. He has also served as Chairman of the Inuit Ataqatigiit since December 2018, and a Member of t ...

, who received 3,276.

Political views

In response to

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

in 2022, Nielsen urged Polar Seafood to halt its Russian operations, emphasizing the need to pressure Russia and restore peace in Europe. In March 2025, Nielsen condemned

U.S. president The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

's threats to invade Greenland. Nielsen said Trump will not "get" Greenland. In April 2025, a plan by the United States for undermining the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark through a campaign of foreign interference and disinformation on social media became known. Nielsen advocates for reducing reliance on Denmark's block grant by prioritizing business development and

economic self-sufficiency Self-sustainability and self-sufficiency are overlapping states of being in which a person, being, or system needs little or no help from, or interaction with others. Self-sufficiency entails the self being enough (to fulfill needs), and a self ...

in Greenland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nielsen, Jens Living people 1991 births 21st-century Greenlandic politicians Government ministers of Greenland Democrats (Greenland) politicians Greenlandic sportsmen Greenlandic sportsperson-politicians Members of the Inatsisartut University of Greenland alumni Danish male badminton players People from Nuuk Greenlandic people of Danish descent