Jens-Frederik Nielsen (born 22 June 1991) is a Greenlandic politician who has served as the prime minister of Greenland since 2025. He is the leader of the Demokraatit party (the Democrats), and he formerly served as the Minister of Labour and Mineral Resources during the Kielsen VII Cabinet of May 2020 to February 2021. Nielsen is the first member of the Democrats to hold the office of prime minister. Before entering politics, he was a champion badminton player.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen was born on 22 June 1991 and raised in Greenland. His Danish father moved to Greenland as a child, while his Greenlandic Inuit mother was born and raised there. Nielsen grew up in Nuuk.
Nielsen has described experiencing bullying during his childhood because of his mixed background and appearance, stating that he was targeted by other pupils for "looking Danish", despite attending the Greenlandic language class and having a Greenlandic mother. He has also noted that socioeconomic differences â his primary school was located in a socially disadvantaged area of Nuuk, while he lived in a different district â contributed to his treatment at school. Nielsen has stated that these experiences influenced his political views and his advocacy for a diverse and inclusive Greenland, with equal space for all who wish to contribute to society.
Nielsen earned a degree in social science from the University of Greenland.
Nielsen became a member of the Greenland national badminton team in 2009, and won the singles and doubles championships in most years for several years. He also won a number of medals at the Island Games, including the gold medal in men's singles badminton in the 2023 Island Games.
In 2020, Nielsen was elected to succeed Niels Thomsen as chair of the Demokraatit party (the Democrats). 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, but lost the role after he withdrew his party from the government shortly afterwards.
After Russian forces had begun their war of aggression against Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Nielsen urged Polar Seafood A/S to halt its Russian operations, emphasising the need to pressure Russia and restore peace in Europe.
Nielsen has advocated for reducing reliance on Denmark's block grant by prioritising business development and economic self-sufficiency in Greenland.
In the general election in March 2025, the Democrats more than tripled their seats, and Nielsen received 4,850 personal votes. Incumbent Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede received 3,276 votes.
On 27 August 2025, Nielsen, along with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, issued an official apology on behalf of the Danish and Greenlandic governments for historic abuses against Greenlandic women, including forced contraception.
On 20 January 2025, Donald Trump began his second term as U.S. president. In March 2025, Nielsen condemned Trump's threats to invade Greenland, stating that "We don't want to be Americans. No, we don't want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders. And we want our own independence in the future..." Nielsen said Trump will not "get" Greenland. Shortly before Vice President of the United States JD Vance and his wife Usha arrived to visit the Pituffik Space Base in Greenland on 29 March 2025, a four-party coalition government was announced by Nielsen. He also showed his solidarity with Denmark in the face of the US threat, when went on an official visit with Frederiksen to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French president Emmanuel Macron.
In April 2025, a plan by the US for undermining the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark through a campaign of foreign interference and disinformation on social media became known. The official Danish threat assessment published by the Danish Defence Intelligence Service in 2025 for the first time mentioned the US as a threat to national security, alongside Russia and China. Frederiksen reminded Trump that an attack on the Kingdom of Denmark is an attack on NATO, and that all NATO members are obligated to come to Denmark's defence. Greenland, as part of Denmark, is a member of NATO and therefore covered by the collective security guarantee.
On 13 January 2026, ten days after US troops had attacked Venezuela and captured Maduro and his wife, Nielsen and Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said in a joint press conference that the US pressure campaign against Greenland was unacceptable, and that Greenland is not for sale. Nielsen emphasised that talk about buying another people shows a lack of respect. Nielsen said:
In response to Nielsen stating that Greenland had no wish to become part of the US, Trump said in January 2026 that he did not know who the Greenlandic prime minister was, stating: "I disagree with them. I don't know who he is, don't know anything about him, but that's going to be a big problem".