Following the deliberations of the 1948 Greenland Commission, the older pattern of life was gradually changed providing a higher standard of living and the modernization of Greenlandic society. As the standard of living in Greenland increased, the quality of health care improved greatly, the mortality rate fell and the birth rate rose.

During a period of 15 years this progress had reduced by half the number of people involved in the primary occupation of hunting while during the same period the work force doubled. By 1970 the percentage of the work force engaged in hunting had fallen to under 20%.

Hunting is still the chief occupation in certain areas today, for example, in North and East Greenland.