This Survey is published on the responsibility of the Economic and Development Review Committee of the OECD, which is charged with the examination of the economic situation of member countries.

The economic situation and policies of Denmark were reviewed by the Committee on 21 March 2016. The draft report was then revised in the light of the discussions and given final approval as the agreed report of the whole Committee on 14 April 2016.

The Secretariat’s draft report was prepared for the Committee by Ms. Zuzana Smidova, Ms. Caroline Klein and Ms. Louise Aggerstrøm Hansen who was seconded from the Danish Ministry of Finance, under the supervision of Mr. Andreas Wörgötter. Research assistance was provided by Ms. Lutécia Daniel. Ms. Heloise Wickramanayake formatted and produced the layout. The previous Survey of Denmark was issued in January 2014.

Information about the latest as well as previous Survey and more information about how Surveys are prepared is available at www.oecd.org/eco/surveys.

  
Basic statistics of Denmark, 2014
(Numbers in parentheses refer to the OECD average)*

LAND, PEOPLE AND ELECTORAL CYCLE

Population (million)

5.6

Population density per km²

129.9

(34.9)

Under 15 (%)

17.4

(18.1)

Life expectancy (years, 2013)

80.4

(80.5)

Over 65 (%)

18.2

(16.0)

Men

78.3

(77.8)

Foreign-born (%, 2013)

8.5

Women

82.4

(83.1)

Latest 5-year average growth (%)

0.3

(0.6)

Latest general election

June

2015

ECONOMY

Gross domestic product (GDP)

Value added shares (%)

In current prices (billion USD)

346

Primary sector

1.1

(2.5)

In current prices (billion DKK)

1943

Industry including construction

23.3

(26.4)

Latest 5-year average real growth (%)

0.7

(1.9)

Services

75.6

(71.1)

Per capita (000 USD PPP)

46.4

(40.2)

GENERAL GOVERNMENT

Per cent of GDP

Expenditure

56.0

(42.3)

Gross financial debt

60.0

(115.5)

Revenue

57.4

(38.5)

Gross financial debt (Maastricht definition)

44.8

Net financial debt

4.9

(71.7)

EXTERNAL ACCOUNTS

Exchange rate (DKK per USD)

5.6

Main exports (% of total merchandise exports)

PPP exchange rate (USA = 1)

7.5

Machinery and transport equipment

26.4

In per cent of GDP

Food and live animals

16.7

Exports of goods and services

53.4

(53.8)

Miscellaneous manufactured articles

14.6

Imports of goods and services

47.3

(49.8)

Main imports (% of total merchandise imports)

Current account balance

7.7

(0.01)

Machinery and transport equipment

31.2

Net international investment position

43.1

Miscellaneous manufactured articles

15.9

Manufactured goods

13.4

LABOUR MARKET, SKILLS AND INNOVATION

Employment rate for 15-64 year-olds (%)

72.8

(65.7)

Unemployment rate, Labour Force Survey (age 15 and over) (%)

6.6

(7.3)

Men

75.8

(73.6)

Youth (age 15-24, %)

12.6

(15.1)

Women

69.8

(57.9)

Long-term unemployed (1 year and over, %)

1.7

(2.5)

Participation rate for 15-64 year-olds (%)

78.1

(72.7)

Tertiary educational attainment 25-64 year-olds (%)

35.8

(33.5)

Average hours worked per year

1 436

(1 770)

Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (% of GDP)

3.1

(2.4)

ENVIRONMENT

Total primary energy supply per capita (toe)

2.9

(4.1)

CO2 emissions from fuel combustion per capita (tonnes, 2013)

6.9

(9.6)

Renewables (% of TPES)

27.8

(9.1)

Water abstractions per capita (1 000 m3)

0.1

Fine particulate matter concentration (PM2.5, μg/m3, 2013)

11.4

(13.8)

Municipal waste per capita (tonnes)

0.8

(0.5)

SOCIETY

Income inequality (Gini coefficient, 2012)

0.249

(0.308)

Education outcomes (PISA score, 2012)

Relative poverty rate (%, 2012)

5.4

(10.9)

Reading

496

(496)

Median equivalised household income (000 USD PPP, 2012)

27.3

(22.1)

Mathematics

500

(494)

Public and private spending (% of GDP)

Science

498

(501)

Health care, current expenditure (2013)

10.4

(8.9)

Share of women in parliament (%, December 2015)

37.4

(27.7)

Pensions (2011)

8.5

(8.7)

Net official development assistance (% of GNI)

0.85

(0.37)

Education (primary, secondary, post sec. non tertiary, 2012)

4.7

(3.7)

Better life index: www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org

* Where the OECD aggregate is not provided in the source database, a simple OECD average of latest available data is calculated where data exist for at least 29 member countries.

Source: Calculations based on data extracted from the databases of the following organisations: OECD, International Energy Agency, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and Inter-Parliamentary Union.