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World Health Systems Facts

Denmark: Economic System


Population (2023): 5,946,952
Gross National Income, Atlas method (Current US$) (Billions) (2023): $436.16
GNI per capita, Atlas method (Current US$) (2023): $73,340
Income Share Held by Lowest 20% (2021): 9.2%
Gross Domestic Product (Current US$) (Billions) (2023): $407.09

Source: World Bank. Country Profile: Denmark. World Development Indicators. Last accessed February 10, 2025.


Population, 2021: 5,854,000
Gross Domestic Product Per Capita (Current USD), 2010-2019: $60,213
Share of Household Income, 2010-2019
– Bottom 40%: 23%
– Top 20%: 38%
– Bottom 20%: 9%
Gini Coefficient, 2010-2019: 28
Palma Index of Income Inequality, 2010-2019: 1.0

Note: Gini coefficient – Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality.
Palma index of income inequality – Palma index is defined as the ratio of the richest 10% of the population’s share of gross national income divided by the poorest 40%’s share.

Source: United Nations Children’s Fund, The State of the World’s Children 2023: For every child, vaccination, UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight, Florence, April 2023.


“Denmark ranks fourth in the European Union in terms of GDP per capita with €48 000, well above the EU average (€37,600). It accounts for 2.2% of the EU’s total GDP.”

Source: European Union. EU Member Countries In Brief: Denmark. Last accessed February 10, 2025.


“Denmark is a high-income economy with a relatively even income distribution across the population, although socioeconomic inequality has grown over the past two decades (see Table 1.2). Until the 1950s, agriculture provided the biggest share of exports and national income. Since then, industry and services have come to dominate, with the latter growing more rapidly.

“Unemployment decreased from the mid-1990s but rose temporarily after the global financial crisis in 2008. The government introduced major stabilization packages during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the pandemic did not trigger major reductions in employment. Although the economy shrank and gross domestic product (GDP) growth was -2.0% in 2020, the economy rebounded in 2022. The unemployment rate varies considerably across different geographical areas, with some areas experiencing an unemployment rate significantly higher than average. Furthermore, in areas with a relatively large share of industry, such as Western Jutland, the unemployment rate is much more sensitive to economic shocks than in areas with an economy based on services, for example, in the Capital Area.”

Source: Birk HO, Vrangbæk K, Rudkjøbing A, Krasnik A, Eriksen A, Richardson E, Smith Jervelund S. Denmark: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2024; 26(1): i–152.


Denmark: Economic System - National Policies - World Health Systems Facts

Danish Health System Overview
Health System Rankings
Health System Outcomes
Coverage and Access
Costs for Consumers
Health System Expenditures
Health System Financing
Preventive Healthcare

Healthcare Workers
Health System Physical Resources and Utilization
Long-Term Services and Supports
Health Information and Communications Technologies
Healthcare Workforce Education and Training
Pharmaceuticals

Danish Political System
Economic System
Population Demographics
People With Disabilities
Aging
Social Determinants and Health Equity
Health System History
Reforms and Challenges
Wasteful Spending


World Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems and policies in the US and sixteen other nations.

Page last updated July 25, 2025 by Doug McVay, Editor.

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