Denmark

Full name of country: Kingdom of Denmark

Region: Europe

Official language: Danish

Population: 5,973,136 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Dane(s) (noun), Danish (adjective)

Land area: 42,434 sq km (16,384 sq miles)

Water area: 660 sq km (255 sq miles)

Capital: Copenhagen

National anthem: "Der er et yndigt land" (There is a Lovely Land); "Kong Christian" (King Christian), by Adam Gottlob Oehlenschlager/Hans Ernst Kroyer; Johannes Ewald/Unknown

National holiday: none designated; Constitution Day, June 5 (1849) is generally viewed as the National Day

Population growth: 0.44% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC +1

Flag: The flag of Denmark features a red background with a white cross. The horizontal line of the cross extends the width of the flag, as does the vertical its height; however, the vertical line is shifted off-center, positioned more toward the hoist (left) side of the flag.

Motto: (Queen’s motto) “God’s help, the Love of the People, Denmark’s Strength”

Independence: ca. 965 (unified and Christianized under Harald I Gormsson); 5 June 1849 (became a constitutional monarchy)

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal system: civil law; judicial review of legislative acts

The Kongeriget Danmark (Kingdom of Denmark) is the oldest monarchy in Europe. A small country in the North Sea, slightly less than twice the size of the US state of Massachusetts, Denmark once ruled most of England and all of Scandinavia and Finland. Denmark became a parliamentary constitutional monarchy in 1849 and is known for its extensive government welfare measures, its high standard of living, its agricultural products, and its achievements in science and the arts.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: Approximately 88.5 percent of Danes live in urban areas (2023 estimate).

Ethnic groups in Denmark include Scandinavians, Inuit (Greenland), Faroese (Faroe Islands), Germans (along the border with Schleswig-Holstein in Germany), Turks, Syrians, Poles, Iraqis, and Romanians.

The official language is Danish. Faroese and Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect) are spoken in the Faroe Islands and Greenland, respectively. German is widely spoken along the German border.

Evangelical Lutheranism is the state religion, and 71.4 percent of Danes are Lutheran (2024 estimate). Another 4.3 percent are Muslim, and others are Roman Catholic, Jewish, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Serbian Orthodox Christian, Baptist, and Buddhist (2024 estimate).

Indigenous People: The Danes, a Gothic-German people, are the native inhabitants of Denmark.

Education: The Danes value education. Education is compulsory for nine years in primary and lower secondary schools, and both state and private schools at that level are supported by state funds. Denmark's literacy rate remains high.

Students who complete their tenth year of school may go on to general education or choose one of two types of vocational training.

Higher education offers three types of programs, lasting from three years to four-plus years. The shorter programs train students for such careers as lab technician, computer specialist, and business manager. The medium-length courses lead to a bachelor's degree, and the long courses lead to the degree of kandidat, which is roughly equivalent to the master's degree. An additional three-year research program has been added, which leads to the PhD degree.

The University of Copenhagen was established in 1479. There are also universities at Aalborg, Aarhus, Odense, and Roskilde. Numerous business and technical institutions are available, and many Danes also study in adult education programs that have no exams and grant no degrees.

Health Care: Denmark has one of the world's most extensive welfare systems. Health care is free to all residents and is paid for by income tax revenues. Dental care is provided free to all children up to age eighteen; thereafter, the cost is shared by the state and the patient. Expenditure on health was 10.5 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020, and Denmark's health care system is one of the best in the world.

Life expectancy at birth is 82.1 years overall, 80.2 years for men and 84.1 years for women (2024 estimates). Denmark ranked 5 out of 193 countries and territories on the 2022 United Nations Human Development Index.

Food: Danes generally eat four times a day, at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a late supper.

Breakfast usually consists of cereal, cheese or eggs, and coffee. Some Danes eat at work, usually in the coffee room, which is standard in Danish workplaces. Many bring cold food from home. Dinner usually includes fish or meat. A traditional favorite dinner is roast duckling stuffed with apples and prunes, served with boiled potatoes and red cabbage.

In fact, boiled potatoes are served with most meals, often as "brun sovs og kartofler," or brown sauce (gravy) with boiled potatoes. Fish and seafood, beef, and pork are common menu items. Koldt bord is a buffet of hot and cold meats, fish, seafood, and various salads. Denmark is the home of the Danish open-faced sandwich, which the Danes call smorrebrod.

Beer is popular, and Danish beers are internationally famous, especially Tuborg and Carlsberg. On special days, many Danes drink aquavit, a strong, caraway-flavored liquor. Coffee is another very popular drink.

Typical Danish desserts are berry puddings and rice pudding.

Arts & Entertainment: Hundreds of "associations," or clubs, are devoted to chess, which Danes have enjoyed since the days of the Vikings. Dane Jorgen Moller is still honored for inventing the "Moller variation" on the Italian opening.

Bridge is also popular, and the Danish Bridge Federation is affiliated with the European Bridge League and the World Bridge Federation. In addition, many Danes participate in amateur sports, including rifle marksmanship, swimming, and polo.

More than a hundred music festivals throughout the year offer jazz, rock, blues, gospel, Irish, classical, country, and Cajun music. The Roskilde Festival, the largest rock music festival in northern Europe, is held in late June or early July. Other festivals include Midtfyns in Ringe, with rock, pop, world folk, and jazz; the ten-day Copenhagen Jazz Festival; the Copenhagen Summer Festival, featuring chamber and classical music; and the Tonder Festival. The Viking Festival, part of the Tonder, offers jesters, jousting, Viking-style ships, and traditional food and drink.

Two of Denmark's most famous composers are Hans Abrahamsen and Per Noergaard. Other names known internationally are Poul Ruders, Bo Holten, Karl Aage Rasmussen, and Niels Henning Oersted Petersen. Danish-born pianist and entertainer Victor Borge emigrated to the United States to escape the Nazis in 1940 and remained there until his death at age ninety-one. Danish choreographer August Bournonville showcased his work in the Royal Danish Ballet.

Various art collections are on display at the Louisiana Museum, north of Copenhagen; the Arken, south of Copenhagen; the Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg; and the National Museum in Copenhagen. Danish design is exhibited in the Designmuseum Danmark in Copenhagen. The National Museum also displays Viking artifacts, as does the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde. The Frilandsmuseet (Open Air Museum) is a reconstructed village in Lyngby, a northern suburb of Copenhagen.

The best-known Danish writers are Hans Christian Andersen and short-story writer Karen Blixen (pseudonym Isak Dinesen). Contemporary writers include Peter Hoeg, Klaus Rifbjerg, Benny Andersen, Suzanne Broegger, Kirsten Thorup, Anders Bodelsen, and Leif Davidsen.

Holidays: June 5 is Constitution Day, and Olaifest is celebrated in the Faroe Islands on July 29. Danes have also celebrated American Independence Day on July 4 since 1911. In that year, Danish immigrants to the United States purchased land near Alborg and donated Rebild Park to the people, on the condition that American Independence Day be celebrated annually. The tradition has been followed every year except during the Nazi occupation of Denmark during World War II.

Environment and Geography

Topography: Denmark consists of the peninsula of Jutland on the North Sea coast of Germany, plus many islands. The major ones are Sjaelland (Zealand), Fyn (Funen) Lolland, Fallster, and Bornholm in the Baltic Sea to the east of the peninsula.

Denmark is separated from Norway by the Skagerrak, a gulf of the North Sea, and from Sweden by the Kattegat, a strait in the Baltic. Denmark controls both the Skagerrak and the Kattegat. The country shares its 68-kilometer (42-mile) southern border with Germany.

There are no large rivers or lakes in Denmark. The longest river is the 157-kilometer (98-mile) Gudena in north-central Jutland. The river rises in Viborg County, flows northeast through Aarhus County and empties into Randers Fjord at Randers on the east coast. Many small lakes dot the country. The largest, Arresø, covers 41 square kilometers (16 square miles).

Formed by glaciers, Denmark is low, with 75 percent of the land lying below 100 meters (373 feet). The highest natural point is Mollehoj/Ejer Bavnehoj, at 171 meters (561 feet). The lowest point, Lammefjord, is 7 meters (23 feet) below sea level. In areas where flooding is an ever-present threat, dikes are constructed to keep flood waters at bay.

The country has five distinct land regions. The sandy beaches of the Western Dune Coast, the flat Western Sand Plains, the East-Central Hills (the largest region), the Northern Flat Plain, and the granite island of Bornholm.

Natural Resources: Denmark is not rich in mineral resources. However, limestone, clay and gravel, salt, chalk, and sand are mined in several areas. Also, the Danfield (the Danish sector of the North Sea) produces petroleum, natural gas, and fish. In addition, granite and kaolin are mined on Bornholm.

Air and water pollution, though of some concern, are not extreme. The Danes have minimized the use of fertilizer and pesticide and have shifted to perennial crops to reduce the run-off of nitrogen and phosphorus into the North Sea. Air pollution comes mainly from vehicle emissions and power plants. Drinking water is sometimes polluted by animal waste and pesticides.

Plants & Animals: Deciduous forest, especially beech, is the natural vegetation in Denmark. However, all of the country's conifer trees have been planted. Conifers have done well in parts of western Jutland, and spruce and pine thrive in the dune areas.

Other flora includes old-time medicinal plants such as calamus, motherwort, lovage, ground elder, water thyme, rice grass and giant hogweed. Hundreds of species of algae, mosses, lichen, and fungi are also found.

Because of long-term intense cultivation, most large mammals are domesticated farm animals. Animals needing protection include the pine marten and other mammal, bird, amphibian, reptile, freshwater fish, and beetle species.

The surprisingly low number of marine species is partially attributed to the muddy sea bottom and shallowness of the waters around Denmark. The Skagerrak is the only place where the depth is more than 100 meters (328 feet). Overfishing has led to restrictions on the catch.

Climate: Denmark's climate is classified as temperate marine. The North Atlantic Drift, part of the Gulf Stream, gives Denmark a milder climate than other places at the same latitude. The weather tends to be humid and overcast, with cool summers. Winters, though mild, can be windy.

There is little variation in weather throughout the country. Frequent fogs and mists occur in winter, especially on the west coast. In winter, the sea warms the land, and in summer, it cools the air. Sometimes the eastern water freezes over, and the resultant bitter temperatures can drop as low as –9 to –7 degrees Celsius (15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit). Snow falls twenty to thirty days a year, but melts quickly.

Some summers, warm winds from the east raise the temperature as high as 24 to 28 degrees Celsius (72 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit). However, climate change had increased concerns about the potential for more severe rainstorms and flooding from elevated sea levels.

Economy

Industry: Denmark's major industries include pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, food processing, machinery and equipment, textiles and clothing, chemical products, electronics, construction, furniture and other wood products, and shipbuilding and maritime shipping. Food processing is a leading industry, producing bacon, butter, cheese, eggs, meat and beer. Most manufacturing takes place in and around the country's large cities. Denmark is a net exporter of food, oil, and gas.

The majority of the labor force is employed in service occupations. The unemployment rate is 5.14 percent (2023 estimate).

Denmark's gross domestic product (GDP) is US$428.385 billion (2023 estimate).

Agriculture: About 58.9 percent of the land in Denmark is arable (2018 estimate), yet agriculture employs only a small percentage of the labor force. Barley is the principal crop, followed by wheat, and root crops (potatoes and sugar beets). Most of these crops are used for livestock feed. Pork, dairy, and fish are also important agricultural products.

In the main, farms are small and are generally family owned. Most farmers, however, are affiliated with cooperatives, which process and market the farm produce.

Denmark is world famous for its bacon and dairy products.

Tourism:Tourism is also a major industry and the country welcomes millions of international arrivals each year. In 2019, Denmark had over 33 million international tourist arrivals, according to the World Bank. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020, this number dropped sharply to 15.5 million arrivals in 2020. As the industry began to recover, it was reported by the European Union that domestic and foreign tourists spent a total of 38.4 million nights in the country in 2022.

Popular tourist sites include Denmark's historic cities, such as Copenhagen with its six-story buildings and church steeples; Ribe, the country's oldest town, founded as a market town in the eighth century; and Aarhus, the country's commercial and cultural center.

Viking history is a big draw, and the sixth-century rune stones at Jelling, marking the burial mounds of King Gorm the Old and Queen Thyra, are on the list of United Nations World Heritage sites.

Many historic castles have been converted to museums. Some famous castles in Denmark include Frederiksborg Castle, on a manmade island north of Copenhagen; Elsinore; Kronborg (Hamlet's Castle), whose owners once demanded tribute from passing ships; Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen, where the crown jewels are stored; and Egeskov Castle, built during the Renaissance on a small lake, its foundation supported by thousands of upright oak trunks.

The world-famed Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen boast thousands of blooms and twice-weekly fireworks displays.

Bicycle routes crisscross the country and swimming beaches abound. For scenery lovers, the Island of Mon, south of Zealand, sports the Mons Klint, white chalk cliffs rising 128 meters (420 feet).

Government

Denmark is a constitutional monarchy, with universal suffrage for adults eighteen years of age and older.

The Danish monarchy began with Gorm the Old, who united the clans of Jutland in the early tenth century. His son, Harald Bluetooth, brought Christianity to the Danes. Serfs and peasants labored on the large farms of landowners.

Regent Margrethe unified Denmark, Norway, and Sweden in the Kalmar Union in 1397. She was called "Guardian of the Realm" because at that time a woman could not be monarch.

In 1788, Denmark abolished serfdom. In 1792, Denmark banned the import of enslaved people to its colonies, and it freed the enslaved people in its colonies in 1848.

The constitutional monarchy was established in 1849, and in 1953, the constitution was revised to permit a woman to become monarch. In 1972, Margrethe, daughter of Frederick IX, became the first reigning queen. She chose the name Margrethe II to honor her ancestor, the medieval Margrethe.

The prime minister is usually the leader of the majority party or of the majority coalition. The monarch appoints the Council of State.

Greenland and the Faroe Islands are self-governing overseas administrative divisions of Denmark.

The Folketing (Parliament) has 179 seats, including two each from Greenland and the Faroes. Members are elected by popular vote and serve for four years. The monarch appoints Supreme Court judges for life upon the recommendation of the minister of justice and the advice of the six-member Judicial Appointments Council.

In addition, citizens have the right to question government actions through an ombudsman, who oversees the conduct of the cabinet and decisions of the administration.

Political parties include the Liberal Party, Social Democratic Party, Danish People's Party, Conservative People’s Party, Green Left, and Social Liberal Party.

Social Democrat leader Mette Frederiksen led her party back to power in the June 2019 general election, ending four years of centre-right rule.

King Frederik X succeed his mother, Margrethe II, to the Danish throne in January 2024. Margrethe, who reigned for 52 years, became the first Danish monarch to voluntarily abdicate in over 800 years.

Interesting Facts

• LEGOLAND, near Billund, is an amusement park built entirely from plastic LEGO blocks.
• The flag of Denmark is the oldest flag in the world.
• In 2014 and 2015, Denmark set the world record for wind energy, generating 42 percent of its electricity from wind in 2015 alone.
• After country-wide shutdowns in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, by April Denmark was the first European country to reopen daycares and primary schools.
• In 2023, Denmark was recognized for releasing the first national action plan to switch the country to a more plant-based food system.

Bibliography

"Denmark." The World Bank, 2024, data.worldbank.org/country/denmark. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.

"Denmark." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 2 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/denmark/. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.

"Denmark." World Health Organization, www.who.int/countries/dnk/. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023.

Human Development Report 2022. United Nations Development Programme, 13 Mar. 2024, hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf‗1.pdf. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.

"Tourism in 2022 Approaches Pre-pandemic Levels." Eurostat, European Union, 18 Jan. 2023, ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20230118-1. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023.