| Economy - overview | The Danish economy has in recent years undergone strong expansion fueled primarily by private consumption growth, but also supported by exports and investments. This thoroughly modern market economy features high-tech agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and corporate industry, extensive government welfare measures, comfortable living standards, a stable currency, and high dependence on foreign trade. Unemployment is low and capacity constraints are limiting growth potential. Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy and enjoys a comfortable balance of payments surplus. Government objectives include streamlining the bureaucracy and further privatization of state assets. The government has been successful in meeting, and even exceeding, the economic convergence criteria for participating in the third phase (a common European currency) of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), but Denmark has decided not to join 12 other EU members in the euro. Nonetheless, the Danish krone remains pegged to the euro. Economic growth gained momentum in 2004 and the upturn continued through 2006. The controversy over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad printed in a Danish newspaper in September 2005 led to boycotts of some Danish exports to the Muslim world, especially exports of dairy products, but the boycotts did not have a significant impact on the overall Danish economy. Because of high GDP per capita, welfare benefits, a low Gini index, and political stability, the Danish living standards are among the highest in the world. A major long-term issue will be the sharp decline in the ratio of workers to retirees. |
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| GDP | 1.5% (2005 est.) |
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| GDP - real growth rate | 3.2% (2006 est.) |
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| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1.4%
industry: 24.6%
services: 74% (2006 est.) |
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| Population below poverty line | NA% |
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Household income or consumption
by percentage share | lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 24% (2000 est.) |
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Distribution of family income
- Gini index | 23.2 (2002) |
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| Labor force | 2.91 million (2006 est.) |
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| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 3%
industry: 21%
services: 76% (2004 est.) |
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| Unemployment rate | 3.8% (2006 est.) |
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| Budget | revenues: $147 billion
expenditures: $138.9 billion; including capital expenditures of $4.6 billion (2006 est.) |
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| Industries | iron, steel, nonferrous metals, chemicals, food processing, machinery and transportation equipment, textiles and clothing, electronics, construction, furniture and other wood products, shipbuilding and refurbishment, windmills, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment |
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| Industrial production growth rate | 2.5% (2006 est.) |
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Electricity -
production | 43.35 billion kWh (2006) |
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Electricity -
production by source | fossil fuel: 82.7%
hydro: 0.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 17.3% (2001) |
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Electricity -
consumption | 36.41 billion kWh (2006) |
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Electricity -
exports | 13.72 billion kWh (2006) |
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Electricity -
imports | 6.77 billion kWh (2006) |
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| Oil - production | 342,000 bbl/day (2006 est.) |
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| Oil - consumption | 171,000 bbl/day (2006 est.) |
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| Oil - exports | 320,000 bbl/day (2006) |
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| Oil - imports | 164,000 bbl/day (2006 est.) |
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| Oil - proved reserves | 1.3 billion bbl (2005 est.) |
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| Agriculture - products | barley, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets; pork, dairy products; fish |
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| Exports | $93.93 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
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| Exports - commodities | machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, dairy products, fish, pharmaceuticals, furniture, windmills |
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| Exports - partners | Germany 17.6%, Sweden 13.2%, UK 8.7%, US 6.4%, France 5.5%, Netherlands 5.3%, Norway 5.1% (2005) |
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| Imports | $89.32 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
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| Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, raw materials and semimanufactures for industry, chemicals, grain and foodstuffs, consumer goods |
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| Imports - partners | Germany 20.5%, Sweden 13.8%, Norway 6.6%, Netherlands 6.5%, UK 5.9%, China 4.7%, France 4.2%, Italy 4.1% (2005) |
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| Debt - external | $405 billion (30 June 2006) |
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| Currency code | DKK |
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| Exchange rates | Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.9468 (2006), 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003), 7.8947 (2002) |
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| Fiscal year | calendar year |
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