Denmark
Government finance and cost-of-living data from Eurostat — spending, debt, tax, and comparative prices.
Headline stats
Debt peaked at 53.6% GDP in 2000 — now 27.9%.
Government debt
27.9% GDP
2025
EU27 avg: 81.7% GDP (2025)
Govt expenditure
47.3% GDP
2024
Budget surplus
2.9% GDP
2025
EU27 avg: 3.1% GDP (2025)
Tax revenue
13.7% GDP
2025
Public sector jobs
985k
2025
Tax rates
What Denmark takes — statutory rates and effective burden on workers.
Labour tax wedge
36.6% of labour cost
2025
Top income tax rate
56%
2024
Corporate tax rate
22%
2024
Standard VAT rate
25%
2024
Labour tax wedge: effective % of gross labour cost (salary + employer contributions) going to income tax and social contributions for a single person at average wage. Source: Eurostat earn_nt_taxrate. Statutory rates: OECD Taxing Wages 2024 / EC Taxation Trends 2024.
Comparative prices
Denmark is 30.8% more expensive than the EU average overall (2024). Index: EU27 = 100.
| Category | Price index | vs EU avg |
|---|---|---|
| Overall price level | 130.8 | +30.8% |
| Food & non-alcoholic drinks | 120.2 | +20.2% |
| Housing, utilities & energy | 185.5 | +85.5% |
| Restaurants & hotels | 147.6 | +47.6% |
| Transport | 125.0 | +25.0% |
| Health | 142.0 | +42.0% |
| Education | 143.8 | +43.8% |
| Clothing & footwear | 132.7 | +32.7% |
| Recreation & culture | 136.7 | +36.7% |
| Alcohol & tobacco | 122.4 | +22.4% |
| Household furnishings | 121.1 | +21.1% |
| Communication | 108.7 | +8.7% |
| Miscellaneous | 139.4 | +39.4% |
Source: Eurostat prc_ppp_ind. EU27_2020 = 100. Green = cheaper than EU average.
Government debt since 2011
| Year | Debt (% GDP) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 50 | — |
| 2012 | 48.7 | -1.3 |
| 2013 | 47.8 | -0.9 |
| 2014 | 48.7 | +0.9 |
| 2015 | 44.6 | -4.1 |
| 2016 | 41.7 | -2.9 |
| 2017 | 40.2 | -1.5 |
| 2018 | 38.5 | -1.7 |
| 2019 | 38.3 | -0.2 |
| 2020 | 45.2 | +6.9 |
| 2021 | 39.6 | -5.6 |
| 2022 | 33.3 | -6.3 |
| 2023 | 33 | -0.3 |
| 2024 | 30.5 | -2.5 |
| 2025 | 27.9 | -2.6 |
Ask questions about Denmark
The query agent compares Denmark against other EU countries using Eurostat data.
Data sources
| Dataset | Source | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Govt expenditure / debt / deficit | Eurostat gov_10dd_edpt1 | 1995–2025 |
| Tax revenue | Eurostat gov_10a_taxag | 1995–2025 |
| Public employment (NACE O-Q) | Eurostat nama_10_a64_e | 1995–2024 |
| Tax breakdown (VAT, income, social) | Eurostat gov_10a_taxag | 2000–2023 |
| Labour tax wedge | Eurostat earn_nt_taxrate | 2000–2023 |
| Statutory tax rates (income, corporate, VAT) | OECD / EC Taxation Trends 2024 | 2024 |
| Comparative price levels (13 categories) | Eurostat prc_ppp_ind | 1995–2024 |