The water
Excellent tap water nationwide. Tap water: Drinkable.
Denmark
The world's highest share of electricity generated from wind, 58% in 2024 (Ember).
RegionEuropeCurrencyDKKPowerType C/F, 230VTap waterDrinkable
Strong
Eco Index
What to expect on the ground
At a glance
Food & farming
Food imports were about 14% of merchandise imports in 2024 (World Bank), and Denmark is one of Europe's largest net food exporters, sending roughly three quarters of its agricultural output abroad. Around 60% of the country's…Read more
Food imports were about 14% of merchandise imports in 2024 (World Bank), and Denmark is one of Europe's largest net food exporters, sending roughly three quarters of its agricultural output abroad. Around 60% of the country's land is farmed, producing pork, dairy, cereals and fish well beyond domestic needs. Self-sufficiency in staple production is very high.
Local staples
Rye bread (rugbrod), potatoes, root vegetables, cabbage, apples and summer berries; also pork, dairy and fish.
Markets
Copenhagen's Torvehallerne food halls open daily; seasonal farmers' markets and roadside stalls through summer and autumn.
In season
Main harvest late summer to autumn (August to October); berries and early vegetables through summer.
Wildlife
Denmark is one of Europe's most intensively cultivated countries, with very low endemism and a depleted terrestrial biodiversity; 61 species are assessed as threatened on the IUCN Red List. Standout wildlife is coastal and…Read more
Denmark is one of Europe's most intensively cultivated countries, with very low endemism and a depleted terrestrial biodiversity; 61 species are assessed as threatened on the IUCN Red List. Standout wildlife is coastal and migratory: the Wadden Sea supports millions of migrating birds and the Sort Sol starling murmurations, alongside harbour and grey seals and harbour porpoises. Fenced rewilding projects reintroducing large grazers are expanding but remain small.
Found nowhere else
Very few; Denmark has low endemism after glaciation and centuries of cultivation.
Natural phenomena
Cool and windy; summer nights are long, winter days very short.
When to go
Late spring to summer for long days and mild weather; spring and autumn for Sort Sol murmurations.
Getting around
Excellent trains, buses and inter-island ferries; cities are exceptionally cycle-friendly, with cycling the default in Copenhagen.
Good to know
Cash is nearly obsolete; DKK. Bikes outnumber cars in Copenhagen.
Safety
Solo female travel: Easy. LGBTQ+: High.
Only hereThe world's highest share of electricity generated from wind, 58% in 2024 (Ember).
Assessed across 10 equally-weighted pillars
The Eco Index, pillar by pillar
70/100
Strong
The Eco Index: Denmark
12 pillars, equally weighted, from published sources. All 12 assessed. Blanks mean unverified, never estimated.
Only here The world's highest share of electricity generated from wind, 58% in 2024 (Ember).
- Forest cover
- 15.8%
- Land protected
- 15.8%
- Sea protected
- 18.3%
- Organic farmland
- 11.4%
- Threatened species
- 61
- Found nowhere else
- Very few; Denmark has low endemism after glaciation and centuries of cultivation.
- Renewable power
- 88.4%
- CO2 per person
- 4.75 t
- Air quality (AQI)
- 5
- Cleanest air
- Rural west Jutland and the North Sea coast; the island of Bornholm.
- Water from
- Excellent tap water nationwide.
- Tap water
- Drinkable
- Safe drinking water
- 96.7%
- Cleanest water
- Groundwater is clean nationwide; excellent Blue Flag bathing water on Bornholm and the north Jutland coast.
- Springs
- None; Denmark has no natural hot springs.
- Food imported
- 14%
- In season
- Main harvest late summer to autumn (August to October); berries and early vegetables through summer.
- Plastic ban
- EU single-use plastics ban in force since 2021 (straws, cutlery, plates, cotton buds, polystyrene food containers); nationwide deposit-return (pant) on bottles and cans.
- Watch out for
- Intensive pig and dairy farming drives nitrogen and ammonia pollution and coastal eutrophication, and pressures groundwater.
- Solo female travel
- Easy
- LGBTQ+ acceptance
- High
- Best months
- May to August; March to April and September to October for Sort Sol.
- Getting around
- Excellent trains, buses and inter-island ferries; cities are exceptionally cycle-friendly, with cycling the default in Copenhagen.
- Power
- Type C/F, 230V
- Currency
- DKK
| Pillar | Score | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| WaterWhere the water comes from, and whether there is enough of it | 4/5 | Denmark draws its drinking water almost entirely from groundwater aquifers, abstracted and lightly treated rather than chlorinated, and 96.7% of the population uses safely managed drinking … Full assessmentater (World Bank/WHO-UNICEF JMP, 2020). Supply is reliable and locally sourced, though nitrate and pesticide contamination from intensive farming has forced some well closures. Tap water is safe to drink nationwide. |
| Food and farmingWhat the island actually grows, and what arrives by boat | 5/5 | Food imports were about 14% of merchandise imports in 2024 (World Bank), and Denmark is one of Europe's largest net food exporters, sending roughly three quarters of its agricultural output… Full assessmentabroad. Around 60% of the country's land is farmed, producing pork, dairy, cereals and fish well beyond domestic needs. Self-sufficiency in staple production is very high. |
| Plant based and real foodWhether you can eat unprocessed from local supply | 3/5 | Fresh local plant food centres on rye, potatoes, root vegetables, cabbage, apples and summer berries, with the growing season concentrated in late summer and autumn. Full assessmentCopenhagen has a strong vegan and plant-forward restaurant scene, and in 2023 Denmark became the first country to publish a national action plan for plant-based foods. Traditional Danish cooking remains meat, dairy and fish heavy, and much fresh produce is imported outside the short season. |
| OrganicCertified and chemical free growing, which is not the same thing as plant based | 4/5 | About 11.4% of Denmark's farmland was under organic production in 2023 (Eurostat/EEA), among the highest shares in the EU. Full assessmentDenmark introduced the world's first state organic label in 1989 and has one of the highest organic shares of retail food sales anywhere. |
| ConservationWhat is protected, and whether protection is enforced | 3/5 | Around 15.8% of Denmark's land area is protected (World Bank/Protected Planet, 2024) and roughly 18% of territorial waters carry marine protection on paper. Full assessmentEnforcement is uneven: NGOs including Oceana and ClientEarth have challenged bottom trawling inside Danish marine protected areas, and a 2024 government agreement to restrict trawling still excludes the Wadden Sea. A separate 2024 political agreement aims to raise strictly protected nature to 20% of the land. |
| Wildlife and endemicsWhat lives here and nowhere else on earth | 2/5 | Denmark is one of Europe's most intensively cultivated countries, with very low endemism and a depleted terrestrial biodiversity; 61 species are assessed as threatened on the IUCN Red List. Full assessmentStandout wildlife is coastal and migratory: the Wadden Sea supports millions of migrating birds and the Sort Sol starling murmurations, alongside harbour and grey seals and harbour porpoises. Fenced rewilding projects reintroducing large grazers are expanding but remain small. |
| Natural materialsWhat you can eat from and carry here instead of plastic, and who still makes it | 2/5 | Denmark has a living wool-knitting and textile tradition and a design culture built around natural materials such as wool and linen, though most raw fibre is now imported. Full assessmentEveryday single-use culture is comparatively low, supported by a deposit-return system and widespread reusables. |
| Pollution and plasticPlastic law and contamination | 4/5 | Air is very clean: Denmark was one of only seven countries to meet the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline of 5 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023 (IQAir). Full assessmentThe EU single-use plastics ban is in force (straws, cutlery, plates, polystyrene food containers), litter is low, and a deposit-return pant scheme drives very high bottle and can returns. Campaigners note Denmark only meets EU minimums and lags the leading countries on phasing out single-use plastic. |
| Recycling and wasteWhat actually happens to the rubbish once you have thrown it away | 5/5 | Denmark recycled about 52.3% of its municipal waste in 2022 (Eurostat), above the EU average and the 50% target. Full assessmentA national deposit-return scheme achieves very high collection of drink containers. |
| Energy and climateClean power, carbon emissions per person and the pace of decarbonisation | 4/5 | Denmark runs one of the cleanest power grids in Europe, with about 93% of its electricity from low-carbon sources and wind alone supplying more than 60% (Low Carbon Power, 2025). Full assessmentWith no nuclear generation, that low-carbon share is almost entirely renewable, though it includes a large biomass component. Its Climate Act is legally binding and commits the country to cut emissions 70% by 2030 and reach climate neutrality by 2045 (State of Green). The main reservation is that territorial emissions remain about 4.75 tonnes of CO2 per person in 2024, above the very low emitters, and reliance on imported wood biomass carries its own sustainability questions (Our World in Data). |
| Culture and peopleIndigenous and living communities, and who the money reaches | 4/5 | Denmark has strong living local communities and a heritage of cooperatives, folk high schools and small-scale enterprise, and tourism spending is broadly distributed rather than captured by… Full assessmentresort enclaves. There is no indigenous community in mainland Denmark, so the country lacks the indigenous-led community tourism that defines the top band, but visitor money reaches local businesses widely. |
| Living heritage and ancestral traditionsNational dance and music, and the ancestral and spiritual traditions still practised | 2/5 | Danish living heritage is comparatively modest within a highly secular, modernised society. Full assessmentTraditional spillemand fiddle music and folkedans survive mainly through revival groups and folk high schools. Seasonal customs such as the Sankt Hans midsummer bonfires and Fastelavn remain widely observed. The ballad and communal song tradition, carried in the hojskole songbook, is the most broadly living strand. |
Before you go
Cash is nearly obsolete; DKK. Bikes outnumber cars in Copenhagen.
Where these figures come from
- World Bank, Forest area (% of land area) Denmark, 2023 (15.78%) — source
- World Bank / Protected Planet, Terrestrial protected areas (% of land area) Denmark, 2024 (15.8%) — source
- World Bank, Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) Denmark, 2021 (18.32%) — source
- Eurostat via Invest in Denmark, Share of renewables in net electricity generation, 2024 (88.4%) — source
- Ember, Global Electricity Review 2025, wind share of Denmark electricity, 2024 (58%) — source
- World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP, People using safely managed drinking water Denmark, 2020 (96.73%) — source
- World Bank, Food imports (% of merchandise imports) Denmark, 2024 (13.98%) — source
- IQAir, 2023 World Air Quality Report, Denmark met WHO annual PM2.5 guideline of 5 micrograms per cubic metre — source
- European Environment Agency / Eurostat, Agricultural area under organic farming Denmark, 2023 (11.4%) — source
- IUCN Red List via Animalia, Threatened species of Denmark (61) — source
- Eurostat / Statista, Municipal waste recycling rate Denmark, 2022 (52.3%) — source
- Oceana Europe / ClientEarth, bottom trawling in Danish marine protected areas, 2024-2025 — source
- Danish Environmental Protection Agency, Single-use plastics — source
- Our World in Data, CO2 emissions per capita, 2024 source
- Low Carbon Power, Denmark electricity mix, 2025 source
- State of Green, Denmark's Climate Act (70% by 2030), 2020 source
Living heritage and ancestral traditions
The culture still danced, played and believed
Danish living heritage is comparatively modest within a highly secular, modernised society. Traditional spillemand fiddle music and folkedans survive mainly through revival groups and folk high schools. Seasonal customs such as the Sankt Hans midsummer bonfires and Fastelavn remain widely observed. The ballad and communal song tradition, carried in the hojskole songbook, is the most broadly living strand.
- Spillemand fiddle music and folkedans
- Sankt Hans midsummer bonfires
- Fastelavn
- ballad and hojskole communal song tradition.