Every figure below carries its named source and year. The Eco Index scores twelve pillars on the same scale everywhere; seven are measured from published data with fixed thresholds, five are assessed from the named sources.
Denmark at a Glance.
The score, and the four numbers that set the tone. 12 equally-weighted pillars, every pillar sourced.
Compare with:
Renewable power
91%
of electricity
Food imported
14%
of merchandise imports · ~US$18,474m a year
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Water
Food & farming
Plant-based
Organic
Conservation
Wildlife
Materials
Pollution
Recycling
Energy
Culture
Heritage
Facts That Surprise People About Denmark.
The numbers and firsts that change how you see Denmark, the sobering and the remarkable. Every one is dated and linked to its source.
SoberingHealth
The EU's heaviest drinkers
38% of Danish adults reported regular heavy drinking in 2019, the highest proportion in the EU. In 2022, 45% of 15 year olds said they had been drunk more than once, also the highest in the EU.
SoberingHealth
Tobacco linked to 24% of deaths
Tobacco was linked to 24% of deaths in Denmark in 2019, against 17% across the EU. Lung cancer remains the most frequent cause of cancer death.
SoberingHealth
Cancer rates above the EU average
Cancer is the main cause of death in Denmark, and cancer incidence rates are higher than in the EU as a whole. More than 43,000 new cases were expected in 2022.
SoberingFood
Few eat the recommended fruit and veg
90% of Danes did not meet the national recommendation of 600 g of fruit and vegetables a day in 2019.
RemarkableEnvironment
Wind makes over half the electricity
Wind power generated 58.2% of Denmark's electricity in 2024 and 57.7% in 2025, based on Ember data compiled by Our World in Data.
RemarkableFood
An early limit on trans fat
Danish law has limited industrially produced trans fat in foods to a maximum of 2% of fat content since 2004, which researchers found reduced people's exposure.
RemarkableCulture
Clinker boats are UNESCO heritage
Nordic clinker boat traditions, shared by Denmark with Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, were added to UNESCO's Representative List in 2021. The overlapping plank method has been used for nearly 2,000 years.
RemarkableHealth
Active adults, fruit and veg eaters
Over half of Danish adults did at least 2.5 hours of physical activity a week in 2019, and more than one in four ate five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Both were among the highest rates in the EU.
The History of Denmark.
Danish living heritage includes folk music that carries several hundred years of repertoire, folk dance rooted in the Western European dance culture of about 1750 to 1850, and community singing wherever people gather. Denmark also shares the Nordic clinker boat traditions, inscribed by UNESCO in 2021.
Where the name comes from
The name is first recorded in the 800s in Old English as Denamearc, and in Denmark on the Little Jelling Stone around 950. The first part is the people name daner, the Danes, and the second is mark in an older sense of 'border forest' or 'border area', according to Den Store Danske, the Danish national encyclopedia.
The land itself: low and flat, rising to gently rolling plains. Its high point is Møllehøj, 171 m. Source: national mapping and survey records.
Where it starts
Ice, farms and bronze
Reindeer hunters followed the retreating ice into Denmark around 12,500 BC, and for thousands of years small groups of hunter-gatherers lived off what nature offered, leaving bows, harpoons and dugout boats. Farming arrived around 3900 BC, and dolmens and passage graves were raised all over the country. The Trundholm sun chariot, a divine horse drawing a golden sun disc made around 1400 BC, was ploughed up in a former bog in 1902. The Egtved girl was buried in an oak coffin about 3,400 years ago, and her hair and wool clothing still survive.
How it got here
Vikings, runestones, colonies
The Viking Age ran from about 800 to 1050, when Danish ships sailed abroad to trade, raid and conquer, and by its end Denmark's king at times also ruled England and Norway. Harald Bluetooth's runestone at Jelling, raised around 965, is the first place Denmark is named and records that he made the Danes Christians. The constitution of 1849 ended absolute monarchy. In 1917 Denmark sold its Caribbean colony to the United States. It had banned the transatlantic slave trade in 1792, though the ban only took effect in 1803 and slavery there lasted until 1848.
The timeline
c. 12,500 BC
After the ice.
Reindeer hunters follow the retreating ice into what is now Denmark. Source
12,500 to 3900 BC
Hunters and fishers.
For thousands of years small groups of hunter gatherers live off what nature offers, leaving bows, harpoons, arrowheads and dugout boats. Source
c. 3900 BC onward
Farming and long barrows.
Hunters begin to till the land and keep animals, and farmers build dolmens and passage graves all over Denmark. Source
c. 1400 BC
The Trundholm sun chariot.
Found in 1902 in a former bog at Trundholm in northwestern Zealand, the Sun Chariot shows a divine horse drawing a golden sun disc on its journey across the sky. Source
c. 3,400 years ago
The Egtved girl.
A girl of 16 to 18 is buried in an oak coffin about 3,400 years ago. Her hair and wool clothing survive, and tests show she came from outside present day Denmark and travelled long distances in her final months. Source
c. 970 to 980
Viking ring fortresses.
King Harald Bluetooth builds five ring fortresses, including Trelleborg and Fyrkat, as he consolidates a kingdom stretching from northern Germany to southern Sweden and Norway. Source
c. 965
The Jelling stones.
King Harald Bluetooth's runestone at Jelling says he won all of Denmark and Norway and made the Danes Christians. It is the first place Denmark is named. Source
1849
Constitution.
The constitution of 5 June 1849 ends absolute monarchy. Denmark becomes a constitutional monarchy with a two chamber parliament, the Rigsdag, and religious freedom. Source
1917
Selling the West Indies.
Denmark sells the Danish West Indies, held since 1672, to the United States for $25 million in gold. It had banned the transatlantic slave trade in 1792, but the ban only took effect in 1803 and did not end slavery. Source
National Museum of Denmark · Moesgaard Museum, Aarhus · UNESCO World Heritage, Jelling Mounds, Runic Stones and Church · UNESCO World Heritage, Viking-Age Ring Fortresses · Scientific Reports, Tracing the dynamic life story of a Bronze Age Female · Library of Congress, The Danish Constitution of 1849, 175th anniversary · National Museum of Denmark, The Danish West Indies (archived) · National Museum of Denmark, The Mesolithic period (archived) · National Museum of Denmark, The Neolithic period (archived) · National Museum of Denmark, The Viking Age (archived)
Nature and Biodiversity in Denmark.
Around 16.4% of Denmark's land area is protected (World Bank/Protected Planet, 2025) and roughly 27.1% of territorial waters carry marine protection on paper. Enforcement 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.
Is wild Denmark protected? 16.4% of the land is, against a 30% target for 2030
How protected is nature in Denmark?
Forest cover15.8%
Terrestrial protected area16.4%
Marine protected area27.1%
61 listed as threatened.
World Bank Open Data · Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC / WDPA) · GBIF occurrence data · IUCN Red List, threatened species by country (Summary Statistics, Table 5) · World Bank, Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters): Denmark · World Bank, Threatened species (mammals, birds, fish, higher plants): Denmark
Found only here. Very few; Denmark has low endemism after glaciation and centuries of cultivation.
The watchlist
ThreatenedOryctolagus cuniculus [Species name] is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and has occurrence records for Denmark in GBIF. Each card needs its own deep link to that species' IUCN assessment page and to its GBIF occurrence search; a shared boilerplate sentence with no species name and no assessment link is not sourceable.
ThreatenedAquila nipalensis [Species name] is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and has occurrence records for Denmark in GBIF. Each card needs its own deep link to that species' IUCN assessment page and to its GBIF occurrence search.
ThreatenedGwynne's Mining Bee (Andrena bicolor) Not assessed on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Denmark in GBIF occurrence data (insect).
ThreatenedAnguilla anguilla [Species name] is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and has occurrence records for Denmark in GBIF. Each card needs its own deep link to that species' IUCN assessment page and to its GBIF occurrence search.
ThreatenedRock grenadier (Coryphaenoides rupestris) [Species name] is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and has occurrence records for Denmark in GBIF. Each card needs its own deep link to that species' IUCN assessment page and to its GBIF occurrence search.
ThreatenedAlewife (Alosa alosa) Allis shad (Alosa alosa), a rare stray in Danish waters. Denmark has fewer than twenty confirmed records since 1871, every one an accidental catch during fishing for other species, and none since 1993. The fish has never been shown to breed in Danish rivers.
ThreatenedBaltic Sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) [Species name] is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and has occurrence records for Denmark in GBIF. Each card needs its own deep link to that species' IUCN assessment page and to its GBIF occurrence search.
What is still here, and what is gone?
Tap a species for the honest status.
Closest to being lost, by name
Anguilla anguilla
[Species name] is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, the last category before Extinct in the Wild, and has occurrence records for Denmark in GBIF from [year range]. Each card needs its own IUCN assessment link, its own GBIF link, and the date of the most recent Danish record if it is going to say 'still'. GBIF holds 300 verified occurrence records.
Rock grenadier (Coryphaenoides rupestris)
[Species name] is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, the last category before Extinct in the Wild, and has occurrence records for Denmark in GBIF from [year range]. Each card needs its own IUCN assessment link, its own GBIF link, and the date of the most recent Danish record if it is going to say 'still'. GBIF holds 2 verified occurrence records.
Alewife (Alosa alosa)
[Species name] is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, the last category before Extinct in the Wild, and has occurrence records for Denmark in GBIF from [year range]. Each card needs its own IUCN assessment link, its own GBIF link, and the date of the most recent Danish record if it is going to say 'still'. GBIF holds 1 verified occurrence records.
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Denmark filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
Who is putting it back
National park in Region of Southern Denmark, mapped and named in the open record for Denmark. OpenStreetMap.
National park in North Denmark Region, mapped and named in the open record for Denmark. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Central Denmark Region, mapped and named in the open record for Denmark. OpenStreetMap.
National park in North Denmark Region, mapped and named in the open record for Denmark. OpenStreetMap.
Botanical garden in Capital Region of Denmark, mapped and named in the open record for Denmark. OpenStreetMap.
Water and Ocean in Denmark.
Denmark draws its drinking water almost entirely from groundwater aquifers, abstracted and lightly treated rather than chlorinated, and 99.9% of the population uses safely managed drinking water (World Bank/WHO-UNICEF JMP, 2024). 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.
Does Denmark have enough fresh water? Yes, with headroom
99.9% of people here have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Tap water is safe for a visitor nearly everywhere.
Cleanest water: Groundwater is clean nationwide; excellent Blue Flag bathing water on Bornholm and the north Jutland coast.
How much fresh water does Denmark have, per person?
1,016 m³
Denmark
1,000 m³
the UN “water scarce” line
Denmark withdraws about 934 million cubic metres of fresh water a year (2022). That is 25.3% of the fresh water actually available to it, which FAO counts as medium water stress. Of what is taken, farming takes 54%, homes and towns 41%, industry 5%. Source: FAO AQUASTAT.
What are the rules on Denmark beaches?
✓Tap water: Drinkable.
✓Plastic rules: 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..
✓Solo travel: rated easy on the record for this destination.
✕Marine protection: 18.3% of the sea is protected. The 30x30 pledge for 2030 is not met yet.
Named on the open map: Albuen Strand, Ballehage Strand, Bellevue Strand, Botofte Strand, Bratten Strand, Bækskilde strand. They are a handful of the many named beaches in the public record for Denmark, each one a place you can look up before you go. OpenStreetMap.
Where does the sewage go?
98.9%
of people have safely managed sanitation
98.9% of people here use a safely managed sanitation service, meaning waste is contained, emptied and treated rather than reaching the ground or the sea untreated (2024, World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP, SDG 6.2.1). That is close to universal coverage.
How is the sea around Denmark doing?
One cross-section, every answer measured.
Surface
What the coast carries
Cool and windy; summer nights are long, winter days very short.
Nearshore
Protected water
27.1% of territorial waters are protected, against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Cleanest
Where the water is cleanest
Groundwater is clean nationwide; excellent Blue Flag bathing water on Bornholm and the north Jutland coast..
The record
Measured
Denmark draws its drinking water almost entirely from groundwater aquifers, abstracted and lightly treated rather than chlorinated, and 99.9% of the population uses safely managed drinking water (World Bank/WHO-UNICEF JMP, 2024). Supply is reliable and locally sourced, though nitrate and pesticide contamination from intensive farming has forced some well closures.
Denmark scored 73 out of 100 on the Ocean Health Index in its 2025 assessment, above the global average of 72, and ranked 97th of 220 coastal regions. The index team says it is no longer updating scores, so the 2025 figures may be the last.
Sea protected
27.1%
Marine protected areas in 2025, against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Threatened species
40
Mammals, birds, fish and higher plants on the IUCN list in 2022, made up of 2 mammals, 10 birds, 26 fish and 2 plants.
Is the tap water safe in Denmark?
99.9% of people have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Renewable fresh water works out at about 1,016 cubic metres per person a year (World Bank).
How hard is the water supply being pushed?
Of every 10 buckets nature refills, 3 are already taken. Withdrawals run at 25.3% of what Denmark renews internally each year (2022, World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT). That is past the 25% mark generally treated as water stress, so the supply is being pushed towards its limit.
When is the best time to visit Denmark? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
How much fresh water does Denmark actually have?
Nature renews about 1,016 cubic metres of fresh water per person per year here. That ranks Denmark 60 of 208 countries measured, putting it in the drier half of the world. The UN treats anything under 1,000 cubic metres as water scarce, and this is above that line. World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT.
Food and Drink in Denmark.
Food was about 14% of merchandise imports in 2024 (World Bank). Farmland covers about two thirds of the country, and cereals, mostly barley and wheat, take up most of it, with much of the grain fed to pigs. Pork and milk are the two largest farm products, and Statistics Denmark counts Denmark among the world's leading pork exporters.
Where does the food in Denmark come from?
13.6% imported
about US$18,474m a year
On the plate: Rye bread (rugbrod), potatoes, root vegetables, cabbage, apples and summer berries.
1 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$18,474m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
About 13.6% of everything Denmark buys in from abroad is food, roughly 1 in every 10 imported items on the dock (2025, World Bank). Farming itself is 1.2% of the economy and 65.5% of the land is agricultural, of which 59.1% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in Denmark? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Non-communicable diseases, all combined87.7%
Diabetes6.4%
In 2024 Denmark recorded 3.5 major lower limb amputations (above the ankle) among people with diabetes for every 100,000 adults, down from 4.4 in 2019, plus 9.3 minor amputations, such as toes or part of the foot, per 100,000. These are age and sex standardised rates reported to the OECD. In 2022 Denmark had the 7th lowest major amputation rate of 26 countries reporting. Source: OECD Health Care Quality Indicators.
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 44.9%.
Can Denmark feed itself?
59.1%
Arable land
65.5%
Agricultural land
53,392
Farmers
5,844,033
Arable acres
1.2%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Main harvest late summer to autumn (August to October); berries and early vegetables through summer.
Feeding itself
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.
Certification
About 11.1% of Denmark's farmland was under organic production in 2024 (Eurostat), which places it mid-table in the EU, behind Estonia, Portugal, Italy, Sweden, Czechia, Latvia, Slovakia, Finland, Slovenia and Spain. Denmark introduced the world's first state organic label in 1990 and has one of the highest organic shares of retail food sales anywhere.
Water for crops
Denmark draws its drinking water almost entirely from groundwater aquifers, abstracted and lightly treated rather than chlorinated, and 99.9% of the population uses safely managed drinking water (World Bank/WHO-UNICEF JMP, 2024). Supply is reliable and locally sourced, though nitrate and pesticide contamination from intensive farming has forced some well closures.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certification covers only part of what is grown cleanly, so a small certified share is a gap in the paperwork rather than proof that nothing is. What the official land record does show: 65.5% of the country is agricultural land and 59.1% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
What actually grows here
WheatPotatoesBarleySugar beetsRapeseedRyeOats
The food that already fits
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Denmark are wheat, barley, potatoes, sugar beet, rape or colza seed and rye (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Buy direct where residents buy: Torvehallerne, the two market halls by Nørreport station in Copenhagen, with outdoor vegetable stands, fresh vegetables and speciality food stalls, open all year. Inside it, Omegn runs an urban farmers market stall selling seasonal vegetables and fruit bought from farmers outside Copenhagen. We have not checked these ourselves yet.
Not yet checked by us. Plant based kitchens listed publicly: Bistro Lupa, vegan bistro in Copenhagen (Østerbro): a menu centred on seasonal ingredients, with brunch and natural wine; Beyla, vegan café in Copenhagen (Carlsberg City District): plant based, gluten free food and takeaway; Baka d' Busk, vegetarian bistro in Copenhagen: no meat, a menu built on organic and locally grown vegetables that changes with the season; VeVe, vegetarian restaurant in Copenhagen: vegetarian dishes drawing on cooking from around the world; Ark, restaurant in central Copenhagen: a fully vegan tasting menu. Tell us how they are.
Is this grown in Denmark?
Tap a food for the honest answer.
PotatoesRoot vegetablesCabbageApplesSummer berries
World Bank Open Data · FAO, FAOSTAT crop production · World Health Organization · FAO AQUASTAT · VisitCopenhagen, Best vegetarian and vegan restaurants · VisitCopenhagen, Bistro Lupa · VisitCopenhagen, Torvehallerne · VisitDenmark, Omegn in Torvehallerne · OECD Data Explorer, Health care quality indicators: Primary care (diabetes lower extremity amputation) · OECD SDMX API, DSD_HCQO@DF_PC data download · Denmark.dk, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Danish cuisine · Statistics Denmark, Business sectors, agriculture · World Bank, Food imports (% of merchandise imports): Denmark
Climate and Energy in Denmark.
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). With 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).
What powers Denmark?
Renewable 91.2%Fossil 8.8%
Energinet owns, operates and develops Denmark's electricity and gas transmission systems. It is an independent public enterprise wholly owned by the Danish state through the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities, and Danish law requires its main electricity and gas infrastructure to stay in public hands. Forsyningstilsynet, the Danish Utility Regulator, regulates the electricity, gas, district heating and waste sectors.
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
4.28 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
14.06 tonnes
The grid
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). With no nuclear generation, that low-carbon share is almost entirely renewable, though it includes a large biomass component.
Pollution
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). The 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.
Water stress
Denmark draws its drinking water almost entirely from groundwater aquifers, abstracted and lightly treated rather than chlorinated, and 99.9% of the population uses safely managed drinking water (World Bank/WHO-UNICEF JMP, 2024). Supply is reliable and locally sourced, though nitrate and pesticide contamination from intensive farming has forced some well closures.
What pollutes most here
1The grid The share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.11.6%
2Industry Intensive pig and dairy farming drives nitrogen and ammonia pollution and coastal eutrophication, and pressures groundwater..named
3Air Modelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.5
4On the record 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).
What has Denmark promised on climate?
Net zero, whole economy2050
Electricity renewable today79% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target16.4% by 2025
Sea protected, against a 30% target27.1% by 2025
The net-zero target year on file with Climate Watch is 2050, status: in law; in policy document. Measured against it, 79% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 21% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year4.28 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy2.89 t CO2e
Singapore return, economy1.8 t CO2e
Johannesburg return, economy1.66 t CO2e
Los Angeles return, economy1.63 t CO2e
New York return, economy1.11 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to Denmark emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Firsts on climate finance. Denmark issued its first green government bond in January 2022: a 10 year bond maturing in November 2031, built as a twin of the ordinary benchmark bond so investors can switch into the more liquid conventional bond. A second green bond, maturing in 2033, followed in September 2023, and in September 2025 the programme was updated to meet the European Green Bond Standard, with a 2035 green bond now on issue. Danmarks Nationalbank says proceeds of 32 billion kroner from its green bonds have been allocated to government spending in 2021 to 2023, on items such as renewable energy and greener transport.
Climate Watch (WRI) · UNFCCC NDC Registry · World Bank Open Data · UK DESNZ greenhouse gas conversion factors · Clean Energy Wire, Electricity and gas transmission grid operator Denmark (Energinet) · Energinet, Danish Act on Energinet · Forsyningstilsynet, home page · Danmarks Nationalbank, Green bonds · Danmarks Nationalbank, The Kingdom of Denmark will issue a green bond in 2022
AI and Data Centres in Denmark.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in Denmark.
Data centres
37
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
91.2 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in Denmark?
Running AI here is about as clean as it currently gets.
Renewable 91.2%Fossil 8.8%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 79% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it, so the same figure that decides this country's climate score also decides the footprint of the AI running inside it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. Denmark has 37 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, concentrated in Copenhagen (7), Taastrup (2), Lyngby (2), alongside 8 internet exchanges (DIX, Netnod Copenhagen GREEN -- MTU9K, STHIX - Copenhagen, Netnod Copenhagen BLUE -- MTU9K). Named sites include Digital Realty Copenhagen CPH1-3, GlobalConnect Taastrup 1 (CPH1), Telia Telehouse Copenhagen, Telia Copenhagen (Ørestad/OSD).
Where the cables land. 34 landing points · Alsgarde, Blaabjerg, Bogense, Brondby
Economy and Tourism in Denmark.
15% residents to 85% visitors across a year. 33,093,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 6,009,169 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Denmark
15,595k
Visitors a year
2.6
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is Denmark?· for every $100 Denmark earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · the 1993 peak
$ 79The worst year on the IMF record. Denmark owed $79 for every $100 it earned.
IMF World Economic Outlook, 1993signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 27What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2026).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · projected 2031
$ 30The IMF's own forecast has this rising to $30 by 2031.
IMF World Economic Outlook projection, 2031signed, the forecast
For every $100 Denmark earns in a year, it owes $27 (2026, IMF World Economic Outlook). The interest on that is paid before schools, clinics or coastline get their turn.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in Denmark?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 33,093,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 6,009,169 residents, 5.5 visitors for every resident (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in Denmark is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published3
The plate
Food is only 13.6% of everything Denmark imports (2025, World Bank), so most of a meal is bought from producers inside the country. Eating what the land here actually grows, wheat, potatoes, barley, sugar beets, rapeseed, rye, oats, keeps that money with the grower.
mostly home-grown4
The power
79% of the electricity is renewable (2021, World Bank), so the energy on the bill is mostly generated inside the country rather than shipped in.
made at home5
What actually stays
Of the two parts of a visitor's bill that can be measured here, the plate and the power stay inside Denmark. This is not an economy where a visitor's money drains away, and the board is shorter for it.
most of it6
Pay the bank first
Denmark owes $27 for every $100 it earns (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$27 per $1007
A spread hand
The largest single export, pharmaceuticals, is 16.7% of the total (2025, UN Comtrade). No one shock can take the whole board.
top export 16.2%8
Community chest
Tourism earns 4.5% of everything Denmark makes from exports (2018, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
4.5% of exports9
The flight
Getting here is usually the biggest single line on the bill. From Sydney a return economy seat is 2.89 t CO2, on the UK Government's published conversion factors. It is the one part of the trip this board cannot reduce.
2.89 t CO210
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$504 billion a year (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$504bnGDPUS$462.5bn
Agriculture, share of GDP1.2%
Visitors a year15,595,000
Visitors per resident2.6
Residents~6,009,169
Agriculture
Farming is 1.2% of the economy. 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.
Natural materials
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. Everyday single-use culture is comparatively low, supported by a deposit-return system and widespread reusables.
Energy
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). With no nuclear generation, that low-carbon share is almost entirely renewable, though it includes a large biomass component.
Who owns the biggest hotels in Denmark?
By rooms · company records and press.
Guldsmeden Babette · ~98 roomsIndependentnot published
Guldsmeden Manon les Suites · ~87 roomsIndependentnot published
SOFS Boutique Hotel · ~25 roomsIndependentnot published
Belle Guldsmeden · ~19 roomsIndependentnot published
Guldsmeden 66 Carlton · ~74 roomsIndependentnot published
Guldsmeden Axel · ~212 roomsIndependentnot published
Visitors, over time
201528,209k
201628,692k
201730,736k
201830,801k
201933,093k
202015,595k
International tourism receipts run at about US$9.10 billion in 2018 (World Bank / UN Tourism). That is 4.5% of everything the country earns from exports.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
Visiting Denmark, whoever you are.
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking what the land here grows, wheat, potatoes, barley, sugar beets, rapeseed, rye and oats, over an imported menu.
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays.
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays
4. Use the transport residents use Excellent trains, buses and inter-island ferries; cities are exceptionally cycle-friendly, with cycling the default in Copenhagen.
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
Swipe
First time here
Denmark pairs the world's highest share of wind electricity with near universal safe groundwater, almost all of it drawn from aquifers, but its recycling rate sits below the EU average, its landscape is among the most intensively farmed in Europe, and its wild nature and land protection remain under strain.
Best time: 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.
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate that actually grows here is wheat, potatoes, barley, sugar beets, rapeseed, rye and oats. Ordering those keeps the money with the grower and cuts the imported share of the meal.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
Cash is nearly obsolete; DKK. Bikes outnumber cars in Copenhagen.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Who owns the big hotels
Guldsmeden BabetteIndependent · 98 rooms
Guldsmeden Manon les SuitesIndependent · 87 rooms
SOFS Boutique HotelIndependent · 25 rooms
Belle GuldsmedenIndependent · 19 rooms
Guldsmeden 66 CarltonIndependent · 74 rooms
Guldsmeden AxelIndependent · 212 rooms
None of the 6 properties listed here publishes who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in Denmark.
How well is Denmark actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, Denmark scores 91 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That is a state that generally does what it says it will do, which is what makes a climate pledge worth reading.
What is daily life in Denmark really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWastePower
✓How you get around Excellent trains, buses and inter-island ferries; cities are exceptionally cycle-friendly, with cycling the default in Copenhagen.
Made in Denmark.
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. Everyday single-use culture is comparatively low, supported by a deposit-return system and widespread reusables. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Denmark actually sells the world
The single biggest thing Denmark sells the world is pharmaceuticals, 16.2% of all exports in 2023 (about US$20.80 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are machinery and mechanical appliances at 12.4%, electrical machinery and electronics at 7.0%, mineral fuels and oils at 4.7%, optical, medical and precision instruments at 3.7%.
Sells now · 16.2% of exports
Pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceuticals is 16.2% of everything Denmark sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$20.80 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 12.4% of exports
Machinery and mechanical appliances
Machinery and mechanical appliances is 12.4% of everything Denmark sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$15.97 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 7.0% of exports
Electrical machinery and electronics
Electrical machinery and electronics is 7.0% of everything Denmark sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$8.96 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 4.7% of exports
Mineral fuels and oils
Mineral fuels and oils is 4.7% of everything Denmark sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$6.03 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 3.7% of exports
Optical, medical and precision instruments
Optical, medical and precision instruments is 3.7% of everything Denmark sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$4.74 billion. UN Comtrade.
Could make · grown here already
Rye bread (rugbrod)
Grown in Denmark and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
Could make · grown here already
Potatoes
Grown in Denmark and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
Could make · grown here already
Root vegetables
Grown in Denmark and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
The maths for an entrepreneur. Denmark produces about US$463 billion a year, which is roughly US$76,970 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 1.2% of that, while food is 13.6% of everything the country imports. The country buys in more food than its own farms contribute to the economy, and every point of that gap is a business someone could build here rather than ship in. With 59.1% of the land arable, the raw material for that is already in the ground.
See the verified makersCulture in Denmark.
Danish folk music
Folk musicians keep alive music, dances and songs spanning several hundred years of repertoire, alongside new work. The tradition is listed in the Royal Danish Library's national inventory of living heritage.
c. 1750
Danish folk dance
Rooted in the dance culture found across Western Europe from about 1750 to 1850, Danish folk dance has grown its own sound and way of dancing.
Evening of 23 June
Sankt Hans midsummer bonfires
The height of summer is marked with dinner and a walk to a community bonfire, often by the beach, with speeches and the song Midsommervisen, written by Holger Drachmann in 1885. The festival has pagan roots.
Just before Lent, in February
Fastelavn
Children dress up in costumes and take turns to strike a hanging barrel full of sweets. Whoever breaks it open is crowned cat king or cat queen.
Community singingA living tradition of shared songs, sung wherever people gather, from schools and workplaces to sports clubs, councils and family occasions. Folk high schools pass on their values through talks and songs.
Does Denmark protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. 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.
Who it belongs to. 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 resort 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.
Only here. The world's highest share of electricity generated from wind, 58.7% in 2025 (Ember)..
The Future of Denmark.
Three futures for Denmark, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named craft workshops on the open map: AAU Aalborg Kantine, Annettes Festservice, Armandos, Asserbo Kro, BECK menu & event, Bella Art.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 13.8% to 16% across 29 recorded years.
How clean is the grid?
Renewable electricity moved from 5.04% to 79% across 26 recorded years.
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 11.6 t to 4.28 t across 29 recorded years.
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 21,119k to 15,595k across 17 recorded years.
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 17.5% to 16.4% across 12 recorded years.
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 4.39% to 1.62% across 30 recorded years.
How much sea is protected?
Protected sea moved from 17.6% to 27.1% across 12 recorded years.
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 68.2% to 65.1% across 29 recorded years.
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 85% to 88.8% across 30 recorded years.
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 15.9 µg/m³ to 7.5 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 1,146 m³ to 1,016 m³ across 27 recorded years.
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 38% to 44.9% across 27 recorded years.
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 100% to 100% across 29 recorded years.
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 35,321 to 76,970 across 30 recorded years.
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 5,233k to 6,009k across 30 recorded years.
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 7.5% to 39.5% across 26 recorded years.
How much energy does one person use?
Energy per person moved from 3,707 kg to 2,493 kg across 29 recorded years.
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 17.6% to 23.8% across 12 recorded years.
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 75.2 yrs to 82.3 yrs across 29 recorded years.
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 6,291 kg/ha to 6,096 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 189 kg/ha to 117 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 15% to 11.2% across 30 recorded years.
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 221 $/m3 to 373 $/m3 across 27 recorded years.
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 8.11% to 9.39% across 24 recorded years.
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 5,515 km2 to 6,426 km2 across 30 recorded years.
How much electricity per person?
Electric power use moved from 6,425 kWh to 6,373 kWh across 30 recorded years.
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 12.88 to 9.94 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 6.56 to 2.42 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have electricity/heat emissions moved?
Electricity/Heat emissions moved from 26.7 to 6.73 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 52.47 to 25.87 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have industrial processes emissions moved?
Industrial Processes emissions moved from 1.71 to 1.77 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have manufacturing/construction emissions moved?
Manufacturing/Construction emissions moved from 5.49 to 3.37 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, wildlife at 2/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
What the best case actually asks for
Lift wildlife
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Denmark's record. 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.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift natural fibres
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Denmark's record. 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.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift heritage
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Denmark's record. 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.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in Denmark.
Who is in charge of Denmark now · Office-holders from the UN Protocol and Liaison Service public list of Heads of State and Heads of Government, 20 October 2026. Legislature and election dates from IFES ElectionGuide. Constitution dates from the Constitute Project. Governance scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024.
Mette Frederiksen
Prime Minister
Mette Frederiksen is the head of government of Denmark, in office since 27 June 2019. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government scores 90.5 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 90.3 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Control of corruption scores 93.6 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 94.0 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Political stability and absence of violence scores 79.5 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 79.8 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Rule of law scores 91.7 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 91.2 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Regulatory quality scores 84.7 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 86.6 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Mette FrederiksenPrime Minister
Parliament (Folketinget)Legislature, unicameral
Last election24 March 2026
Constitution1953
Government typeparliamentary constitutional monarchy
Denmark national goals: climate commitments on record · as recorded by Climate Watch, World Resources Institute
Plain Answers About Denmark.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
Swipe
Is Denmark sustainable?
Denmark scores 68 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. Denmark pairs the world's highest share of wind electricity with near universal safe groundwater, almost all of it drawn from aquifers, but its recycling rate sits below the EU average, its landscape is among the most intensively farmed in Europe, and its wild nature and land protection remain under strain.
Is the water in Denmark safe and plentiful?
Denmark draws its drinking water almost entirely from groundwater aquifers, abstracted and lightly treated rather than chlorinated, and 99.9% of the population uses safely managed drinking water (World Bank/WHO-UNICEF JMP, 2024). 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.
Can Denmark feed itself?
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.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Denmark?
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. Copenhagen 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.
How much of Denmark is actually protected?
Around 16.4% of Denmark's land area is protected (World Bank/Protected Planet, 2025) and roughly 27.1% of territorial waters carry marine protection on paper. Enforcement 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.
What wildlife is left in Denmark?
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.
Is Denmark on clean energy?
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). With 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).
How polluted is Denmark?
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). The 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.
Does recycling work in Denmark?
Denmark recycled about 52.3% of its municipal waste in 2022 (Eurostat), above the EU average and the 50% target. A national deposit-return scheme achieves very high collection of drink containers.
Is the farming in Denmark organic?
About 11.1% of Denmark's farmland was under organic production in 2024 (Eurostat), which places it mid-table in the EU, behind Estonia, Portugal, Italy, Sweden, Czechia, Latvia, Slovakia, Finland, Slovenia and Spain. Denmark introduced the world's first state organic label in 1990 and has one of the highest organic shares of retail food sales anywhere.
Are there natural materials and craft in Denmark?
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. Everyday single-use culture is comparatively low, supported by a deposit-return system and widespread reusables.
Is there living culture in Denmark?
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 resort 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.
What heritage does Denmark keep alive?
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.
So is Denmark actually green? The measured answer
What is working: sea protected at 27.1%, renewable electricity at 79%.
What is not: the gaps are narrower here than in most of the directory, and each remaining one is named below.
World Bank Open Data · Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC / WDPA) · Climate Watch (WRI) · Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026 · World Bank, Population, total: Denmark · CIA World Factbook, Denmark (archived) · World Bank, Terrestrial protected areas (% of land area): Denmark · World Bank, Renewable electricity output (% of total): Denmark · World Bank, CO2 emissions per capita: Denmark · World Bank, Deaths from non-communicable diseases (% of total): Denmark
How Denmark Ranks, region and world.
Where Denmark sits on the Eco Index, against its Europe neighbours and the 77 destinations scored worldwide.
How does Denmark compare in Europe?
1Switzerland78
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Portugal75
Scored Europe destinations, Eco Index.
The global top 10 of the 77 destinations scored
1Switzerland78
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Australia77
6Portugal75
7Germany75
8New Zealand75
9Italy73
10Spain73
Denmark sits 27 of 77 at 68/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking
What is Denmark particularly good at?
✓ Energy, scored 5/5. 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). With 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).
✓ Water, scored 4/5. Denmark draws its drinking water almost entirely from groundwater aquifers, abstracted and lightly treated rather than chlorinated, and 99.9% of the population uses safely managed drinking water (World Bank/WHO-UNICEF JMP, 2024). 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.
✓ Organic farming, scored 4/5. About 11.1% of Denmark's farmland was under organic production in 2024 (Eurostat), which places it mid-table in the EU, behind Estonia, Portugal, Italy, Sweden, Czechia, Latvia, Slovakia, Finland, Slovenia and Spain. Denmark introduced the world's first state organic label in 1990 and has one of the highest organic shares of retail food sales anywhere.
Where does Denmark score worst?
✕ Wildlife, scored 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. 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.
✕ Natural fibres, scored 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. Everyday single-use culture is comparatively low, supported by a deposit-return system and widespread reusables.
✕ Heritage, scored 2/5. 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.
A note from the lens of mother natureSwipe
Wildlife, 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.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Denmark's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Natural fibres, 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. Everyday single-use culture is comparatively low, supported by a deposit-return system and widespread reusables.
Heritage, 2/5
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 Denmark Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Denmark, checked and listed.
How the rest of the world scores Denmark
Independent global indices, for calibration.
Forest cover
16.0
World Bank, 2024.
Protected land
16.4
World Bank, 2025.
Protected sea
27.1
World Bank, 2025.
Renewable grid
79.0
World Bank, 2021.
CO2 per person
4.3
World Bank, 2024.
Threatened species
61
Recorded figure, sourced on this page.
Control of corruption
93.6 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Government effectiveness
92.4 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Rule of law
91.7 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Political stability
79.5 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Voice and accountability
90.5 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Environmental Performance Index
66.6 / 100 · 11 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 11 of 177 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
50.7 / 100 · 50 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 50 of 177 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
49.6 / 100 · 65 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 65 of 177 countries assessed.
Air quality
87.8 / 100 · 8 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 8 of 177 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
50.3 / 100 · 101 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 101 of 177 countries assessed.
Marine habitat protected
49.9 / 100 · 17 of 111
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 17 of 111 countries assessed.
How Denmark Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Seven pillars are scored from published measurements with the same fixed thresholds everywhere: energy (low-carbon share of electricity, 90% or more scores 5, 70% 4, 50% 3, 25% 2), conservation (land and sea protected), water (safe drinking water, wastewater treated, water stress), organic farmland, recycling, food import dependence and air quality. Where a measurement is not published for a place, that pillar keeps its source-assessed score and is labelled as such. Wildlife, culture, heritage, materials and plant-based eating have no comparable measurement and are assessed from the named sources. The Eco Index is the average of the twelve pillar scores multiplied by 20. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Water
Safe drinking water, wastewater treated and water stress. Measured.
02
Food & farming
How much of the import bill is food: whether the place feeds itself. Measured.
03
Plant-based
How easy it is to eat plant-based, from documented sources.
04
Organic
Certified organic share of farmland. Measured.
05
Conservation
Land and sea legally protected, against the 30 by 30 goal. Measured.
06
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost, from documented sources.
07
Materials
Local natural fibres and craft, from documented sources.
08
Pollution
Air quality (PM2.5, measured) and plastics and waste policy.
09
Recycling
Share of municipal waste recycled. Measured.
10
Energy
Low-carbon share of electricity, nuclear included. Measured.
11
Culture
Living culture and community-led visits, from documented sources.
12
Heritage
What the law keeps standing, from documented sources.
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
0
Absent
nothing verifiable exists
1
Failing
measurably going the wrong way
2
Weak
claims outrun delivery
3
Fair
real effort, mixed results
4
Strong
genuinely good, evidence named
5
Leading
world class, and the trend holds
Where the numbers come from.
The institutions above are the ones cited on this page, ranked by how many of its figures they carry. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
Every figure on this page, and where it came from: 71 sources across 36 institutions
World Bank16 FIGURES
- Forest area (% of land area) Denmark, 2023 (15.78%) check
- Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) Denmark, 2025 (27.1%) check
- Food imports (% of merchandise imports) Denmark, 2025 (13.56%) check
- Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 check
- CO2 emissions per capita EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5, 2024 check
- GDP (current US$) NY.GDP.MKTP.CD, 2025 check
- International tourist arrivals ST.INT.ARVL, 2020 check
- Agricultural land (% of land area) AG.LND.AGRI.ZS, 2023 check
- Arable land (% of land area) AG.LND.ARBL.ZS, 2023 check
- Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS, 2025 check
- Renewable internal freshwater per capita (m3) ER.H2O.INTR.PC, 2022 check
- Safely managed sanitation (% of population) SH.STA.SMSS.ZS, 2024 check
- Overweight prevalence, adults (%) SH.STA.OWAD.ZS, 2022 check
- Central government debt (% of GDP) GC.DOD.TOTL.GD.ZS, 1994 check
- Population total SP.POP.TOTL, 2025 check
- World Development Indicators, Food imports (% of merchandise imports), Denmark, Food imports were about 14% of merchandise imports in 2024 (World Bank), and Denmark is one of Europe's larges check
Eurostat5 FIGURES
- Invest in Denmark, Share of renewables in net electricity generation, 2024 (88.4%) check
- Municipal waste recycling rate Denmark, 2022 (52.3%) check
- UN SDG Global Database, electronic waste recycled (%) EN_EWT_RCYR, Denmark, 2018 (80.7%), country-reported check
- recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011) check
- municipal waste by treatment operation (env_wasmun) check
BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_TERR, Denmark, 2025 (88.3%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, marine Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_MRN_MPA, Denmark, 2025 (88.9%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_FRHWTR, Denmark, 2025 (96.7%), country-reported check
FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area (% of land area) AG_LND_FRST, Denmark, 2025 (16.1%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area under a long-term management plan (%) AG_LND_FRSTMGT, Denmark, 2025 (49.8%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area inside legally established protected areas (%) AG_LND_FRSTPRCT, Denmark, 2025 (13.2%), country-reported check
Ministeriet for Fodevarer3 FIGURES
- Landbrug og Fiskeri (Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries), press release, 13 October 2023, Copenhagen has a strong vegan and plant-forward restaurant scene, and in 2023 Denmark became the first country check
- Landbrug og Fiskeri (Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries), press release, 13 October 2023 corroboration check
- Landbrug og Fiskeri (Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries), press release, 13 October 2023 corroboration check
UNEP-WCMC and IUCN3 FIGURES
- Protected Planet, Protected Area Profile for Denmark, World Database on Protected Areas, The 30x30 target is 30% by 2030, so 2.9 percentage points are still to be designated. check
- Protected Planet, Protected Area Profile for Denmark, World Database on Protected Areas corroboration check
- Protected Planet, Protected Area Profile for Denmark, World Database on Protected Areas corroboration check
UNESCO Institute for Statistics3 FIGURES
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, Denmark, Public spending on education runs at 6.4% of GDP and 14.2% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment check
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, Denmark corroboration check
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, Denmark corroboration check
Ember2 FIGURES
FAO2 FIGURES
Landbrug og Fodevarer (Danish Agriculture and Food Council)2 FIGURES
Other published sources2 FIGURES
Our World in Data / Ember2 FIGURES
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme2 FIGURES
11.1% in 20241 FIGURE
- roughly 13th and mid-table, not among the highest check
19901 FIGURE
- per the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries check
58.7% in 20251 FIGURE
- still the world's highest check
Climate Watch (WRI)1 FIGURE
- Net-Zero Tracker check
Constitute Project1 FIGURE
- Denmark 1953 check
Danish Environmental Protection Agency1 FIGURE
- Single-use plastics check
European Environment Agency / Eurostat1 FIGURE
- Agricultural area under organic farming Denmark, 2023 (11.4%) check
First element is the tribal name for the Danes1 FIGURE
- per Den Store Danske check
Fiskeatlas1 FIGURE
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen: Udbredelse og forekomst af 8 fiskearter i de danske habitatområder, 1995-2017, p. 12, Alosa alosa range check
IEA, World Energy Balances1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, renewable share of total final energy consumption (%) EG_FEC_RNEW, Denmark, 2023 (40.6%), modelled estimate check
IFES ElectionGuide1 FIGURE
- Denmark elections and chambers check
IQAir1 FIGURE
- 2023 World Air Quality Report, Denmark met WHO annual PM2.5 guideline of 5 micrograms per cubic metre check
IUCN Red List1 FIGURE
- Animalia, Threatened species of Denmark (61) check
Low Carbon Power1 FIGURE
- Denmark electricity mix, 2025 check
Oceana Europe / ClientEarth1 FIGURE
- bottom trawling in Danish marine protected areas, 2024-2025 check
Our World in Data1 FIGURE
- CO2 emissions per capita, 2024 check
State of Green1 FIGURE
- Denmark's Climate Act (70% by 2030), 2020 check
Statistics Denmark1 FIGURE
- national statistical authority check
UN Protocol and Liaison Service1 FIGURE
- Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs, public list dated 20 October 2026 check
Visit Copenhagen (Wonderful Copenhagen)1 FIGURE
- Best vegetarian and vegan restaurants, Copenhagen has a strong vegan and plant-forward restaurant scene, and in 2023 Denmark became the first country check
World Bank / Protected Planet1 FIGURE
- Terrestrial protected areas (% of land area) Denmark, 2025 (16.4%) check
World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP1 FIGURE
- People using safely managed drinking water Denmark, 2024 (99.9%) check