2018 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2018 Archive (Wayback Machine)
Introduction
Background
Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is participating in the general political and economic integration of Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the EU) in 1973. However, the country has opted out of certain elements of the EU's Maastricht Treaty, including the European Economic and Monetary Union, European defense cooperation, and issues concerning certain justice and home affairs.
Geography
Area
- land
- 42,434 sq km
- note
- includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest of metropolitan Denmark (the Jutland Peninsula, and the major islands of Sjaelland and Fyn), but excludes the Faroe Islands and Greenland
- total
- 43,094 sq km
- water
- 660 sq km
Area Comparative
slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts
Climate
temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers
Coastline
7,314 km
Elevation
- elevation extremes
- -7 m lowest point: Lammefjord
- mean elevation
- 34 m
- note
- 171 highest point: Mollehoj/Ejer Bavnehoj
Environment Current Issues
air pollution, principally from vehicle and power plant emissions; nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the North Sea; drinking and surface water becoming polluted from animal wastes and pesticides; much of country's household and industrial waste is recycled
Environment International Agreements
- party to
- Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
- signed, but not ratified
- none of the selected agreements
Geographic Coordinates
56 00 N, 10 00 E
Geography Note
composed of the Jutland Peninsula and a group of more than 400 islands (Danish Archipelago); controls Danish Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat) linking Baltic and North Seas; about one-quarter of the population lives in greater Copenhagen
Irrigated Land
4,350 sq km (2012)
Land Boundaries
- border countries (1)
- Germany 140 km
- total
- 140 km
Land Use
- arable land: 58.9% (2011 est.) / permanent crops: 0.1% (2011 est.) / permanent pasture: 4.4% (2011 est.)
- agricultural land
- 63.4% (2011 est.)
- forest
- 12.9% (2011 est.)
- note
- highest percentage of arable land for any country in the world
- other
- 23.7% (2011 est.)
Location
Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula north of Germany (Jutland); also includes several major islands (Sjaelland, Fyn, and Bornholm)
Map References
Europe
Maritime Claims
- contiguous zone
- 24 nm
- continental shelf
- 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
- exclusive economic zone
- 200 nm
- territorial sea
- 12 nm
Natural Hazards
flooding is a threat in some areas of the country (e.g., parts of Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of Lolland) that are protected from the sea by a system of dikes
Natural Resources
petroleum, natural gas, fish, arable land, salt, limestone, chalk, stone, gravel and sand
Population Distribution
with excellent access to the North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat, and the Baltic Sea, population centers tend to be along coastal areas, particularly in Copenhagen and the eastern side of the country's mainland
Terrain
low and flat to gently rolling plains
People and Society
Age Structure
- 0-14 years
- 16.57% (male 493,829 /female 468,548)
- 15-24 years
- 12.67% (male 377,094 /female 358,807)
- 25-54 years
- 39.03% (male 1,147,196 /female 1,119,967)
- 55-64 years
- 12.33% (male 356,860 /female 359,264)
- 65 years and over
- 19.42% (male 518,200 /female 609,737) (2018 est.)
Birth Rate
10.9 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)
Death Rate
9.3 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)
Dependency Ratios
- elderly dependency ratio
- 29.7 (2015 est.)
- potential support ratio
- 3.4 (2015 est.)
- total dependency ratio
- 56 (2015 est.)
- youth dependency ratio
- 26.3 (2015 est.)
Drinking Water Source
- improved: urban: 100% of population
- rural: 100% of population
- total: 100% of population
- unimproved: urban: 0% of population
- rural: 0% of population
- total: 0% of population (2015 est.)
Education Expenditures
7.6% of GDP (2014)
Ethnic Groups
- Danish (includes Greenlandic (who are predominantly Inuit) and Faroese) 86.3%, Turkish 1.1%, other 12.6% (largest groups are Polish, Syrian, German, Iraqi, and Romanian) (2018 est.)
- note
- data represent population by ancestry
Health Expenditures
10.8% of GDP (2014)
Hiv Aids Adult Prevalence Rate
0.1% (2017 est.)
Hiv Aids Deaths
<100 (2017 est.)
Hiv Aids People Living With Hiv Aids
6,400 (2017 est.)
Hospital Bed Density
2.5 beds/1,000 population (2015)
Infant Mortality Rate
- female
- 2.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
- male
- 3.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
- total
- 3.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
Languages
- Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German (small minority)
- note
- English is the predominant second language
Life Expectancy At Birth
- female
- 83.1 years (2018 est.)
- male
- 79.1 years (2018 est.)
- total population
- 81 years (2018 est.)
Major Urban Areas Population
1.321 million COPENHAGEN (capital) (2018)
Maternal Mortality Rate
6 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
Median Age
- female
- 42.9 years (2018 est.)
- male
- 40.8 years
- total
- 41.9 years
Mother S Mean Age At First Birth
29.1 years (2015 est.)
Nationality
- adjective
- Danish
- noun
- Dane(s)
Net Migration Rate
2.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)
Obesity Adult Prevalence Rate
19.7% (2016)
Physicians Density
3.66 physicians/1,000 population (2014)
Population
5,809,502 (July 2018 est.)
Population Growth Rate
0.59% (2018 est.)
Religions
Evangelical Lutheran (official) 74.8%, Muslim 5.3%, other (denominations of less than 1% each, include Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Serbian Orthodox Christian, Jewish, Baptist, and Buddhist) 19.9% (2017 est.)
Sanitation Facility Access
- improved: urban: 99.6% of population (2015 est.)
- rural: 99.6% of population (2015 est.)
- total: 99.6% of population (2015 est.)
- unimproved: urban: 0.4% of population (2015 est.)
- rural: 0.4% of population (2015 est.)
- total: 0.4% of population (2015 est.)
School Life Expectancy Primary To Tertiary Education
- female
- 20 years (2014)
- male
- 18 years (2014)
- total
- 19 years (2014)
Sex Ratio
- 0-14 years
- 1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
- 15-24 years
- 1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
- 25-54 years
- 0.99 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
- 55-64 years
- 0.99 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
- 65 years and over
- 0.81 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
- at birth
- 1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
- total population
- 0.97 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
Total Fertility Rate
1.78 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Unemployment Youth Ages 15 24
- female
- 10.9% (2016 est.)
- male
- 13.1% (2016 est.)
- total
- 12% (2016 est.)
Urbanization
- rate of urbanization
- 0.51% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
- urban population
- 87.9% of total population (2018)
Government
Administrative Divisions
- metropolitan Denmark - 5 regions (regioner, singular - region); Hovedstaden (Capital), Midtjylland (Central Jutland), Nordjylland (North Jutland), Sjaelland (Zealand), Syddanmark (Southern Denmark)
- note
- an extensive local government reform merged 271 municipalities into 98 and 13 counties into five regions, effective 1 January 2007
Capital
- daylight saving time
- +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
- geographic coordinates
- 55 40 N, 12 35 E
- name
- Copenhagen
- note
- applies to continental Denmark only, not to its North Atlantic components
- time difference
- UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Citizenship
- citizenship by birth
- no
- citizenship by descent only
- at least one parent must be a citizen of Denmark
- dual citizenship recognized
- yes
- residency requirement for naturalization
- 7 years
Constitution
- amendments
- proposed by the Folketing with consent of the government; passage requires approval by the next Folketing following a general election, approval by simple majority vote of at least 40% of voters in a referendum, and assent by the chief of state; changed several times, last in 2009 (Danish Act of Succession) (2016)
- history
- several previous; latest adopted 5 June 1953 (2016)
Country Name
- conventional long form
- Kingdom of Denmark
- conventional short form
- Denmark
- etymology
- the name derives from the words "Dane(s)" and "mark"; the latter referring to a march (borderland) or forest
- local long form
- Kongeriget Danmark
- local short form
- Danmark
Diplomatic Representation From The Us
- chief of mission
- Ambassador Carla SANDS (since 15 December 2017)
- embassy
- Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen 0
- FAX
- [45] 35 43 02 23
- mailing address
- Unit 5280 ODC, DPO, AE 09716
- telephone
- [45] 33 41 71 00
Diplomatic Representation In The Us
- chancery
- 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
- chief of mission
- Ambassador Lars Gert LOSE (since 17 September 2015)
- consulate(s) general
- Chicago, Houston, New York, Silicon Valley
- FAX
- [1] (202) 328-1470
- telephone
- [1] (202) 234-4300
Executive Branch
- cabinet
- Council of State appointed by the monarch
- chief of state
- Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972); Heir Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK (elder son of the monarch, born on 26 May 1968)
- elections/appointments
- the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the monarch
- head of government
- Prime Minister Lars LOKKE RASMUSSEN (since 28 June 2015)
Flag Description
- red with a white cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side; the banner is referred to as the Dannebrog (Danish flag) and is one of the oldest national flags in the world; traditions as to the origin of the flag design vary, but the best known is a legend that the banner fell from the sky during an early-13th century battle; caught up by the Danish king before it ever touched the earth, this heavenly talisman inspired the royal army to victory; in actuality, the flag may derive from a crusade banner or ensign
- note
- the shifted cross design element was subsequently adopted by the other Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden
Government Type
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Independence
ca. 965 (unified and Christianized under HARALD I Gormson); 5 June 1849 (became a parliamentary constitutional monarchy)
International Law Organization Participation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
International Organization Participation
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Judicial Branch
- highest courts
- Supreme Court (consists of the court president and 18 judges)
- judge selection and term of office
- judges appointed by the monarch upon the recommendation of the Minister of Justice with the advice of the Judicial Appointments Council, a 6-member independent body of judges and lawyers; judges appointed for life with retirement at age 70
- subordinate courts
- Special Court of Indictment and Revision; 2 High Courts; Maritime and Commercial Court; county courts
Legal System
civil law; judicial review of legislative acts
Legislative Branch
- description
- unicameral People's Assembly or Folketing (179 seats, including 2 each representing Greenland and the Faroe Islands; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms unless the Folketing is dissolved earlier)
- election results
- percent of vote by party - A 26.3%, DF 21.1%, V 19.5%, EL 7.8%, LA 7.5%, AP 4.8%, SLP 4.6%, SF 4.2%, C 3.4%, other 0.9%; seats by party - A 47, DF 37, V 34, EL 14, LA 13, AP 9, SLP 8, SF 7, C 6; composition - men 112, women 67, percent of women 37.4%; note - does not include each of the 2 seats from Greenland and the Faroe Islands
- elections
- last held on 18 June 2015 (next to be held by June 2019)
National Anthem
- lyrics/music
- Adam Gottlob OEHLENSCHLAGER/Hans Ernst KROYER; Johannes EWALD/unknown
- name
- "Der er et yndigt land" (There is a Lovely Country); "Kong Christian" (King Christian)
- note
- Denmark has two national anthems with equal status; "Der er et yndigt land," adopted 1844, is a national anthem, while "Kong Christian," adopted 1780, serves as both a national and royal anthem; "Kong Christian" is also known as "Kong Christian stod ved hojen mast" (King Christian Stood by the Lofty Mast) and "Kongesangen" (The King's Anthem); within Denmark, the royal anthem is played only when royalty is present and is usually followed by the national anthem; when royalty is not present, only the national anthem is performed; outside Denmark, the royal anthem is played, unless the national anthem is requested
National Holiday
Constitution Day, 5 June (1849); note - closest equivalent to a national holiday
National Symbol S
lion, mute swan; national colors: red, white
Political Parties And Leaders
The Alternative A or AP [Uffe ELBAEK]Conservative People's Party or DKF or C [Soren PAPE POULSEN]Danish People's Party or DF or O [Kristian THULESEN DAHL]Liberal Alliance or LA [Anders SAMUELSEN]Liberal Party (Venstre) or V [Lars LOKKE RASMUSSEN]Red-Green Alliance (Unity List) or EL [collective leadership, Pernille SKIPPER, spokesperson]Social Democrats or A [Mette FREDERIKSEN]Social Liberal Party or B or SLP [Morten OSTERGAARD]Socialist People's Party or SF [Pia OLSEN DYHR]
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture Products
barley, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets; pork, dairy products; fish
Budget
- expenditures
- 168.9 billion (2017 est.)
- revenues
- 172.5 billion (2017 est.)
Budget Surplus Or Deficit
1.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Central Bank Discount Rate
- 0% (31 December 2017)
- 0% (31 December 2016)
Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
- 2.84% (31 December 2017 est.)
- 3.25% (31 December 2016 est.)
Current Account Balance
- $24.82 billion (2017 est.)
- $22.47 billion (2016 est.)
Debt External
- $484.8 billion (31 March 2016 est.)
- $519.8 billion (31 March 2015 est.)
Distribution Of Family Income Gini Index
- 29 (2016 est.)
- 27.5 (2010 est.)
Economy Overview
This thoroughly modern market economy features advanced industry with world-leading firms in pharmaceuticals, maritime shipping, and renewable energy, and a high-tech agricultural sector. Danes enjoy a high standard of living, and the Danish economy is characterized by extensive government welfare measures and an equitable distribution of income. An aging population will be a long-term issue.Denmark’s small open economy is highly dependent on foreign trade, and the government strongly supports trade liberalization. Denmark is a net exporter of food, oil, and gas and enjoys a comfortable balance of payments surplus, but depends on imports of raw materials for the manufacturing sector.Denmark is a member of the EU but not the eurozone. Despite previously meeting the criteria to join the European Economic and Monetary Union, Denmark has negotiated an opt-out with the EU and is not required to adopt the euro.Denmark is experiencing a modest economic expansion. The economy grew by 2.0% in 2016 and 2.1% in 2017. The expansion is expected to decline slightly in 2018. Unemployment stood at 5.5% in 2017, based on the national labor survey. The labor market was tight in 2017, with corporations experiencing some difficulty finding appropriately-skilled workers to fill billets. The Danish Government offers extensive programs to train unemployed persons to work in sectors that need qualified workers.Denmark maintained a healthy budget surplus for many years up to 2008, but the global financial crisis swung the budget balance into deficit. Since 2014 the balance has shifted between surplus and deficit. In 2017 there was a surplus of 1.0%. The government projects a lower deficit in 2018 and 2019 of 0.7%, and public debt (EMU debt) as a share of GDP is expected to decline to 35.6% in 2018 and 34.8% in 2019. The Danish Government plans to address increasing municipal, public housing and integration spending in 2018.
Exchange Rates
- Danish kroner (DKK) per US dollar -
- 6.586 (2017 est.)
- 6.7309 (2016 est.)
- 6.7309 (2015 est.)
- 6.7236 (2014 est.)
- 5.6125 (2013 est.)
Exports
- $113.6 billion (2017 est.)
- $103.6 billion (2016 est.)
Exports Commodities
wind turbines, pharmaceuticals, machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, dairy products, fish, furniture and design
Exports Partners
Germany 15.5%, Sweden 11.6%, UK 8.2%, US 7.5%, Norway 6%, China 4.4%, Netherlands 4.4% (2017)
Fiscal Year
calendar year
Gdp Composition By End Use
- exports of goods and services
- 54.5% (2017 est.)
- government consumption
- 25.2% (2017 est.)
- household consumption
- 48% (2017 est.)
- imports of goods and services
- -47.5% (2017 est.)
- investment in fixed capital
- 20% (2017 est.)
- investment in inventories
- -0.2% (2017 est.)
Gdp Composition By Sector Of Origin
- agriculture
- 1.3% (2017 est.)
- industry
- 22.9% (2017 est.)
- services
- 75.8% (2017 est.)
Gdp Official Exchange Rate
$325.6 billion (2017 est.) (2017 est.)
Gdp Per Capita Ppp
- $50,100 (2017 est.)
- $49,300 (2016 est.)
- $48,800 (2015 est.)
- note
- data are in 2017 dollars
Gdp Purchasing Power Parity
- $287.8 billion (2017 est.)
- $281.4 billion (2016 est.)
- $276 billion (2015 est.)
- note
- data are in 2017 dollars
Gdp Real Growth Rate
- 2.3% (2017 est.)
- 2% (2016 est.)
- 1.6% (2015 est.)
Gross National Saving
- 28.8% of GDP (2017 est.)
- 28.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
- 28.7% of GDP (2015 est.)
Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share
- highest 10%
- 23.4% (2016 est.)
- lowest 10%
- 23.4% (2016 est.)
Imports
- $94.93 billion (2017 est.)
- $86.81 billion (2016 est.)
Imports Commodities
machinery and equipment, raw materials and semimanufactures for industry, chemicals, grain and foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports Partners
Germany 21.3%, Sweden 11.9%, Netherlands 7.8%, China 7.1%, Norway 6.3%, Poland 4% (2017)
Industrial Production Growth Rate
2.5% (2017 est.)
Industries
wind turbines, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, shipbuilding and refurbishment, iron, steel, nonferrous metals, chemicals, food processing, machinery and transportation equipment, textiles and clothing, electronics, construction, furniture and other wood products
Inflation Rate Consumer Prices
- 1.1% (2017 est.)
- 0.3% (2016 est.)
Labor Force
2.998 million (2017 est.)
Labor Force By Occupation
- agriculture
- 2.4%
- industry
- 18.3%
- services
- 79.3% (2016 est.)
Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares
- $361.2 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
- $352 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
- $271.4 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
Population Below Poverty Line
- 13.4% (2011 est.)
- note
- excludes students
Public Debt
- 35.3% of GDP (2017 est.)
- 37.9% of GDP (2016 est.)
- note
- data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions
Reserves Of Foreign Exchange And Gold
- $75.25 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
- $64.25 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Stock Of Broad Money
- $193.2 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
- $159.3 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad
- $287.9 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
- $235.4 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment At Home
- $188.7 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
- $147.9 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Stock Of Domestic Credit
- $693.8 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
- $630.5 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Stock Of Narrow Money
- $193.2 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
- $159.3 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Taxes And Other Revenues
53% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Unemployment Rate
- 5.7% (2017 est.)
- 6.2% (2016 est.)
Energy
Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Consumption Of Energy
37.45 million Mt (2017 est.)
Crude Oil Exports
82,980 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude Oil Imports
98,240 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude Oil Production
137,100 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude Oil Proved Reserves
439 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Electricity Access
- electrification - total population
- 100% (2016)
Electricity Consumption
33.02 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Electricity Exports
9.919 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Electricity From Fossil Fuels
46% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Electricity From Hydroelectric Plants
0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Electricity From Nuclear Fuels
0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Electricity From Other Renewable Sources
54% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Electricity Imports
14.98 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Electricity Installed Generating Capacity
14.34 million kW (2016 est.)
Electricity Production
29.84 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Natural Gas Consumption
3.115 billion cu m (2017 est.)
Natural Gas Exports
2.237 billion cu m (2017 est.)
Natural Gas Imports
509.7 million cu m (2017 est.)
Natural Gas Production
4.842 billion cu m (2017 est.)
Natural Gas Proved Reserves
12.86 billion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)
Refined Petroleum Products Consumption
158,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Refined Petroleum Products Exports
133,700 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Refined Petroleum Products Imports
109,700 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Refined Petroleum Products Production
183,900 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Communications
Broadband Fixed Subscriptions
- subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 44 (2017 est.)
- total
- 2,475,382 (2017 est.)
Broadcast Media
strong public-sector TV presence with state-owned Danmarks Radio (DR) operating 6 channels and publicly owned TV2 operating roughly a half-dozen channels; broadcasts of privately owned stations are available via satellite and cable feed; DR operates 4 nationwide FM radio stations, 10 digital audio broadcasting stations, and 14 web-based radio stations; in 2010, there were 140 commercial and 187 community (non-commercial) radio stations (2012)
Internet Country Code
.dk
Internet Users
- percent of population
- 97% (July 2016 est.)
- total
- 5,424,169 (July 2016 est.)
Telephone System
- domestic
- buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay form trunk network; multiple mobile-cellular communications systems; fixed-line 26 per 100, 124 per 100 for mobile-cellular (2017)
- general assessment
- excellent telephone and Internet services; Denmark's competitive telecom market has led to the country having the second highest broadband penetration rate in Europe; the fixed-line sector continues to see a decline in revenue while customers move to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and mobile alternatives; growth has been stimulated by the availability of LTE services; the government is able to offer broadband coverage in rural areas (2017)
- international
- country code - 45; a series of fiber-optic submarine cables link Denmark with Canada, Faroe Islands, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and UK; satellite earth stations - 18 (6 Intelsat, 10 Eutelsat, 1 Orion, 1 Inmarsat (Blaavand-Atlantic-East)); note - the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) share the Danish earth station and the Eik, Norway, station for worldwide Inmarsat access (2015)
Telephones Fixed Lines
- subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 26 (2017 est.)
- total subscriptions
- 1,439,695 (2017 est.)
Telephones Mobile Cellular
- subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 124 (2017 est.)
- total subscriptions
- 6,978,348 (2017 est.)
Transportation
Airports
80 (2013)
Airports With Paved Runways
- 1,524 to 2,437 m
- 5 (2017)
- 2,438 to 3,047 m
- 7 (2017)
- 914 to 1,523 m
- 12 (2017)
- over 3,047 m
- 2 (2017)
- total
- 28 (2017)
- under 914 m
- 2 (2017)
Airports With Unpaved Runways
- 914 to 1,523 m
- 5 (2013)
- total
- 52 (2013)
- under 914 m
- 47 (2013)
Civil Aircraft Registration Country Code Prefix
OY (2016)
Merchant Marine
- by type
- bulk carrier 7, container ship 114, general cargo 77, oil tanker 75, other 381 (2017)
- total
- 654 (2017)
National Air Transport System
- annual freight traffic on registered air carriers
- 0 mt-km (2015)
- annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers
- 582,011 (2015)
- inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers
- 76 (2015)
- number of registered air carriers
- 10 (2015)
Pipelines
1536 km gas, 330 km oil (2015)
Ports And Terminals
- cruise port(s)
- Copenhagen
- dry bulk cargo port(s)
- Ensted (coal)
- major seaport(s)
- Baltic Sea - Aarhus, Copenhagen, Fredericia, Kalundborg
- note
- North Sea - Esbjerg,
- river port(s)
- Aalborg (Langerak)
Railways
- standard gauge
- 3,476 km 1.435-m gauge (1,756 km electrified) (2017)
- total
- 3,476 km (2017)
Roadways
- paved
- 74,558 km (includes 1,205 km of expressways) (2017)
- total
- 74,558 km (2017)
Waterways
400 km (2010)
Military and Security
Military Branches
Danish Army, Royal Danish Navy, Royal Danish Air Force (2017)
Military Expenditures
- 1.21% of GDP (2018)
- 1.15% of GDP (2016)
- 1.12% of GDP (2015)
- 1.15% of GDP (2014)
- 1.23% of GDP (2013)
Military Service Age And Obligation
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscripts serve an initial training period that varies from 4 to 12 months according to specialization; former conscripts are assigned to mobilization units; women eligible to volunteer for military service; in addition to full time employment, the Danish Military offers reserve contracts in all three branches (2016)
Transnational Issues
Disputes International
Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nmsovereignty dispute with Canada over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and GreenlandDenmark (Greenland) and Norway have made submissions to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) and Russia is collecting additional data to augment its 2001 CLCS submission
Refugees And Internally Displaced Persons
- refugees (country of origin)
- 19,221 (Syria) (2017)
- stateless persons
- 7,990 (2017)