Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans in Denmark
Denmark: Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans was 26.3 Percentage of GDP in 2026. ▼ Falling
Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans in Denmark, 2000–2026
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in Denmark is 26.3 Percentage of GDP, measured in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.2% on the previous year and down 37.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in Denmark peaked at 56.52 Percentage of GDP in 2000 and was at its lowest, 26.3 Percentage of GDP, in 2026.
That places Denmark 24th out of 25 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans in Denmark, year by year
| Year | Percentage of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 56.52 Percentage of GDP | — |
| 2001 | 51.15 Percentage of GDP | -9.5% |
| 2002 | 48.78 Percentage of GDP | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 50.79 Percentage of GDP | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 48.39 Percentage of GDP | -4.7% |
| 2005 | 36.71 Percentage of GDP | -24.1% |
| 2006 | 33.99 Percentage of GDP | -7.4% |
| 2007 | 29.88 Percentage of GDP | -12.1% |
| 2008 | 32.37 Percentage of GDP | +8.4% |
| 2009 | 34.21 Percentage of GDP | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 41.94 Percentage of GDP | +22.6% |
| 2011 | 44.34 Percentage of GDP | +5.7% |
| 2012 | 46 Percentage of GDP | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 45.25 Percentage of GDP | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 45.14 Percentage of GDP | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 45.53 Percentage of GDP | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 42.07 Percentage of GDP | -7.6% |
| 2017 | 38.63 Percentage of GDP | -8.2% |
| 2018 | 37.64 Percentage of GDP | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 36.2 Percentage of GDP | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 35.32 Percentage of GDP | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 38.1 Percentage of GDP | +7.9% |
| 2022 | 33.89 Percentage of GDP | -11.1% |
| 2023 | 32.43 Percentage of GDP | -4.3% |
| 2024 | 32.32 Percentage of GDP | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 28.66 Percentage of GDP | -11.3% |
| 2026 | 26.3 Percentage of GDP | -8.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 42.28 Percentage of GDP | 29.88 Percentage of GDP | 56.52 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.27 Percentage of GDP | 36.2 Percentage of GDP | 46 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.43 Percentage of GDP | 26.3 Percentage of GDP | 38.1 Percentage of GDP | 7 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
- 21 Ireland 32.72 Percentage of GDP compare
- 22 Sweden 32.14 Percentage of GDP compare
- 23 Luxembourg 28.83 Percentage of GDP compare
- 25 Switzerland 23.55 Percentage of GDP compare
More economy & growth data for Denmark
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.9574 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.4 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 9.02 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.8867 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 68,250 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 4.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 5.87 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 451,943 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), annual 3.15 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per unit 0.7132 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in Denmark?
- Government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in Denmark was 26.3 Percentage of GDP in 2026, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 56.52 Percentage of GDP in 2000.
- What is the lowest government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.3 Percentage of GDP in 2026.
- How does Denmark rank for government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans?
- Denmark ranks 24th out of 25 countries with data for 2026.
- Is government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Denmark data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The magnitude of government debt and debt-to-GDP ratios varies depending on which measure of debt is used. To promote international comparability, the IMF, the OECD and the World Bank have agreed on a set of standard debt measures, which are defined in the Public Sector Debt Statistics Guide for Compilers and Users and the Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014. Government gross debt is shown in four categories: D1 to D4. D1 is the narrowest measure, comprising only two financial instruments: debt securities and loans. D4 (‘total gross debt’) is the broadest measure and includes debt securities, loans, Special Drawing Rights, currency and deposits, other accounts payable and insurance, pensions and standardised guarantees. The D1 to D3 measures are comparable between OECD countries. D4 is the preferred measure of debt in the international accounting standards (System of National Accounts or SNA) but cross-country comparability is more difficult for D4 because countries have different approaches to recording unfunded pension liabilities for government employees. For more information, please see the document: Measuring Government Debt: D1-D4