Social spending as share of GDP in Denmark
Denmark: Social spending as share of GDP was 1.1% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Social spending as share of GDP in Denmark, 1983–2021
Source: OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for social spending as share of gdp in Denmark is 1.1%, measured in 2021.
The figure is down 19.2% on the previous year and down 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, social spending as share of gdp in Denmark peaked at 1.6% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 1986.
Denmark ranks 6th of 42 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Social spending as share of GDP in Denmark, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 0.9% | — |
| 1984 | 0.8% | -7.0% |
| 1985 | 0.7% | -8.7% |
| 1986 | 0.7% | -8.6% |
| 1987 | 0.7% | +6.5% |
| 1988 | 0.8% | +6.5% |
| 1989 | 0.8% | +6.0% |
| 1990 | 1.0% | +19.4% |
| 1991 | 1.1% | +16.0% |
| 1992 | 1.1% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 1.2% | +6.8% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | +9.2% |
| 1995 | 1.3% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 1.2% | -9.5% |
| 1997 | 1.1% | -4.6% |
| 1998 | 1.1% | -7.3% |
| 1999 | 1.0% | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 1.0% | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | -16.2% |
| 2007 | 0.7% | -8.2% |
| 2008 | 0.7% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 0.9% | +21.6% |
| 2010 | 1.2% | +32.3% |
| 2011 | 1.2% | +5.4% |
| 2012 | 1.3% | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 1.4% | +7.9% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | +12.0% |
| 2016 | 1.6% | +4.2% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | -8.0% |
| 2018 | 1.4% | -7.1% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | -8.1% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | +7.3% |
| 2021 | 1.1% | -19.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 7 |
| 1990s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
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)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate -0.3497 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.4522 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 34,807 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current US$), annual growth 17.18 % change on previous year (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU), annual growth 12.54 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), annual 31.9 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 0.0774 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 5,960 current LCU per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is social spending as share of gdp in Denmark?
- Social spending as share of gdp in Denmark was 1.1% in 2021, according to OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest social spending as share of gdp recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 1.6% in 2016.
- What is the lowest social spending as share of gdp recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 1986.
- How does Denmark rank for social spending as share of gdp?
- Denmark ranks 6th out of 42 countries with data for 2021.
- Is social spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Denmark data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Social spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Public social expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage. Includes both in-cash and in-kind benefits in other social policy programs.