Compensation of employees (% of expense) in Denmark
Denmark: Compensation of employees (% of expense) was 11.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Compensation of employees in Denmark, 1972–2023
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
Denmark recorded 11.0% for compensation of employees in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, compensation of employees in Denmark peaked at 21.3% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 9.7%, in 1996.
Denmark ranks 136th of 155 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Compensation of employees (% of expense) in Denmark, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 20.7% | — |
| 1973 | 21.3% | +2.9% |
| 1974 | 20.3% | -4.9% |
| 1975 | 20.5% | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 18.8% | -8.1% |
| 1977 | 17.9% | -4.5% |
| 1978 | 17.0% | -5.2% |
| 1979 | 16.0% | -5.9% |
| 1980 | 13.8% | -13.9% |
| 1981 | 13.6% | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 13.3% | -2.3% |
| 1983 | 12.9% | -2.7% |
| 1984 | 12.5% | -3.8% |
| 1985 | 12.5% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 12.5% | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 13.0% | +3.6% |
| 1988 | 13.1% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 12.8% | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 12.4% | -3.0% |
| 1991 | 12.0% | -3.0% |
| 1992 | 11.7% | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 11.5% | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 11.3% | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 9.8% | -13.7% |
| 1996 | 9.7% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 9.8% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 9.9% | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 10.5% | +5.4% |
| 2000 | 10.3% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 10.4% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 10.6% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 10.5% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 10.3% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 10.2% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 10.4% | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 10.9% | +4.7% |
| 2008 | 10.8% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 10.5% | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 10.3% | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 10.1% | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 9.7% | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 10.2% | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 10.1% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 10.1% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 10.3% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 10.3% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 10.5% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 10.8% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 9.7% | -9.4% |
| 2021 | 10.2% | +5.1% |
| 2022 | 10.7% | +4.7% |
| 2023 | 11.0% | +2.2% |
Denmark compared with similar countries
- Denmark's 11.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 18.9%, 58% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Denmark's 11.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 16.4%, 67% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 19.1% | 16.0% | 21.3% | 8 |
| 1980s | 13.0% | 12.5% | 13.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.9% | 9.7% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.5% | 10.2% | 10.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.2% | 9.7% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.4% | 9.7% | 11.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
More public sector data for Denmark
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 278.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 71.44 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 55.84 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is compensation of employees in Denmark?
- Compensation of employees in Denmark was 11.0% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest compensation of employees recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 21.3% in 1973.
- What is the lowest compensation of employees recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.7% in 1996.
- How does Denmark rank for compensation of employees?
- Denmark ranks 136th out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is compensation of employees rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Denmark data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Compensation of employees (% of expense). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Compensation of employees is defined as the total remuneration, in cash or in kind, payable by an enterprise to an employee in return for work done by the latter during the accounting period. This indicator is expressed as percentage of total expenses which is any decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction.