Compensation of employees in Denmark

Denmark: Compensation of employees was 11.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
11.0%
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
136th
of 155 countries
All-time high
21.3%
in 1973
All-time low
9.7%
in 1996
Years of data
52
1972–2023

Compensation of employees in Denmark, 1972–2023

05101520197219972023

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 in Denmark, year by year

Annual values for Compensation of employees (% of expense) in Denmark, 1972 to 2023.
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%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 133 Czechia 12.1% compare
  2. 134 Russian Federation 11.9% compare
  3. 135 Papua New Guinea 11.2% compare
  4. 137 Italy 10.9% compare
  5. 138 Canada 10.2% compare
  6. 139 Austria 10.1% compare

See the full ranking of 196 places →

More public sector data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

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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Compensation of employees in Denmark. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/compensation-of-employees-percent-of-expense/denmark/

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About this data

Indicator
Compensation of employees (% of expense)
Unit
% of expense
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
196 places, 5,286 data points, 1972–2024
Last refreshed

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.