Denmark

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)
• 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

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Copenhagen	1,153,615	Capital
Århus	285,273
Odense	180,863
Aalborg	142,937
Frederiksberg	95,029
Esbjerg	71,698
Randers	62,802
Kolding	61,638
Horsens	61,074
Vejle	60,231

Size

• 16,639 square miles
• 43,094 square kilometers
• slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts; about two-thirds the size of West Virginia

History

Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is part of the general political and economic integration of Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the EU) in 1973. The country has opted out of certain elements of the EU's Maastricht Treaty, including the European Economic and Monetary Union and justice and home affairs issues. a 2022 referendum resulted in the removal of Denmark's 30-year opt-out on defense issues, now allowing Denmark to participate fully in the EU's Common Security and Defense Policy.

Climate

temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers

Terrain

low and flat to gently rolling plains

Languages

Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German (small minority); note - English is the predominant second languagemajor-language sample(s): Verdens Faktabog, den uundværlig kilde til grundlæggende oplysninger. (Danish)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Evangelical Lutheran (official) 71.4%, Muslim 4.3%, other/none/unspecified (denominations include Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Serbian Orthodox Christian, Jewish, Baptist, Buddhist, Church of Jesus Christ, Pentecostal, and nondenominational Christian) 24.3% (2024 est.)

Government

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest adopted 5 June 1953amendment process: proposed by the Folketing (Parliament) 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 of the chief of state
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: civil law; judicial review of legislative acts
• Executive Branch: chief of state: King FREDERIK X (since 14 January 2024)head of government: Prime Minister Mette FREDERIKSEN (since 27 June 2019)cabinet: Council of State appointed by the monarchelection/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the monarch usually appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as prime minister note: Queen MARGRETHE II abdicated on 14 January 2024, the first Danish monarch to voluntarily abdicate since King ERIC III in 1146
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): 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 70subordinate courts: Special Court of Indictment and Revision; 2 High Courts; Maritime and Commercial Court; county courts
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Parliament (Folketinget)legislative structure: unicameralchamber name: The Danish Parliament (Folketinget)number of seats: 179 (all directly elected)electoral system: proportional representationscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 4 yearsmost recent election date: 11/1/2022parties elected and seats per party: Social Democratic Party (50); Liberal Party (Venstre) (23); Moderates (M) (16); Socialist People's Party (SF) (15); Danish Democrats (Æ) (14); Liberal Alliance (14); Conservative People's Party (10); Unity List-Red-Green Alliance (9); Other (24)percentage of women in chamber: 43.6%expected date of next election: October 2026

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• high-income, EU-member, trade-oriented Nordic economy; growth driven by pharmaceuticals, energy, and services; large share of employment in public sector; fixed exchange rate pegged to euro; strong fiscal position and declining public debt; tight labor market mitigated by migrant workers and higher retirement age
• Budget: revenues: $149.393 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $136.662 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, fish, arable land, salt, limestone, chalk, stone, gravel and sand
• 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
• Agricultural Products: milk, wheat, potatoes, barley, sugar beets, pork, rapeseed, rye, oats, chicken (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 65.6% (2022 est.)arable land: 59% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0.8% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 5.8% (2022 est.)forest: 15.8% (2022 est.)other: 18.6% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: natural gas, cars, garments, packaged medicine, refined petroleum (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Germany 18%, Sweden 11%, Norway 10%, Netherlands 9%, China 7% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: packaged medicine, fish, vaccines, refined petroleum, pork (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Germany 13%, USA 10%, Sweden 9%, Netherlands 7%, China 5% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports