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    About data collection from enterprises

    Business sector statistics are mandatory by law

    EU legislation obliges all EU countries to produce comparable statistics about the business sector. Danish legislation mandates Statistics Denmark to collect the necessary information from enterprises to compile statutory statistics. Consequently, enterprises are legally obliged to report information about their activities, purchases, expenditures, prices, employees and salaries, etc., upon our request.

    We survey a selection of enterprises – and we only request necessary information

    In 2025, just under 50,000 (roughly 12 per cent) out of approximately 420,000 active private enterprises in Denmark, were selected for mandatory reporting. About 370,000 enterprises were completely exempt from mandatory reporting.

    Around 30,000 enterprises were obliged to report to one survey, around 15,000 to two or three surveys, and around 5,000 were obliged to report to four or more surveys. In total, Statistics Denmark collected around 270,000 mandatory reports from private enterprises. This equals an average of 0.6 reports per enterprise per year.

    In practice, enterprises are selected for mandatory reporting based on size, type of business, etc. The smallest enterprises report the least, and the largest enterprises report the most. We ask as few enterprises as possible, while still ensuring that the surveys cover all relevant sectors and types of enterprises.

    We only request data from enterprises if the data cannot be acquired from any alternative sources, and we collect a lot of information from administrative registers. Because of this, Danish enterprises have a relatively low level of reporting obligations compared to enterprises in many other EU countries.

    Business statistics are for everyone

    Business statistics serve as a basis for policy making, regulation and legislation in Denmark and the EU. Business surveys are also utilised by many trade organisations, enterprises, journalists, scientists, and private citizens. Everyone has access to the data resulting from the statutory surveys. See a current overview of the Danish economy here. See a current overview of the Danish economy.