Income

How much do we earn throughout our lifetime? How many people are poor in Denmark?

Note: Below, we provide links to Statistics Denmark and others who make statistics on the subject. In some instances, the sources referred to below have content in Danish only or limited content in English.

How much do we earn throughout our lifetime?

In an analysis from 2019, Statistics Denmark looks into the aggregate lifetime income of Danes – "Hvor meget tjener man i løbet af livet?" (in Danish).

How many people are poor in Denmark?

In Statbank Denmark, there are a number of tables on income inequality, e.g. on the number of people who live in relative poverty, by age and duration.

In the news series "Nyt fra Danmarks Statistik" (in Danish), articles are released annually on personal income and income distribution.

The Gini coefficients from 1987 onwards are available in the table ”Inequality indicators on equivalised disposable income by indicator and municipality” in StatBank Denmark.

In StatBank Denmark, you will also find tables from the survey Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (SILC), based on surveys of Danish households, asking them e.g. whether it is easy or difficult to make ends meet. According to the 2023 survey, 10 per cent of the population were economically vulnerable; see the definition of economically vulnerable in "Økonomisk sårbare" (in Danish).

In connection with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Statistics Denmark has developed three poverty indicators – relative poverty, low income poverty and economically vulnerable people. The purpose of the indicators is to measure development in relation to SDG no. 1: End poverty and target 1.2: Reduce poverty in all its dimensions by half. See the indicators in the SDG portal.

In June 2013, an expert committee – put together by the minister of social affairs and integration then in power – published a report with proposals for a poverty line. The definition of this poverty line and the development in the number of economically poor people in terms of the poverty line is available in the expert committee’s report on suggested poverty assessment methods: "En dansk fattigdomsgrænse - analyser og forslag til opgørelsesmetoder" (in Danish).

Based on the committee’s definition, the report "Familiernes økonomi - fordeling, fattigdom og incitamenter" (in Danish) was released in 2014 and again in 2015, dealing with the financial situation of families – distribution, poverty and incentives.

In 2016, VIVE (the Danish Center for Social Science Research) published a study on poverty and deprivation – "Fattigdom og afsavn" (in Danish), which is also based on the committee’s definition of poverty. The report offers insights in the relationship between economic poverty and deprivation and describes the correlation with e.g. employment, family relations, debts, mental health issues and social exposure.

In "Børn og unge i Danmark – Velfærd og trivsel 2022" (in Danish) from VIVE, you will find information on the share of 3-19-year-old children living in poverty.

The Economic Council of the Labour Movement publishes analyses (in Danish) on income distribution, wealth inequality and poverty.

[This page was last reviewed in July 2024]