Etymology

The etymology of the name "Denmark", the relationship between "Danes" and "Denmark", and the emergence of Denmark as a unified kingdom are topics of continuous scholarly debate. This is centred primarily on the morpheme "Dan" and whether it refers to the Dani or a historical person Dan and the exact meaning of the -"mark" ending.

Most etymological dictionaries and handbooks derive "Dan" from a word meaning "flat land", related to German "threshing floor", English den "cave". The element mark is believed to mean woodland or borderland (see marches), with probable references to the border forests in south Schleswig.

The first recorded use of the word Danmark within Denmark itself is found on the two Jelling stones, which are runestones believed to have been erected by Gorm the Old and Harald Bluetooth. The larger of the two stones is popularly cited as the "baptismal certificate" of Denmark, though both use the word "Denmark", in the accusative on the large stone, and the genitive "tanmarkar" (pronounced ) on the small stone, while the dative form tąnmarku (pronounced ) is found on the contemporaneous Skivum stone. The inhabitants of Denmark are there called, or "Danes", in the accusative.

History

Prehistory

The earliest archaeological finds in Denmark date back to the Eem interglacial period from 130,000 to 110,000 BC. Denmark has been inhabited since around 12,500 BC and agriculture has been evident since 3900 BC. The Nordic Bronze Age (1800–600 BC) in Denmark was marked by burial mounds, which left an abundance of findings including lurs and the Sun Chariot.

During the Pre-Roman Iron Age (500 BC – AD 1), native groups began migrating south, and the first tribal Danes came to the country between the Pre-Roman and the Germanic Iron Age, in the Roman Iron Age (AD 1–400). The Roman provinces maintained trade routes and relations with native tribes in Denmark, and Roman coins have been found in Denmark. Evidence of strong Celtic cultural influence dates from this period in Denmark and much of North-West Europe and is among other things reflected in the finding of the Gundestrup cauldron.

The tribal Danes came from the east Danish islands (Zealand) and Scania and spoke an early form of North Germanic. Historians believe that before their arrival, most of Jutland and the nearest islands were settled by tribal Jutes. Many Jutes migrated to Great Britain, according to legend some as mercenaries of Brythonic King Vortigern, and formed the south-eastern territories of Kent, the Isle of Wight and other areas, where they settled. They were later absorbed or ethnically cleansed by the invading Angles and Saxons, who formed the Anglo-Saxons. The remaining Jutish population in Jutland assimilated in with the settling Danes.

A short note about the Dani in Getica by the historian Jordanes is believed to be an early mention of the Danes, one of the ethnic groups from whom modern Danes are descended. The Danevirke defence structures were built in phases from the 3rd century forward and the sheer size of the construction efforts in AD 737 are attributed to the emergence of a Danish king. A new runic alphabet was first used around the same time and Ribe, the oldest town of Denmark, was founded about AD 700.

Viking and Middle Ages

From the 8th to the 10th century the wider Scandinavian region was the source of Vikings. They colonised, raided, and traded in all parts of Europe. The Danish Vikings were most active in the eastern and southern British Isles and Western Europe. They settled in parts of England (known as the Danelaw) under King Sweyn Forkbeard in 1013, and in France where Danes and Norwegians were allowed to settle in what would become Normandy in exchange of allegiance to Robert I of France with Rollo as first ruler. Some Anglo-Saxon pence of this period have been found in Denmark.

Denmark was largely consolidated by the late 8th century and its rulers are consistently referred to in Frankish sources as kings (reges). Under the reign of Gudfred in 804 the Danish kingdom may have included all the lands of Jutland, Scania and the Danish islands, excluding Bornholm.

The extant Danish monarchy traces its roots back to Gorm the Old, who established his reign in the early 10th century. As attested by the Jelling stones, the Danes were Christianised around 965 by Harald Bluetooth, the son of Gorm and Thyra. It is believed that Denmark became Christian for political reasons so as not to get invaded by the Holy Roman Empire. A rising Christian power in Europe, the Holy Roman Empire was an important trading partner for the Danes. As a deterrent against this threat, Harald built six fortresses around Denmark called Trelleborg and built a further Danevirke. In the early 11th century, Canute the Great won and united Denmark, England, and Norway for almost 30 years with a Scandinavian army.

Throughout the High and Late Middle Ages, Denmark also included Skåneland (the areas of Scania, Halland, and Blekinge in present-day south Sweden) and Danish kings ruled Danish Estonia, as well as the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. Most of the latter two now form the state of Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany.

In 1397, Denmark entered into a personal union known as the Kalmar Union with Norway and Sweden, united under Queen Margaret I. The three countries were to be treated as equals in the union. However, even from the start, Margaret may not have been so idealistic; treating Denmark as the clear "senior" partner of the union. Thus, much of the next 125 years of Scandinavian history revolves around this union, with Sweden breaking off and being re-conquered repeatedly. The issue was for practical purposes resolved on 17 June 1523, as Swedish King Gustav Vasa conquered the city of Stockholm. The Protestant Reformation spread to Scandinavia in the 1530s, and following the Count's Feud civil war, Denmark converted to Lutheranism in 1536. Later that year, Denmark entered into a union with Norway.

Early modern history (1536–1849)

After Sweden permanently broke away from the personal union, Denmark tried on several occasions to reassert control over its neighbour. King Christian IV attacked Sweden in the 1611–1613 Kalmar War but failed to accomplish his main objective of forcing it to return to the union. The war led to no territorial changes, but Sweden was forced to pay a war indemnity of 1 million silver riksdaler to Denmark, an amount known as the Älvsborg ransom. King Christian used this money to found several towns and fortresses, most notably Glückstadt (founded as a rival to Hamburg) and Christiania. Inspired by the Dutch East India Company, he founded a similar Danish company and planned to claim Ceylon as a colony, but the company only managed to acquire Tranquebar on India's Coromandel Coast. Denmark's large colonial aspirations included a few key trading posts in Africa and India. While Denmark's trading posts in India were of little note, it played an important role in the highly lucrative Atlantic slave trade, through its trading outposts in Fort Christiansborg in Osu, Ghana through which 1.5 million slaves were traded. While the Danish colonial empire was sustained by trade with other major powers, and plantations – ultimately a lack of resources led to its stagnation.

In the Thirty Years' War, Christian tried to become the leader of the Lutheran states in Germany but suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Lutter. The result was that the Catholic army under Albrecht von Wallenstein was able to invade, occupy, and pillage Jutland, forcing Denmark to withdraw from the war. Denmark managed to avoid territorial concessions, but King Gustavus Adolphus' intervention in Germany was seen as a sign that the military power of Sweden was on the rise while Denmark's influence in the region was declining. Swedish armies invaded Jutland in 1643 and claimed Scania in 1644. In the 1645 Treaty of Brømsebro, Denmark surrendered Halland, Gotland, the last parts of Danish Estonia, and several provinces in Norway.

Seeing an opportunity to tear up the Treaty of Brømsebro, King Frederick III of Denmark, in 1657, declared war on Sweden, the latter being deeply involved in the Second Northern War (1655–1660), and marched on Bremen-Verden. This led to a massive Danish defeat as the armies of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden conquered Jutland and, following the Swedish March across the frozen Danish straits, occupied Funen and much of Zealand before signing the Peace of Roskilde in February 1658, which gave Sweden control of Scania, Blekinge, Bohuslän, Trøndelag, and the island of Bornholm. Charles X Gustav quickly regretted not having ruined Denmark and in August 1658, he launched a second attack on Denmark, conquered most of the Danish islands, and began a two-year-long siege of Copenhagen. King Frederick III actively led the defence of the city, rallying its citizens to take up arms, and repelled the Swedish attacks. The siege ended following the death of Charles X Gustav in 1660. In the ensuing peace settlement, Denmark managed to maintain its independence and regain control of Trøndelag and Bornholm. Attaining great popularity following the war, Frederick III used this to disband the elective monarchy in favour of absolute monarchy, which lasted until 1848 in Denmark.

Denmark tried but failed to regain control of Scania in the Scanian War (1675–1679). After the Great Northern War (1700–21), Denmark managed to regain control of the parts of Schleswig and Holstein ruled by the house of Holstein-Gottorp in the 1720 Treaty of Frederiksborg and the 1773 Treaty of Tsarskoye Selo, respectively. Denmark prospered greatly in the last decades of the 18th century due to its neutral status allowing it to trade with both sides in the many contemporary wars. In the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark traded with both France and the United Kingdom and joined the League of Armed Neutrality with Russia, Sweden, and Prussia. British fears that Denmark-Norway would ally with France led to two attacks against Danish targets in Copenhagen in 1801 and 1807. These attacks resulted in the British capturing most of the Dano-Norwegian navy and led to the outbreak of the Gunboat War. British control of the waterways between Denmark and Norway proved disastrous to the union's economy and in 1813 Denmark–Norway went bankrupt.

The union was dissolved by the Treaty of Kiel in 1814; the Danish monarchy "irrevocably and forever" renounced claims to the Kingdom of Norway in favour of the Swedish king. Denmark kept the possessions of Iceland (which retained the Danish monarchy until 1944), the Faroe Islands and Greenland, all of which had been governed by Norway for centuries. Apart from the Nordic colonies, Denmark continued to rule over Danish India from 1620 to 1869, the Danish Gold Coast (Ghana) from 1658 to 1850, and the Danish West Indies from 1671 to 1917.

Constitutional monarchy (1849–present)

A nascent Danish liberal and national movement gained momentum in the 1830s; after the European Revolutions of 1848, Denmark peacefully became a constitutional monarchy on 5 June 1849. A new constitution established a two-chamber parliament. Denmark faced war against both Prussia and the Austrian Empire in what became known as the Second Schleswig War, lasting from February to October 1864. Denmark was defeated and obliged to cede Schleswig and Holstein to Prussia. This loss came as the latest in the long series of defeats and territorial losses that had begun in the 17th century. After these events, Denmark pursued a policy of neutrality in Europe.

Industrialisation came to Denmark in the second half of the 19th century. The nation's first railways were constructed in the 1850s, and improved communications and overseas trade allowed industry to develop in spite of Denmark's lack of natural resources. Trade unions developed, starting in the 1870s. There was a considerable migration of people from the countryside to the cities, and Danish agriculture became centred on the export of dairy and meat products.

Denmark maintained its neutral stance during World War I. After the defeat of Germany, the Versailles powers offered to return the region of Schleswig-Holstein to Denmark. Fearing German irredentism, Denmark refused to consider the return of the area without a plebiscite; the two Schleswig Plebiscites took place on 10 February and 14 March 1920, respectively. On 10 July 1920, Northern Schleswig was recovered by Denmark, thereby adding some 163,600 inhabitants and . The country's first social democratic government took office in 1924.

In 1939, Denmark signed a 10-year nonaggression pact with Nazi Germany. However, Germany invaded Denmark on 9 April 1940, and the Danish government quickly surrendered. World War II in Denmark was characterised by economic co-operation with Germany until 1943, when the Danish government refused further co-operation and its navy scuttled most of its ships and sent many of its officers to Sweden, which was neutral. The Danish resistance performed a rescue operation that managed to evacuate several thousand Jews and their families to safety in Sweden before the Germans could send them to death camps. Some Danes supported Nazism by joining the Danish Nazi Party or volunteering to fight with Germany as part of the Frikorps Danmark. Iceland severed ties with Denmark and became an independent republic in 1944; Germany surrendered in May 1945. In 1948, the Faroe Islands gained home rule. In 1949, Denmark became a founding member of NATO.

Denmark was a founding member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). During the 1960s, the EFTA countries were often referred to as the Outer Seven, as opposed to the Inner Six of what was then the European Economic Community (EEC). In 1973, along with Britain and Ireland, Denmark joined the European Economic Community (now the European Union) after a public referendum. The Maastricht Treaty, which involved further European integration, was rejected by the Danish people in 1992; it was only accepted after a second referendum in 1993, which provided for four opt-outs from policies. The Danes rejected the euro as the national currency in a referendum in 2000. Greenland gained home rule in 1979 and was awarded self-determination in 2009. Neither the Faroe Islands nor Greenland are members of the European Union, the Faroese having declined membership of the EEC in 1973 and Greenland in 1986, in both cases because of fisheries policies.

Constitutional change in 1953 led to a single-chamber parliament elected by proportional representation, female accession to the Danish throne, and Greenland becoming an integral part of Denmark. The centre-left Social Democrats led a string of coalition governments for most of the second half of the 20th century, introducing the Nordic welfare model. The Liberal Party and the Conservative People's Party have also led centre-right governments.

Geography

Located in Northern Europe, Denmark consists of the northern part of the Jutland peninsula and an archipelago of 406 islands. Of these, the largest island is Zealand, on which the capital Copenhagen is situated, followed by the North Jutlandic Island, Funen, and Lolland. The island of Bornholm is located some 150 km east of the rest of the country, in the Baltic Sea. Many of the larger islands are connected by bridges; a bridge-tunnel across the Øresund connects Zealand with Sweden; the Great Belt Fixed Link connects Funen with Zealand; and the Little Belt Bridge connects Jutland with Funen. Ferries or small aircraft connect to the smaller islands. The four cities with populations over 100,000 are the capital Copenhagen on Zealand; Aarhus and Aalborg in Jutland; and Odense on Funen.

The metropolitan part occupies a total area of . The area of inland water is . The size of the land area cannot be stated exactly since the ocean constantly erodes and adds material to the coastline, and because of human land reclamation projects (to counter erosion). Post-glacial rebound raises the land by a bit less than per year in the north and east, extending the coast. A circle enclosing the same area as Denmark would be in diameter with a circumference of (land area only: and respectively). It shares a border of with Germany to the south and is otherwise surrounded by of tidal shoreline (including small bays and inlets). No ___location in Denmark is farther from the coast than . On the south-west coast of Jutland, the tide is between , and the tideline moves outward and inward on a stretch. Denmark's territorial waters total .

Denmark's northernmost point is Skagen point (the north beach of the Skaw) at 57° 45' 7" northern latitude; the southernmost is Gedser point (the southern tip of Falster) at 54° 33' 35" northern latitude; the westernmost point is Blåvandshuk at 8° 4' 22" eastern longitude; and the easternmost point is Østerskær at 15° 11' 55" eastern longitude. This is in the small Ertholmene archipelago north-east of Bornholm. The distance from east to west is , from north to south .

The metropolitan part is flat with little elevation, having an average height above sea level of . The highest natural point is Møllehøj, at . Although this is by far the lowest high point in the Nordic countries and also less than half of the highest point in Southern Sweden, Denmark's general elevation in its interior is generally at a safe level from rising sea levels. A sizeable portion of Denmark's terrain consists of rolling plains whilst the coastline is sandy, with large dunes in northern Jutland. Although once extensively forested, today Denmark largely consists of arable land. It is drained by a dozen or so rivers, and the most significant include the Gudenå, Odense, Skjern, Suså and Vidå—a river that flows along its southern border with Germany. The country has 1008 lakes, 16 have an area of more than . Lake Arresø, located northwest of Copenhagen, is the largest lake.

The Kingdom of Denmark includes two overseas territories, both well to the west of Denmark: Greenland, the world's largest island, and the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean. These territories are self-governing under their own parliaments (the Løgting and Inatsisartut) and form, together with continental Denmark, part of the Danish Realm, a country.

Climate

Denmark has a temperate climate, characterised by cool to cold winters, with mean temperatures in January of , and mild summers, with a mean temperature in August of . The most extreme temperatures recorded in Denmark, since 1874 when recordings began, was in 1975 and in 1982. Denmark has an average of 179 days per year with precipitation, on average receiving a total of per year; autumn is the wettest season and spring the driest. The position between a continent and an ocean means that the weather is often unstable.

Because of Denmark's northern ___location, there are large seasonal variations in daylight: short days during the winter with sunrise around 8:45 am and sunset 3:45 pm (standard time), as well as long summer days with sunrise at 4:30 am and sunset at 10 pm (daylight saving time).

Ecology

Denmark belongs to the Boreal Kingdom and can be subdivided into two ecoregions: the Atlantic mixed forests and Baltic mixed forests. Almost all of Denmark's primeval temperate forests have been destroyed or fragmented, chiefly for agricultural purposes during the last millennia. The deforestation has created large swaths of heathland and devastating sand drifts. In spite of this, there are several larger second growth woodlands in the country and, in total, 12.9% of the land is now forested. Norway spruce is the most widespread tree (2017); an important tree in the Christmas tree production. Denmark holds a Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 0.5/10, ranking it 171st globally out of 172 countries—behind only San Marino.

Roe deer occupy the countryside in growing numbers, and large-antlered red deer can be found in the sparse woodlands of Jutland. Denmark is also home to smaller mammals, such as polecats, hares and hedgehogs. Approximately 400 bird species inhabit Denmark and about 160 of those breed in the country. Large marine mammals include healthy populations of harbour porpoises, growing numbers of pinnipeds and occasional visits of whales, including blue whales and orcas. Cod, herring and plaice are abundant culinary fish in Danish waters and form the basis for a large fishing industry.

Environment

Denmark historically taken a progressive stance on environmental preservation: In 1971, it established a Ministry of Environment and was the first country in the world to implement an environmental law in 1973. Land and water pollution are two of Denmark's most significant environmental issues, although much of its household and industrial waste is now increasingly filtered and sometimes recycled. Denmark is a signatory to the Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, its national ecological footprint is 8.26 global hectares per person, which is very high compared to a world average of 1.7 in 2010. Contributing factors are an exceptionally high value for cropland and grazing land, possibly due to substantially high meat production ( meat annually per capita) and economic size of the meat and dairy industries.

Notwithstanding its relatively high emissions, Denmark topped the list of the 2015 Climate Change Performance Index due to its implementation effective climate protection policies. The country has consistently placed first since 2020. Denmark ranked 10th in the Environmental Performance Index, which measures progress at mitigating climate change, safeguarding ecosystem vitality, and promoting environmental health. In 2021, Denmark joined Costa Rica to launch the "Beyond Oil and Gas alliance" for stopping use fossil fuels. The Danish government stopped issuing new licences for oil and gas extraction in December 2020.

Denmark's territories, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, catch approximately 650 whales per year. Greenland's quotas for the catch of whales are determined according to the advice of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), having quota decision-making powers.

Government and politics

Politics in Denmark operate under a framework laid out in the Constitution of Denmark. First written in 1849, it establishes a sovereign state in the form of a constitutional monarchy, with a representative unicameral parliamentary system. The monarch officially retains executive power and presides over the Council of State (privy council). In practice, the duties of the monarch are strictly representative and ceremonial, such as the formal appointment and dismissal of the Prime Minister and other Government ministers. The Monarch is not answerable for his or her actions, and their person is sacrosanct. Hereditary monarch King Frederik X has been head of state since 14 January 2024.

Government

The Danish parliament is unicameral and called the Folketing. It is the legislature of the Kingdom of Denmark, passing acts that apply in Denmark and, variably, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The Folketing is also responsible for adopting the state's budgets, approving the state's accounts, appointing and exercising control of the Government, and taking part in international co-operation. Bills may be initiated by the Government or by members of parliament. All bills passed must be presented before the Council of State to receive Royal Assent within thirty days in order to become law.

Denmark is a representative democracy with universal suffrage. Membership of the Folketing is based on proportional representation of political parties, with a 2% electoral threshold. Denmark elects 175 members to the Folketing, with Greenland and the Faroe Islands electing an additional two members each—179 members in total. Parliamentary elections are held at least every four years, but it is within the powers of the prime minister to ask the monarch to call for an election before the term has elapsed. On a vote of no confidence, the Folketing may force a single minister or an entire government to resign.

The Government of Denmark operates as a cabinet government, where executive authority is exercised—formally, on behalf of the monarch—by the prime minister and other cabinet ministers, who head ministries. As the executive branch, the Cabinet is responsible for proposing bills and a budget, executing the laws, and guiding the foreign and internal policies of Denmark. The position of prime minister belongs to the person most likely to command the confidence of a majority in the Folketing; this is often the current leader of the largest political party or, more effectively, through a coalition of parties. A single party generally does not have sufficient political power in terms of the number of seats to form a cabinet on its own; Denmark has often been ruled by coalition governments, themselves usually minority governments dependent on non-government parties.

Following the 2022 Danish general election in November 2022, incumbent prime minister and Social Democratic leader Mette Frederiksen in December 2022 formed the current Frederiksen II Cabinet, a coalition government with the until then leading opposition party Venstre and the recently founded Moderate party.

Law and judicial system

Denmark has a civil law system with some references to Germanic law. Denmark resembles Norway and Sweden in never having developed a case-law like that of England and the United States nor comprehensive codes like those of France and Germany. Much of its law is customary.

The judicial system of Denmark is divided between courts with regular civil and criminal jurisdiction and administrative courts with jurisdiction over litigation between individuals and the public administration. Articles sixty-two and sixty-four of the Constitution ensure judicial independence from government and Parliament by providing that judges shall only be guided by the law, including acts, statutes and practice. The Kingdom of Denmark does not have a single unified judicial system – Denmark has one system, Greenland another, and the Faroe Islands a third. However, decisions by the highest courts in Greenland and the Faroe Islands may be appealed to the Danish High Courts. The Danish Supreme Court is the highest civil and criminal court responsible for the administration of justice in the Kingdom.

Danish Realm

The Kingdom of Denmark is a unitary state that comprises, in addition to metropolitan Denmark, two autonomous territories in the North Atlantic Ocean: the Faroe Islands and Greenland. They have been integrated parts of the Danish Realm since the 18th century; however, due to their separate historical and cultural identities, these parts of the Realm have extensive political powers and have assumed legislative and administrative responsibility in a substantial number of fields. Home rule was granted to the Faroe Islands in 1948 and to Greenland in 1979, each having previously had the status of counties.

The Faroe Islands and Greenland have their own home governments and parliaments and are effectively self-governing in regards to domestic affairs apart from the judicial system and monetary policy. High Commissioners () act as representatives of the Danish government in the Faroese Løgting and in the Greenlandic Parliament, but they cannot vote. The Faroese home government is defined to be an equal partner with the Danish national government, while the Greenlandic people are defined as a separate people with the right to self-determination.

Administrative divisions

Denmark, with a total area of , is divided into five administrative regions. The regions are further subdivided into 98 municipalities (). The easternmost land in Denmark, the Ertholmene archipelago, with an area of 39 hectares (0.16 sq mi), is neither part of a municipality nor a region but belongs to the Ministry of Defence. The provinces of Denmark are statistical divisions of Denmark, positioned between the administrative regions and municipalities. They are not administrative divisions, nor subject for any kind of political elections, but are mainly for statistical use.

The regions were created on 1 January 2007 to replace the 16 former counties. At the same time, smaller municipalities were merged into larger units, reducing the number from 270. Most municipalities have a population of at least 20,000 to give them financial and professional sustainability, although a few exceptions were made to this rule. The administrative divisions are led by directly elected councils, elected proportionally every four years; the most recent Danish local elections were held on 16 November 2021. Other regional structures use the municipal boundaries as a layout, including the police districts, the court districts and the electoral wards.

Regions

The governing bodies of the regions are the regional councils, each with forty-one councillors elected for four-year terms. The councils are headed by regional district chairmen (), who are elected by the council.

The areas of responsibility for the regional councils are the national health service, social services and regional development. Unlike the counties they replaced, the regions are not allowed to levy taxes and the health service is partly financed by a national health care contribution until 2018 (), partly by funds from both government and municipalities. From 1 January 2019 this contribution will be abolished, as it is being replaced by higher income tax instead.

The area and populations of the regions vary widely; for example, the Capital Region has a population three times larger than that of North Denmark Region. Under the county system certain densely populated municipalities, such as Copenhagen Municipality and Frederiksberg, had been given a status equivalent to that of counties, making them first-level administrative divisions. These sui generis municipalities were incorporated into the new regions under the 2007 reforms.

Foreign relations

Denmark wields considerable influence in Northern Europe and is a middle power in international affairs. In recent years, Greenland and the Faroe Islands have been guaranteed a say in foreign policy issues such as fishing, whaling, and geopolitical concerns. The foreign policy of Denmark is substantially influenced by its membership of the European Union (EU); Denmark including Greenland joined the European Economic Community (EEC), the EU's predecessor, in 1973. Denmark held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on seven occasions, most recently from January to June 2012. Following World War II, Denmark ended its two-hundred-year-long policy of neutrality. It has been a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since 1949, and membership remains highly popular.

As a member of Development Assistance Committee (DAC), Denmark has for a long time been among the countries of the world contributing the largest percentage of gross national income to development aid. In 2015, Denmark contributed 0.85% of its gross national income (GNI) to foreign aid and was one of only six countries meeting the longstanding UN target of 0.7% of GNI. The country participates in both bilateral and multilateral aid, with the aid usually administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The organisational name of Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) is often used, in particular when operating bilateral aid. According to the 2024 Global Peace Index, Denmark is the 8th most peaceful country in the world.

Military

Denmark's armed forces are known as the Danish Defence. The Minister of Defence is commander-in-chief of the Danish Defence, and serves as chief diplomatic official abroad. During peacetime, the Ministry of Defence employs around 33,000 in total. The main military branches employ almost 27,000: 15,460 in the Royal Danish Army, 5,300 in the Royal Danish Navy and 6,050 in the Royal Danish Air Force (all including conscripts). The Danish Emergency Management Agency employs 2,000 (including conscripts), and about 4,000 are in non-branch-specific services like the Danish Defence Command and the Danish Defence Intelligence Service. Furthermore, around 44,500 serve as volunteers in the Danish Home Guard.

Denmark is a long-time supporter of international peacekeeping, but since the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 and the War in Afghanistan in 2001, Denmark has also found a new role as a warring nation, participating actively in several wars and invasions. This relatively new situation has stirred some internal critique, but the Danish population has generally been very supportive, in particular of the War in Afghanistan. The Danish Defence has around 1,400 staff in international missions, not including standing contributions to NATO SNMCMG1. Danish forces were heavily engaged in the former Yugoslavia in the UN Protection Force (UNPROFOR), with IFOR, and now SFOR. Between 2003 and 2007, there were approximately 450 Danish soldiers in Iraq. Denmark also strongly supported American operations in Afghanistan and has contributed both monetarily and materially to the ISAF. These initiatives are often described by the authorities as part of a new "active foreign policy" of Denmark.

Economy

Denmark has a developed mixed economy that is classed as a high-income economy by the World Bank. In 2022, it ranked 8th in the world in terms of gross national income (PPP) per capita and 10th in nominal GNI per capita. Denmark's economy stands out as one of the most free in the Index of Economic Freedom and the Economic Freedom of the World. It is the 10th most competitive economy in the world, and 7th in Europe and North America, according to the World Economic Forum in its Global Competitiveness Report 2019.

Denmark has the fourth highest ratio of tertiary degree holders in the world. The country ranks highest in the world for workers' rights. GDP per hour worked was the 16th highest in 2022. The country has a market income inequality close to the OECD average, but after taxes and public cash transfers the income inequality is considerably lower. According to Eurostat, Denmark's Gini coefficient for disposable income was the 7th-lowest among EU countries in 2017.

According to the International Monetary Fund, Denmark has the world's highest minimum wage. As Denmark has no minimum wage legislation, the high wage floor has been attributed to the power of trade unions. For example, as the result of a collective bargaining agreement between the 3F trade union and the employers group Horesta, workers at McDonald's and other fast food chains make the equivalent of US$20 an hour, which is more than double what their counterparts earn in the United States, and have access to paid vacation, parental leave and a pension plan. Union density in 2015 was 68%.

Once a predominantly agricultural country on account of its arable landscape, since 1945 Denmark has greatly expanded its industrial base and service sector. By 2017 services contributed circa 75% of GDP, manufacturing about 15% and agriculture less than 2%. Major industries include wind turbines, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, machinery and transportation equipment, food processing, and construction. Circa 60% of the total export value is due to export of goods, and the remaining 40% is from service exports, mainly sea transport. The country's main export goods are: wind turbines, pharmaceuticals, machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, dairy products, fish, furniture and design. Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy and has for a number of years had a balance of payments surplus which has transformed the country from a net debitor to a net creditor country. By 1 July 2018, the net international investment position (or net foreign assets) of Denmark was equal to 64.6% of GDP.

Denmark is part of the European Union's internal market, which represents more than 508 million consumers. Several domestic commercial policies are determined by agreements among European Union (EU) members and by EU legislation. Support for free trade is high among the Danish public; in a 2016 poll 57% responded saw globalisation as an opportunity whereas 18% viewed it as a threat. 70% of trade flows are inside the European Union. , Denmark's largest export partners are Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Denmark's currency, the krone (DKK), is pegged at approximately 7.46 kroner per euro through the ERM II. Although a September 2000 referendum rejected adopting the euro, the country follows the policies set forth in the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (EMU) and meets the economic convergence criteria needed to adopt the euro. The majority of the political parties in the Folketing support joining the EMU, but since 2010 opinion polls have consistently shown a clear majority against adopting the euro. In March 2018, 29% of respondents from Denmark in a Eurobarometer opinion poll stated that they were in favour of the EMU and the euro, whereas 65% were against it. The exact same poll conducted in November 2023, was almost unchanged with 31% in favour and 63% against.

Ranked by turnover in Denmark, the largest Danish companies are: A.P. Møller-Mærsk (international shipping), Novo Nordisk (pharmaceuticals), ISS A/S (facility services), Vestas (wind turbines), Arla Foods (dairy), DSV (transport), Carlsberg Group (beer), Salling Group (retail), Ørsted A/S (power), Danske Bank.

The Danish government focused into methods to increase taxes on energy dealers in 2023.

Public policy

Danes enjoy a high standard of living and the Danish economy is characterised by extensive government welfare provisions. Denmark has a corporate tax rate of 22% and a special time-limited tax regime for expatriates. The Danish taxation system is broad based, with a 25% value-added tax, in addition to excise taxes, income taxes and other fees. The overall level of taxation (sum of all taxes, as a percentage of GDP) was 46% in 2017. The tax structure of Denmark (the relative weight of different taxes) differs from the OECD average, as the Danish tax system in 2015 was characterised by substantially higher revenues from taxes on personal income and a lower proportion of revenues from taxes on corporate income and gains and property taxes than in OECD generally, whereas no revenues at all derive from social security contributions. The proportion deriving from payroll taxes, VAT, and other taxes on goods and services correspond to the OECD average

, 6.5% of the population was reported to live below the poverty line, when adjusted for taxes and transfers. Denmark had the 2nd lowest relative poverty rate in the OECD after Czech Republic, below the 11.4% OECD average. The 6% of the population reporting that they could not afford to buy sufficient food was less than half of the OECD average.

Labour market

Like other Nordic countries, Denmark has adopted the Nordic Model, which combines free market capitalism with a comprehensive welfare state and strong worker protection. As a result of its acclaimed "flexicurity" model, Denmark has the freest labour market in Europe, according to the World Bank. Employers can hire and fire whenever they want (flexibility), and between jobs, unemployment compensation is relatively high (security). According to OECD, initial as well as long-term net replacement rates for unemployed persons were 65% of previous net income in 2016, against an OECD average of 53%. No restrictions apply regarding overtime work, which allows companies to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. With an employment rate in 2017 of 74.2% for people aged 15–64-years, Denmark ranks 9th highest among the OECD countries, and above the OECD average of 67.8%. The unemployment rate was 5.7% in 2017, which is considered close to or below its structural level.

The level of unemployment benefits is dependent on former employment and normally on membership of an unemployment fund, which is usually closely connected to a trade union, and previous payment of contributions. Circa 65% of the financing comes from earmarked member contributions, whereas the remaining third originates from the central government and hence from general taxation.

Business

Establishing a business in Denmark can be undertaken in a matter of hours and at very low costs. The Danish government operates a "Danish Business Authority", and launched a series of initiatives in 2012 aiming to simplify business rules, making it easier to run a business without jeopardising the intended goals of relevant legislation.

Science and technology

Denmark has a long tradition of scientific and technological invention and engagement, and has been involved internationally from the very start of the scientific revolution. In current times, Denmark is participating in many high-profile international science and technology projects, including CERN, ITER, ESA, ISS and E-ELT. Denmark was ranked 10th in the Global Innovation Index in 2024, down from 6th in 2020 and from 7th in 2019.

In the 20th century, Danes have also been innovative in several fields of the technology sector. Danish companies have been influential in the shipping industry with the design of the largest and most energy efficient container ships in the world, the Maersk Triple E class, and Danish engineers have contributed to the design of MAN Diesel engines. In the software and electronic field, Denmark contributed to design and manufacturing of Nordic Mobile Telephones, and the now-defunct Danish company DanCall was among the first to develop GSM mobile phones.

Life science is a key sector with extensive research and development activities. Danish engineers are world-leading in providing diabetes care equipment and medication products from Novo Nordisk and, since 2000, the Danish biotech company Novozymes, the world market leader in enzymes for first generation starch-based bioethanol, has pioneered development of enzymes for converting waste to cellulosic ethanol. Medicon Valley, spanning the Øresund Region between Zealand and Sweden, is one of Europe's largest life science clusters.

Danish-born computer scientists and software engineers have taken leading roles in some of the world's programming languages: Anders Hejlsberg (Turbo Pascal, Delphi, C#); Rasmus Lerdorf (PHP); Bjarne Stroustrup (C++); David Heinemeier Hansson (Ruby on Rails); Lars Bak, a pioneer in virtual machines (V8, Java VM, Dart). Physicist Lene Vestergaard Hau is the first person to stop light, leading to advances in quantum computing, nanoscale engineering, and linear optics.

Energy

Denmark has considerably large deposits of oil and natural gas in the North Sea and ranks as number 32 in the world among net exporters of crude oil and was producing 259,980 barrels of crude oil a day in 2009. Denmark is a long-time leader in wind power: In 2015 wind turbines provided 42.1% of the total electricity consumption. Denmark derived 3.1% of its gross domestic product from renewable (clean) energy technology and energy efficiency, or around €6.5 billion ($9.4 billion). Denmark is connected by electric transmission lines to other European countries.

Denmark's electricity sector has integrated energy sources such as wind power into the national grid. Denmark now aims to focus on intelligent battery systems (V2G) and plug-in vehicles in the transport sector. The country is a member nation of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Denmark exported roughly 460 million GJ of energy in 2018.

Transport

Significant investment has been made in building road and rail links between regions in Denmark, most notably the Great Belt Fixed Link, which connects Zealand and Funen. It is now possible to drive from Frederikshavn in northern Jutland to Copenhagen on eastern Zealand without leaving the motorway. The main railway operator is DSB for passenger services and DB Cargo for freight trains. The railway tracks are maintained by Banedanmark. The North Sea and the Baltic Sea are intertwined by various, international ferry links. Construction of the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link, connecting Denmark and Germany with a second link, Started in 2021. Copenhagen has a rapid transit system, the Copenhagen Metro, and an extensive electrified suburban railway network, the S-train. In the four largest cities – Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, Aalborg – light rail systems are planned to be in operation around 2020.

Cycling in Denmark is a very common form of transport, particularly for the young and for city dwellers. With a network of bicycle routes extending more than 12,000 km and an estimated 7,000 km of segregated dedicated bicycle paths and lanes, Denmark has a solid bicycle infrastructure.

Private vehicles are increasingly used as a means of transport. Because of the high registration tax (150%), VAT (25%), and one of the world's highest income tax rates, new cars are very expensive. The purpose of the tax is to discourage car ownership.

In 2007, an attempt was made by the government to favour environmentally friendly cars by slightly reducing taxes on high mileage vehicles. However, this has had little effect, and in 2008 Denmark experienced an increase in the import of fuel inefficient old cars, as the cost for older cars—including taxes—keeps them within the budget of many Danes.

, the average car age is 9.2 years.

With Norway and Sweden, Denmark is part of the Scandinavian Airlines flag carrier. Copenhagen Airport is Scandinavia's busiest passenger airport, handling almost 30 million passengers in 2024. Other notable airports are Billund Airport, Aalborg Airport, and Aarhus Airport.

Demographics

Population

In January 2025, the population of Denmark, as registered by Statistics Denmark, was 5.99 million. Denmark has one of the oldest populations in the world, with the average age of 42.2 years, with 0.99 males per female. Despite a low birth rate of 11.3 births per 1000 population, the population is growing at an average annual rate of 0.44% because of net immigration and increasing longevity. The World Happiness Report frequently ranks Denmark's population as the happiest in the world. This has been attributed to the country's highly regarded education and health care systems, and its low level of income inequality. People in Denmark feel responsible for social welfare. The rate of taxation is among the world's highest and can be half a Dane's income but they get most healthcare free, university tuition is also free and students get grants, there is subsidized child care and old people get pensions and care helpers.

Denmark is a historically homogeneous nation. However, as with its Scandinavian neighbours, Denmark has recently transformed from a nation of net emigration, up until World War II, to a nation of net immigration. Today, residence permits are issued mostly to immigrants from other EU countries (54% of all non-Scandinavian immigrants in 2017). Another 31% of residence permits were study- or work-related, 4% were issued to asylum seekers and 10% to persons who arrive as family dependants. Overall, the net migration rate in 2017 was 2.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population, somewhat lower than the United Kingdom and the other Nordic countries.

There are no official statistics on ethnic groups, but according to 2020 figures from Statistics Denmark, 86.1% of the population in Denmark was of Danish descent (including Faroese and Greenlandic), defined as having at least one parent who was born in the Kingdom of Denmark and holds Danish nationality. The remaining 13.89% were of foreign background, defined as immigrants or descendants of recent immigrants. With the same definition, the most common countries of origin were Turkey, Poland, Syria, Germany, Iraq, Romania, Lebanon, Pakistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Somalia. Minorities in Denmark include Turks, Poles, Syrians, Germans, Iraqis, Romanians and people from former Yugoslavia. There are also other Asian and African populations in the country. Small numbers of Romani people and Hungarians live in Denmark. There is also a small Jewish population.

The Inuit are Indigenous to Greenland in the Kingdom and have traditionally inhabited Greenland and the northern parts of Canada and Alaska in the Arctic. From the 18th century up to the 1970s, the Danish government (Dano-Norwegian until 1814) tried to assimilate the Greenlandic Inuit, encouraging them to adopt the majority language and culture. Because of this "Danization process", some persons of Inuit ancestry now identify their mother tongue as Danish.

Languages

Danish is the de facto national language of Denmark. Faroese and Greenlandic are the official languages of the Faroe Islands and Greenland respectively. German is a recognised minority language in the area of the former South Jutland County (now part of the Region of Southern Denmark), which was part of the German Empire prior to the Treaty of Versailles. Danish and Faroese belong to the North Germanic (Nordic) branch of the Indo-European languages, along with Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish. There is some degree of mutual intelligibility between Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish. Danish is more distantly related to German, which is a West Germanic language. Greenlandic or "Kalaallisut" is an Inuit language, and is entirely unrelated to Danish, although it has adopted many Danish loanwords including the words for numbers.

A large majority (86%) of Danes speak English as a second language, generally with a high level of proficiency. German is the second-most spoken foreign language, with 47% reporting a conversational level of proficiency. Denmark had 25,900 native speakers of German in 2007 (mostly in the South Jutland area).

Religion

Christianity is the dominant religion in Denmark. As of 2024, 71.2% of the population of Denmark were members of the Church of Denmark, the officially established church, which is Protestant in classification and Lutheran in orientation. The membership percentage has been in steady decline since the 1970s, mainly as fewer newborns are being baptised into it. Only 3% of the population regularly attend Sunday services and only 19% of Danes consider religion to be an important part of their life.

The Constitution states that the sovereign must have the Lutheran faith, though the rest of the population is free to adhere to other faiths. In 1682 the state granted limited recognition to three religious groups dissenting from the Established Church: Roman Catholicism, the Reformed Church and Judaism, although conversion to these groups from the Church of Denmark remained illegal initially. Until the 1970s, the state formally recognised "religious societies" by royal decree. Today, religious groups do not need official government recognition, they can be granted the right to perform weddings and other ceremonies without this recognition. Denmark's Muslims make up approximately 4.4% of the population and form the country's second largest religious community and largest minority religion. The Danish Foreign Ministry estimates that other religious groups comprise less than 1% of the population individually and approximately 2% when taken all together. Just under 20% of the Danish population identifies as atheist.

According to a 2010 Eurobarometer poll, 28% of Danish nationals polled responded that they "believe there is a God", 47% responded that they "believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 24% responded that they "do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God or life force". Another poll, carried out in 2009, found that 25% of Danes believe Jesus is the son of God, and 18% believe he is the saviour of the world.

In its 2024 Freedom in the World report, Freedom House rated the country 4 out of 4 for religious freedom.

Education

All educational programmes in Denmark are regulated by the Ministry of Education and administered by local municipalities. Folkeskole covers the entire period of compulsory education, encompassing primary and lower secondary education. Most children attend folkeskole for 10 years, from the ages of 6 to 16. There are no final examinations, but pupils can choose to sit an exam when finishing ninth grade (14–15 years old). The test is obligatory if further education is to be attended. Alternatively pupils can attend an independent school, or a private school, such as Christian schools or Waldorf schools.

Following graduation from compulsory education, there are several continuing educational opportunities; the Gymnasium (STX) attaches importance in teaching a mix of humanities and science, Higher Technical Examination Programme (HTX) focuses on scientific subjects and the Higher Commercial Examination Programme emphasises on subjects in economics. Higher Preparatory Examination (HF) is similar to Gymnasium (STX), but is one year shorter. For specific professions, there is vocational education, training young people for work in specific trades by a combination of teaching and apprenticeship.

The government records upper secondary school completion rates of 83% and tertiary enrollment and completion rates of 45% in 2018. All university and college (tertiary) education in Denmark is free of charges; there are no tuition fees to enrol in courses. Students aged 18 or above may apply for state educational support grants, known as Statens Uddannelsesstøtte (SU), which provides fixed financial support, disbursed monthly. Danish universities offer international students a range of opportunities for obtaining an internationally recognised qualification in Denmark. Many programmes may be taught in the English language, the academic lingua franca, in bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, doctorates and student exchange programmes.

Health

, Denmark has a life expectancy of 81.3 years at birth (79.5 for men, 83.2 for women), up from 80.6 years in 2015. This ranks it 26th among 193 nations, behind the other Nordic countries. The National Institute of Public Health of the University of Southern Denmark has calculated 19 major risk factors among Danes that contribute to a lowering of the life expectancy; this includes smoking, alcohol, drug abuse and physical inactivity. Although the obesity rate is lower than in North America and most other European countries, the large number of overweight Danes results in an annual additional consumption in the health care system of DKK 1,625 million. In a 2012 study, Denmark had the highest cancer rate of all countries listed by the World Cancer Research Fund International; researchers suggest the reasons are better reporting, but also lifestyle factors like heavy alcohol consumption, smoking and physical inactivity.

Denmark has a universal health care system, characterised by being publicly financed through taxes and, for most of the services, run directly by the regional authorities. One of the sources of income was a national health care contribution () (2007–11:8%; '12:7%; '13:6%; '14:5%; '15:4%; '16:3%; '17:2%; '18:1%; '19:0%) but it was phased out from January 2019 in favour of income taxes. This means that most health care provision is free at the point of delivery for all residents. Additionally, roughly two in five have complementary private insurance to cover services not fully covered by the state, such as physiotherapy. , Denmark spends 11.2% of its GDP on health care; this is up from 9.8% in 2007 (US$3,512 per capita). This places Denmark above the OECD average and above the other Nordic countries.

Vulnerable residential areas

Certain social housing districts in Denmark fulfilling specific statistical criteria of relatively low employment, school attendance, relatively low income, a relatively low educational level or relatively many convicted inhabitants are officially listed by the government as vulnerable residential areas. In some cases, the majority of the neighbourhoods consist of non-Western immigrants and their descendants. Over the years, several government initiatives have been taken to further integration and counter urban decay in these neighbourhoods. Major plans to this end were presented in 1994 and 2000 by the governments of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, in 2004 by the Anders Fogh Rasmussen I Cabinet, in 2010 by the Lars Løkke Rasmussen I Cabinet, in 2013 by the Helle Thorning-Schmidt I Cabinet, in 2018 by the Lars Løkke Rasmussen III Cabinet, and in 2021 by the Mette Frederiksen I Cabinet. Some of the policies have been criticised for undercutting 'equality before law' and for portraying immigrants, especially Muslim immigrants, in a bad light.

During the years 2010–2021, the term "ghetto" was used officially to designate some or all of the vulnerable areas. The term was considered controversial, however, and removed in 2021. Denmark is the only country to have officially used the word 'ghetto' in the 21st century to denote certain residential areas. From 2021, four different lists are published, depending on the residents' income levels, employment status, education levels, criminal convictions and origin (a statistical criterion based on parents' geographical birthplace and citizenship). In 2023, there were 19 vulnerable residential areas in Denmark.

Culture

Denmark shares strong cultural and historic ties with its Scandinavian neighbours Sweden and Norway. It has historically been one of the most socially progressive cultures in the world. In 1969, Denmark was the first country to legalise pornography, and in 2012, Denmark replaced its "registered partnership" laws, which it had been the first country to introduce in 1989, with gender-neutral marriage, and allowed same-sex marriages to be performed in the Church of Denmark. Modesty and social equality are important parts of Danish culture. In a 2016 study comparing empathy scores of 63 countries, Denmark ranked 4th world-wide having the highest empathy among surveyed European countries.

The astronomical discoveries of Tycho Brahe, Ludwig A. Colding's neglected articulation of the principle of conservation of energy, and the contributions to atomic physics of Niels Bohr indicate the range of Danish scientific achievement. The fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen, the philosophical essays of Søren Kierkegaard, the short stories of Karen Blixen (penname Isak Dinesen), the plays of Ludvig Holberg, and the dense, aphoristic poetry of Piet Hein, have earned international recognition, as have the symphonies of Carl Nielsen. From the mid-1990s, Danish films have attracted international attention, especially those associated with Dogme 95 like those of Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.

A major feature of Danish culture is Jul (Danish Christmas). The holiday is celebrated throughout December, starting either at the beginning of Advent or on 1 December with a variety of traditions, culminating with the Christmas Eve meal.

There are seven heritage sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in Northern Europe: Christiansfeld, a Moravian Church Settlement, the Jelling Mounds (Runic Stones and Church), Kronborg Castle, Roskilde Cathedral, and The par force hunting landscape in North Zealand and 3 in the World Heritage list in North America: Ilulissat Icefjord, Aasivissuit—Nipisat, Kujataa within the Kingdom of Denmark.

Human rights

Denmark is usually considered a progressive country, which has adopted legislation and policies to support women's rights, minority rights, and LGBT rights. Human rights in Denmark are protected by the state's Constitution of the Realm (Danmarks Riges Grundlov); applying equally in Denmark proper, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, and through the ratification of international human rights treaties. Denmark has held a significant role in the adoption of both the European Convention on Human Rights and in the establishment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). In 1987, the Kingdom Parliament (Folketinget) established a national human rights institution, the Danish Centre of Human Rights, now the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

In 2009, a referendum on changing the Danish Act of Succession were held to grant absolute primogeniture to the Danish throne, meaning that the eldest child, regardless of gender, takes precedence in the line of succession. As it was not retroactive, the current successor to the throne is the eldest son of the King, rather than his eldest child. The Danish constitution Article 2 states that "The monarchy is inherited by men and women".

The Inuit have for decades been the subject of discrimination and abuse by the dominant colonisers from Europe, those countries claiming possession of Inuit lands. The Inuit have never been a single community in a single region of Inuit. From the 18th century up to the 1970s, the Danish government (Dano-Norwegian until 1814) tried to assimilate the Indigenous people of Greenland, the Greenlandic Inuit, encouraging them to adopt the majority language, culture and religion. Denmark has been greatly criticised by the Greenlandic community for the politics of Danisation (1950s and 1960s) of and discrimination against the Indigenous population of the country. Critical treatment paying non-Inuit workers higher wages than the local people, the relocation of entire families from their traditional lands into settlements, and separating children from their parents and sending them away to Denmark for schooling has been practised. Nevertheless, Denmark ratified, in 1996, to recognise the ILO-convention 169 on Indigenous people recommended by the UN.

Denmark was the first country in the world to grant legal recognition to same-sex unions in the form of registered partnerships in 1989. On 7 June 2012, the law was replaced by a new same-sex marriage law, which came into effect on 15 June 2012. Greenland and the Faroe Islands legalised same-sex marriage in April 2016, and in July 2017 respectively. In January 2016, a resolution was implemented by the Danish parliament which prevented transgender identity being classified as a mental health condition. In doing so, Denmark became the first country in Europe to go against the World Health Organization (WHO) standards, which classified transgender identity as being a mental health issue until June 2018.

In its 2024 Freedom in the World report, Freedom House rated the country "free" with a score of 97 (out of 100).

Media

Danish cinema dates back to 1897 and since the 1980s has maintained a steady stream of productions due largely to funding by the state-supported Danish Film Institute. There have been three big internationally important waves of Danish cinema: erotic melodrama of the silent era; the increasingly explicit sex films of the 1960s and 1970s; and lastly, the Dogme 95 movement of the late 1990s, where directors often used hand-held cameras to dynamic effect in a conscious reaction against big-budget studios. Danish films have been noted for their realism, religious and moral themes, sexual frankness and technical innovation. The Danish filmmaker Carl Th. Dreyer is considered one of the greatest directors of early cinema.

Other Danish filmmakers of note include Erik Balling, the creator of the popular Olsen-banden films; Gabriel Axel, an Oscar-winner for Babette's Feast in 1987; and Bille August, the Oscar-, - and Golden Globe-winner for Pelle the Conqueror in 1988. In the modern era, notable filmmakers in Denmark include Lars von Trier, who co-created the Dogme 95 movement with Thomas Vinterberg, and multiple award-winners Susanne Bier and Nicolas Winding Refn. Mads Mikkelsen is a world-renowned Danish actor, as is Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

Danish mass media date back to the 1540s, when handwritten fly sheets reported on the news. In 1666, Anders Bording, the father of Danish journalism, began a state paper. In 1834, the first liberal, factual newspaper appeared, and the 1849 Constitution established lasting freedom of the press in Denmark.

Modern Danish mass media and news programming are dominated by a few large corporations. In printed media JP/Politikens Hus and Berlingske Media, between them, control the largest newspapers Politiken, Berlingske Tidende and and major tabloids B.T. and . In television, publicly owned stations DR and TV 2 have large shares of the viewers. DR in particular is famous for its high quality TV-series often sold to foreign broadcasters and often with leading female characters like internationally known actresses Sidse Babett Knudsen and Sofie Gråbøl. In radio, DR has a near monopoly, currently broadcasting on all four nationally available FM channels, competing only with local stations.

Music

Denmark and its multiple outlying islands have a wide range of folk traditions. The country's most famous classical composer is Carl Nielsen (1865–1931), especially remembered for his six symphonies and his Wind Quintet, while the Royal Danish Ballet specialises in the work of the Danish choreographer August Bournonville. The Royal Danish Orchestra is among the world's oldest orchestras. Danes have distinguished themselves as jazz musicians, and the Copenhagen Jazz Festival has acquired international recognition.

The modern pop and rock scene has produced a few names of international fame, including Aqua, Alphabeat, D-A-D, King Diamond, Kashmir, Lukas Graham, Mew, Michael Learns to Rock, MØ, Oh Land, The Raveonettes and Volbeat, among others. Lars Ulrich, the drummer of the band Metallica, has become the first Danish musician to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Roskilde Festival near Copenhagen is the largest music festival in Northern Europe since 1971 and Denmark has many recurring music festivals of all genres throughout, including Aarhus International Jazz Festival, Skanderborg Festival, The Blue Festival in Aalborg, Esbjerg International Chamber Music Festival and Skagen Festival among many others.

Denmark has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since 1957 and has won the contest three times, in 1963, 2000 and 2013.

Architecture and design

Denmark's architecture became firmly established in the Middle Ages when first Romanesque, then Gothic churches and cathedrals sprang up throughout the country. From the 16th century, Dutch and Flemish designers were brought to Denmark, initially to improve the country's fortifications, but increasingly to build magnificent royal castles and palaces in the Renaissance style.

During the 17th century, many impressive buildings were built in the Baroque style, both in the capital and the provinces. Neoclassicism from France was slowly adopted by native Danish architects who increasingly participated in defining architectural style. A productive period of Historicism ultimately merged into the 19th-century National Romantic style.

The 20th century brought along new architectural styles; including expressionism, best exemplified by the designs of architect Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint, which relied heavily on Scandinavian brick Gothic traditions; and Nordic Classicism, which enjoyed brief popularity in the early decades of the century. It was in the 1960s that Danish architects such as Arne Jacobsen entered the world scene with their highly successful Functionalist architecture. This, in turn, has evolved into more recent world-class masterpieces including Jørn Utzon's Sydney Opera House and Johan Otto von Spreckelsen's Grande Arche in Paris, paving the way for a number of contemporary Danish designers such as Bjarke Ingels to be rewarded for excellence both at home and abroad.

Danish design is a term often used to describe a style of functionalistic design and architecture that was developed in the mid-20th century, originating in Denmark. Danish design is typically applied to industrial design, furniture and household objects, which have won many international awards. The Royal Porcelain Factory is famous for the quality of its ceramics. Danish design is also a well-known brand, often associated with world-famous, 20th-century designers and architects such as Børge Mogensen, Finn Juhl, Hans Wegner, Arne Jacobsen, Poul Henningsen and Verner Panton. Other designers of note include Kristian Solmer Vedel in the area of industrial design, Jens Quistgaard for kitchen furniture and implements and Ole Wanscher who had a classical approach to furniture design.

Literature and philosophy

The first known Danish literature is myths and folklore from the 10th and 11th century. Saxo Grammaticus, normally considered the first Danish writer, worked on a chronicle of Danish history. Very little is known of other Danish literature from the Middle Ages. With the Age of Enlightenment came Ludvig Holberg whose comedy plays are still being performed.

In the late 19th century, literature was seen as a way to influence society. Known as the Modern Breakthrough, this movement was championed by Georg Brandes, Henrik Pontoppidan (awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature) and J. P. Jacobsen. Romanticism influenced the renowned writer and poet Hans Christian Andersen, known for his stories and fairy tales, e.g. The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid and The Snow Queen. In recent history Johannes Vilhelm Jensen was also awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Karen Blixen is famous for her novels and short stories. Other Danish writers of importance are Herman Bang, Gustav Wied, William Heinesen, Martin Andersen Nexø, Piet Hein, Hans Scherfig, Klaus Rifbjerg, Dan Turèll, Tove Ditlevsen, Inger Christensen and Peter Høeg.

Danish philosophy has a long tradition as part of Western philosophy. Perhaps the most influential Danish philosopher was Søren Kierkegaard, the creator of Christian existentialism. Kierkegaard had a few Danish followers, including Harald Høffding, who later in his life moved on to join the movement of positivism. Another Danish philosopher of note is Grundtvig, whose philosophy gave rise to a new form of non-aggressive nationalism in Denmark, and who is also influential for his theological and historical works.

Painting and photography

While Danish art was influenced over the centuries by trends in Germany and the Netherlands, the 15th and 16th century church frescos, which can be seen in many of the country's older churches, are of particular interest as they were painted in a style typical of native Danish painters.

The Danish Golden Age, which began in the first half of the 19th century, was inspired by a new feeling of nationalism and romanticism, typified in the later previous century by history painter Nicolai Abildgaard. Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg was not only a productive artist in his own right but taught at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts where his students included Wilhelm Bendz, Christen Købke, Martinus Rørbye, Constantin Hansen, and Wilhelm Marstrand.

In 1871, Holger Drachmann and Karl Madsen visited Skagen in the far north of Jutland where they quickly built up one of Scandinavia's most successful artists' colonies specialising in Naturalism and Realism rather than in the traditional approach favoured by the academy. Hosted by Michael and his wife Anna, they were soon joined by P.S. Krøyer, Carl Locher and Laurits Tuxen. All participated in painting the natural surroundings and local people. Similar trends developed on Funen with the Fynboerne who included Johannes Larsen, Fritz Syberg and Peter Hansen, and on the island of Bornholm with the Bornholm school of painters including Niels Lergaard, Kræsten Iversen and Oluf Høst.

Painting has continued to be a prominent form of artistic expression in Danish culture, inspired by and also influencing major international trends in this area. These include impressionism and the modernist styles of expressionism, abstract painting and surrealism. While international co-operation and activity has almost always been essential to the Danish artistic community, influential art collectives with a firm Danish base includes De Tretten (1909–1912), Linien (1930s and 1940s), COBRA (1948–1951), Fluxus (1960s and 1970s), De Unge Vilde (1980s) and more recently Superflex (founded in 1993). Notable Danish painters from modern times representing various art movements include Theodor Philipsen (impressionism and naturalism), Anna Klindt Sørensen (expressionism), Franciska Clausen (Neue Sachlichkeit, cubism, surrealism and others), Henry Heerup (naivism), Robert Jacobsen (abstract painting), Carl Henning Pedersen (abstract painting), Asger Jorn (Situationist, abstract painting), Bjørn Wiinblad (art deco, orientalism), Per Kirkeby (neo-expressionism, abstract painting), Per Arnoldi (pop art), and Michael Kvium (neo-surrealism).

Danish photography has developed from strong participation and interest in the very beginnings of the art of photography in 1839. Pioneers such as Mads Alstrup and Georg Emil Hansen paved the way for a rapidly growing profession during the last half of the 19th century. Today Danish photographers such as Astrid Kruse Jensen and Jacob Aue Sobol are active in key exhibitions around the world.

Cuisine

The traditional cuisine of Denmark, like that of the other Nordic countries and of Northern Germany, consists mainly of meat, fish and potatoes. Danish dishes are highly seasonal, stemming from the country's agricultural past, its geography, and its climate of long, cold winters.

The open sandwiches on rye bread, known as smørrebrød, can be considered a national speciality. Hot meals traditionally consist of ground meats, such as frikadeller (meat balls of veal and pork) and hakkebøf (minced beef patties), or of more substantial meat and fish dishes such as flæskesteg (roast pork with crackling) and kogt torsk (poached cod) with mustard sauce. Denmark is known for its Carlsberg and Tuborg beers and for its akvavit and bitters.

Since around 1970, chefs and restaurants across Denmark have introduced gourmet cooking, largely influenced by French cuisine. Also inspired by continental practices, Danish chefs have recently developed a new innovative cuisine and a series of gourmet dishes based on high-quality local produce known as New Danish cuisine. As a result of these developments, Denmark now has a considerable number of internationally acclaimed restaurants of which several have been awarded Michelin stars. This includes Geranium and Noma in Copenhagen.

Sports

Sports are popular in Denmark, and its citizens participate in and watch a wide variety. The national sport is football, with over 320,000 players in more than 1600 clubs. Denmark qualified six times consecutively for the European Championships between 1984 and 2004, and were crowned European champions in 1992; other significant achievements include winning the Confederations Cup in 1995 and reaching the quarter-final of the 1998 World Cup.

The Denmark women's national handball team celebrated great successes during the 1990s and has won a total of 13 medals—seven gold (in 1994, 1996 (2), 1997, 2000, 2002 and 2004), four silver (in 1962, 1993, 1998 and 2004) and two bronze (in 1995 and 2013). On the men's side, Denmark has won 12 medals—four gold (in 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2019), four silver (in 1967, 2011, 2013 and 2014) and four bronze (in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2007)—the most that have been won by any team in European Handball Championship history. In 2019, the Danish men's national handball team won their first World Championship title.

In recent years, Denmark has made a mark as a strong cycling nation, with Michael Rasmussen reaching King of the Mountains status in the Tour de France in 2005 and 2006. Other popular sports include golf—which is mostly popular among those in the older demographic; tennis—in which Denmark is successful on a professional level; basketball—Denmark joined the international governing body FIBA in 1951; rugby—the Danish Rugby Union dates back to 1950; ice hockey—often competing in the top division in the Men's World Championships; rowing—Denmark specialise in lightweight rowing and are particularly known for their lightweight coxless four, having won six gold and two silver World Championship medals and three gold and two bronze Olympic medals; and several indoor sports—especially badminton, table tennis and gymnastics, in each of which Denmark holds World Championships and Olympic medals.

詞源

「Danmark」（丹麥語，英語為Denmark）這個名字的詞源、「丹麥人」和「丹麥」之間的關係，以及丹麥作為一個統一王國的出現，都是學術界持續爭論的話題。這主要集中在語素「Dan」以及它是指丹人還是歷史人物丹（丹麥歷史早期幾位君主的名字）以及「mark」結尾的確切含義上，一些書目和中世紀文學作品對丹人所在地的描述各不相同，使得丹麥詞源爭議更加複雜。

大多數詞源詞典和手冊都從一個意思是「平地」的詞派生出「Dan」，與德語Tenne「打穀場」、英語den「洞穴」有關。「mark」被認為是指林地或邊境，可能指的是石勒蘇益格南部的邊境森林，因為前後兩個語素拼起來剛好可以大致代表丹麥傳統的本土疆域（大片平原的日德蘭半島與荷爾施泰因-石勒蘇益格地區）。

丹麥首次有記載的使用「Danmark」一詞是在兩塊耶靈石，據信這兩塊符文石是由老戈姆（約955年）和其繼承者藍牙哈拉爾（約965年）豎立的。 兩塊石頭中較大的一塊被普遍引用為丹麥的「洗禮証書」(丹麥語：dåbsattest)，儘管在大石頭上的「丹麥」ᛏᛅᚾᛘᛅᚢᚱᚴ "tanmaurk" (danmɒrk) 一詞都使用賓格，而所有格 ᛏᛅᚾᛘᛅᚱᚴᛅᚱ 「tanmarkar」（danmarkaɽ）出現在小石頭上，與格形式的tąnmarku（發音為 danmarkʊ）出現在同期的Skivum石頭上。丹麥的居民在賓格中被稱為tani (danɪ)，或「Danes」。

中文譯名中，最早由《瀛寰志略》收錄為嗹國，亦有嗹馬、領墨、吝因、丁抹、大尼、丹麻爾、大馬爾齊、盈黎馬祿加，低鈉馬爾加、黃旗國等譯名。

歷史

史前時期

丹麥最早的考古發現可追溯到公元前130,000至110,000年的。丹麥自公元前12,500年左右就有人居住，有証據表明公元前3900年丹麥地區就已經進入了農業社會。丹麥的北歐青銅時代（公元前 1800 年至公元前 600 年）以墓塚為特色，留下了大量的考古發現，包括和。

在（公元前500年–公元1年），土著群體開始向南遷移，第一批丹麥部落在羅馬鐵器時代（公元1–400年），前羅馬和之間來到該國。羅馬行省與丹麥本土部落保持著貿易路線和關係，並且在丹麥發現了。 強大的凱爾特文化影響力可以追溯到這一時期之丹麥和西北歐大部分地區，貢德斯特魯普釜的發現反映了這一點。

以部落為單位的丹麥人來自丹麥東部島嶼（西蘭）和斯堪尼亞，說的是早期的北日耳曼語。歷史學家認為，在他們到來之前，日德蘭半島的大部分地區和附近的島嶼都有朱特人定居。 朱特人最終遷移英國，其中一些人成為布立吞國王的僱傭兵，被授予肯特東南部領土、懷特島和其他地區，並在那裡定居，後來被入侵的盎格魯-撒克遜人吸收或清洗。日德蘭半島上剩餘的朱特人被定居的丹麥人同化。

歷史學家約達尼斯在《哥特史》(Getica) 中對Dani所做的簡短說明被認為是對丹麥人的早期提及，現代丹麥人就是其中一支部族的後裔。Danevirke（英語：Danework，是一道橫跨日德蘭半島南部的長城，可參考英國之哈德良長城，在普丹戰爭中依舊發揮作用）是從3世紀開始分階段建造的，公元737年建築工程的龐大規模則要歸功于丹麥國王的出現。大約在同一時間，丹麥王國首次使用（或稱斯堪的納維亞符文），丹麥最古老的城鎮里伯也大約在公元700年建立。

維京時代和中世紀

8世紀到10世紀，更廣闊的斯堪的納維亞地區是維京人的源頭。 他們在歐洲各地進行殖民、劫掠和貿易。 丹麥維京人在不列顛群島東部和南部以及西歐最為活躍。 他們于1013年在國王的統治下定居在英格蘭的部分地區（被稱為丹麥區）。在法國，丹麥人和挪威人效忠法國的羅伯特一世，被允許定居在後來稱為「諾曼底」的地方，羅洛是第一任統治者。在丹麥，發現了這一時期的一些盎格魯-撒克遜便士。

8世紀末，丹麥在很大程度上得到了鞏固，其統治者在法蘭克語資料中一直被稱為國王 (reges)。 804年的統治下，丹麥王國可能包括日德蘭半島、斯堪尼亞和丹麥群島的所有土地，但不包括博恩霍爾姆島。

現存的丹麥君主制的根源可以追溯到老戈姆，他在10世紀初建立起自己的統治。正如耶靈石碑所証明的那樣，丹麥人在 965 年左右被戈姆的兒子藍牙哈爾德基督教化，據信丹麥皈依基督教是為了免受神聖羅馬帝國的入侵。維京人人口過少同時生產力低下，當西歐地區強大的封建王國被建立後，維京時代的結束便是必然的。作為歐洲新興的基督教力量，神聖羅馬帝國是丹麥人的重要貿易夥伴。作為對強鄰的威懾，哈拉爾德在丹麥周圍建造了六座堡壘，稱為，並建造了一個更遠的。11世紀初，克努特大帝 (Canute the Great) 一度統治丹麥、英格蘭和挪威近30年。

在整個中世紀晚期和中世紀，丹麥還擁有斯堪尼地區（今瑞典南部的斯堪尼亞、哈蘭和布萊金厄地區），丹麥國王統治著丹屬愛沙尼亞以及石勒蘇益格和荷爾斯泰因公國。後兩者中的大部分組成了今天德國北部的石勒蘇益格-荷爾斯泰因州。

1397年，丹麥在瑪格麗特一世女王的領導下與挪威和瑞典建立了共主邦聯——卡爾馬聯盟，理論上這三個國家在聯盟中地位平等。 然而，即使從一開始，瑪格麗特可能就沒有那麼理想化——她將丹麥視為聯盟中的「高級」成員。因此，接下來125年的斯堪的納維亞歷史的大部分時間都圍繞著這個聯盟展開，瑞典不斷分裂、統一。 該問題于1523年6月17日隨著瑞典國王古斯塔夫·瓦薩 (Gustav Vasa) 征服斯德哥爾摩市得到了切實解決。新教改革在 1530 年代傳播到斯堪的納維亞半島，緊隨其後的便是伯爵戰爭。丹麥于1536年皈依了路德宗。同年晚些時候，隨著瑞典退盟，丹麥與挪威組成聯合王國。

近代（公元1536-1849年）

在瑞典永久脫離聯合王國後，丹麥曾多次試圖重新控制其鄰國。國王克里斯蒂安四世在1611年至1613年的卡爾馬戰爭中進攻瑞典，但未能迫使瑞典回歸聯邦。儘管戰爭沒有導致領土變化，但瑞典被迫向丹麥支付100萬銀的戰爭賠款。克里斯蒂安國王用這筆錢建立了幾個城鎮和要塞，最著名的是格呂克施塔特（作為漢堡的貿易競爭對手）和克里斯蒂安尼亞。受荷蘭東印度公司的啟發，國王建立了一家類似的丹麥東印度公司，並計劃殖民錫蘭，但該公司只設法收購了塔蘭甘巴迪海岸的幾個貿易站。雖然丹麥在印度和非洲的殖民地鮮為人知，但它在利潤豐厚的大西洋奴隸貿易中發揮了重要作用，光是奧蘇 (阿克拉)的克里斯蒂安斯堡的貿易站就交易了約150萬奴隸。由于丹麥殖民帝國是靠與其他大國的貿易和種植園維持的，最終資源的匱乏導致了它的崩潰。

在三十年戰爭中，克里斯蒂安試圖成為德國新教諸侯的領袖，于是對陣領導天主教軍隊的阿爾布雷希特·馮·華倫斯坦，但在盧特戰役中慘敗。結果是華倫斯坦的軍隊入侵和掠奪了日德蘭半島，迫使丹麥退出戰爭。丹麥設法避免了領土割讓，但瑞典國王古斯塔夫二世對德意志地區進行了強勢幹預，標誌著瑞典的軍事力量開始崛起，同時影響力有超越丹麥的跡象。瑞典軍隊于1643年入侵日德蘭半島，並于1644年宣稱擁有斯堪尼亞地區。由于被瑞典占領導致哥本哈根地區糧食短缺，加上境內糧食欠收和黑死病流行，丹麥人口銳減20％，不得不在英法的調解下籤訂了1645年的。在條約中，丹麥放棄了哈蘭、哥特蘭、丹屬愛沙尼亞的最後部分以及挪威的幾個省。

1657 年，丹麥國王弗雷德里克三世看到撕毀布羅姆塞布羅條約的機會，向瑞典宣戰，雙方捲入了第二次北方戰爭（1655-1660 年）。不過丹麥軍隊迅速潰敗，瑞典國王查理十世的軍隊征服日德蘭半島，並指揮瑞典軍隊橫跨結冰的丹麥海峽，占領了富英島和西蘭島的大部分地區，然後于1658年2月迫使丹麥簽署了，這給了瑞典斯堪尼亞、布萊金厄、布胡斯蘭、特倫德拉格和博恩霍爾姆島的控制權。 查理十世很快就後悔沒有徹底擊滅軍力如此孱弱的丹麥，1658年8月，他對丹麥發動了第二次進攻並成功征服了丹麥的大部分島嶼，開始了長達兩年的哥本哈根圍城戰。 丹麥國王積極領導城市防禦，召集市民拿起武器，屢次擊退瑞典人的進攻。圍攻在1660年查理十世古斯塔夫 (Charles X Gustav) 去世後結束，在隨後的和平條約中，丹麥設法保持了獨立並重新控制了特倫德拉格和博恩霍爾姆。由于國王在戰後大受歡迎，弗雷德里克三世以此解散選舉君主制，轉而支持絕對君主制，這種集權制度在丹麥一直持續到了1848年。

丹麥之後又試圖在斯堪尼亞戰爭（1675-1679 年）中重新控制斯堪尼亞，但未能成功。大北方戰爭（1700-21 年）之後，隨著瑞典被俄羅斯沙皇國削弱，丹麥分別在1720年的和1773年的中重新控制了由荷爾斯泰因-戈托普家族統治的石勒蘇益格和荷爾斯泰因部分地區。丹麥在18世紀的後半葉非常繁榮，因為丹麥的中立地位使得其在戰爭時可以成為交戰雙方的貿易中轉站。為了在拿破崙戰爭中繼續保持獨立地位，丹麥與法國和英國進行貿易，並與俄羅斯、瑞典和普魯士加入了第二次武裝中立聯盟。英國人認為這是一種敵對行為，于是在1801年和1807年炮擊哥本哈根，一次打擊了丹麥艦隊，另一次炮擊造成的大火燒掉了丹麥首都的大部分地區。丹英之間爆發炮艦戰爭，丹麥僱傭的小型炮艦根本不是皇家海軍的對手，接連慘敗使得英國海軍長期控制丹麥海域，丹麥經濟遭到毀滅性打擊，1813年丹麥-挪威破產。

武裝中立聯盟于1814年因基爾條約而解散，丹麥君主「不可撤銷地永遠」放棄了對挪威王國王位的主張，轉而尋求當瑞典國王。丹麥保留了對冰島（直到1944年冰島獨立）、法羅群島和格陵蘭島這些已由挪威統治數個世紀島嶼的主權。除了北歐殖民地外，丹麥還在1620年至1869年，1658至1850年，1671至1917年間繼續統治著丹屬印度、丹屬黃金海岸和丹屬西印度群島。

君主立憲（公元1849年至今）

石勒蘇益格和荷爾斯泰因的獨立運動和普丹戰爭

新生的丹麥自由主義和民族運動在1830年代勢頭強勁；1848年歐洲革命儘管在歐洲各地都遭遇了失敗，然而丹麥和荷蘭卻成為了歐洲唯二兩個從絕對君主制和平演變為君主立憲制的國家。丹麥于1849年6月5日通過新憲法和平立憲。新憲法建立了兩院制議會，這種制度延續至今。丹麥在第一次石勒蘇益格戰爭中依靠國際輿論獲得的勝利使得其大大低估了普魯士的危險性，也妄想可以一直依靠援軍保衛領土，使其在石勒蘇益格-荷爾斯泰因領土糾紛中越陷越深，英國政治家帕默斯頓子爵曾說：「只有三個人曾經明白石勒蘇益格-荷爾斯泰因事務，一個王夫，已經去世了，一個德國教授，已經瘋了，還有我，已經全忘了。」當普魯士和奧地利帝國捲土重來時，丹麥不得不孤軍奮戰。普丹戰爭從1864 年2月持續到當年10月，丹麥戰敗，不得不將石勒蘇益格和荷爾斯泰因割讓給普魯士。這次損失是17世紀丹麥衰弱後開始的一系列戰爭失敗和領土損失中的最後一次。這次戰敗之後，丹麥在歐洲奉行中立政策。

丹麥的工業化

19世紀下半葉，丹麥開始進入世界的工業化浪潮當中。該國的第一條鐵路建于1850年代，儘管丹麥缺乏自然資源，但通訊和海外貿易的改善使工業得以發展。從1870年代開始，工會開始萌芽。大量人口從農村遷移到城市，丹麥農業開始以乳製品和肉類產品的出口為中心。

第一次世界大戰時的丹麥

丹麥在第一次世界大戰期間保持中立。德國戰敗後，凡爾賽列強提出將石勒蘇益格-荷爾斯泰因地區歸還給丹麥。由于擔心德國的領土收複主義，丹麥拒絕考慮在沒有公民投票的情況下接受該地區。兩次石勒蘇益格公投分別于1920年2月10日和3月14日舉行。1920年7月10日，北石勒蘇益格根據公投結果回歸丹麥，丹麥從而增加了約163,600名居民和3,984平方公里（1,538 平方英里）。由于一戰後歐洲左翼力量增長，該國第一個社會民主主義政府于1924年上台。

丹德互不侵犯條約和「威瑟堡行動」

1939年丹麥與納粹德國簽署了為期10年的互不侵犯條約，但德國于1940年4月9日以一個名為「威瑟堡行動」的演習為名義入侵丹麥，丹麥政府知道兩國軍事力量的懸殊差距，于是進攻開始後僅僅六個小時就宣布投降，是二戰當中遭受入侵國家抵抗時間最短的，但丹麥也因此避免了不必要之傷亡和損失，使得丹麥在戰後得以更快復甦。1943年之前，丹麥一直與德國進行經濟合作。隨著納粹德國在東線戰場顯出頹勢，丹麥政府拒絕進一步合作並自沉了大部分船隻，還將許多軍官送往中立的瑞典。進行了一次救援行動，設法將數千名收到納粹政權迫害的猶太人及其家人疏散到了瑞典的安全地帶。一些丹麥人通過加入丹麥國家社會主義工人黨或自願加入丹麥自由軍團與德國納粹並肩作戰。冰島被美軍占領後與丹麥斷絕關係，于1944年成為一個獨立的共和國；德國于1945年5月投降，丹麥獲得解放。戰後反殖民思想興起，丹麥開始對屬地進行權力下放，1948年，法羅群島獲得自治權。1949年，丹麥成為北約創始成員國。

丹麥是歐洲自由貿易聯盟 (EFTA) 的創始成員。 在1960年代，歐洲自由貿易聯盟國家通常被稱為外部七國，而不是當時歐洲經濟共同體 (EEC) 的核心六國。1973年，丹麥與英國和愛爾蘭一起，在公投後加入了歐洲經濟共同體（現為歐盟）。涉及進一步歐洲一體化的《馬斯特里赫特條約》于1992年被丹麥人民公投否決；它在1993年的第二次全民投票後才被接受，但丹麥拒絕履行其中規定的四項政策。丹麥在2000年的公投中拒絕將歐元作為國家貨幣，繼續使用丹麥克朗。格陵蘭于1979年獲得地方自治權，2009年獲得全面自治權。法羅群島和格陵蘭島都不是歐盟成員國。由于漁業政策，法羅群島從未加入歐共體，格陵蘭也于1986年退出。

1953年的憲法修訂通過了以比例代表制選舉產生的一院制議會、女性對丹麥王位的繼承權以及丹麥對格陵蘭的永久主權。在20世紀下半葉，中左翼的社會民主黨領導了一系列聯合政府，引入了北歐福利模式。自由黨和保守人民黨也領導過中右翼政府。

政治

丹麥受到「民族之春」運動影響，在1849年確立了君主立憲的政治體制，亦是歐洲較少有由君主專政過渡君主立憲且並不經歷任何流血事件的國家。現任丹麥國王是佛瑞德里克十世，首相為梅特·弗雷澤里克森。

丹麥議會實行一院制，是丹麥王國的立法機關，稱為「Folketing」（丹麥語：Folketinget），議員採用比例代表制選出，由于採取的選舉方法利于小政黨獲得議會席位，所以自1982年來丹麥的聯合政府一直是少數派政府。丹麥議會中的179席中絕大部分屬丹麥本土，2席屬格陵蘭自治政府，2席屬法羅群島自治政府。議會的最大黨提名首相人選，再由國王正式任命，首相以及內閣大臣們負責政府行政部門的工作。議會一般每4年選舉一次，但是首相有權宣布提前舉行大選。議會除立法事務還負責通過國家預算、批准國家賬目、任命和行使政府控制權以及參與國際合作。法案可由政府或議會成員提出。所有議會通過的法案必須在三十天內提交給國務委員會以獲得御准才能成為法律。儘管從理論上丹麥國王可以通過不予御準的方式否決議會的決定，但在君主立憲的前提下國王一般不會這麼做，所以其權力僅有象徵意義。丹麥政治系統在丹麥憲法的框架下動作，修憲需要議會同意，且在全民投票中得到不少于40%的支持票。根據丹麥憲法，國家權力三分為立法、司法和行政，各部互不隸屬。

另外，格陵蘭和法羅群島國防、外交等事務由丹麥本土負責，而丹麥本土亦常予兩地經濟援助。其他事務則具完全自治權，並各自設放權議會。國王同樣根據獲議會最多支持的人選分別任命兩地的首相。

丹麥王國

丹麥王國是一個包括丹麥本土和兩個自治領土——格陵蘭和法羅群島的單一制主權國家。格林蘭和法羅群島自18世紀以來一直是丹麥王國的一部分，然而由于它們特殊的歷史和文化特性，王國的這些部分擁有廣泛的自治權力，並在許多領域有立法和行政權。法羅群島于1948年獲得地方自治權，格陵蘭島于1979年獲得地方自治權，2009年完全自治，在此之前二者都是丹麥的一級行政區劃。

法羅群島和格陵蘭擁有自己的政府和議會，除司法系統和貨幣政策外，在國內事務方面實行有效自治。高級專員（Rigsombudsmand）在法羅群島議會和格陵蘭議會中作為丹麥政府的象徵性代表，他們無權在議會中投票。法羅群島自治政府被認為是與丹麥本土政府平等的合作夥伴，而格陵蘭人民被定義為具有自決權的獨立民族

法律與立法體系

丹麥採用大陸法系，法條中有一些參考了日耳曼法。丹麥與挪威和瑞典類似，從未效仿過英美法系那樣的判例體系，不過丹麥的法律體系與英國並不是完全沒有相似之處，比如丹麥沒有像法國和德國那樣制定過全面的法典，反而與英國一樣，大部分法律都是習慣法。

丹麥的司法系統分為具有常規民事和刑事管轄權的法院和對個人與公共行政部門之間的訴訟具有管轄權的行政法院。《丹麥憲法》第六十二條和第六十四條規定法官只能受法律（包括法案、法規和實踐）的指導，從而確保司法獨立于政府和議會。丹麥王國沒有一個統一的司法系統——王國的各個構成國都有一套不同的體系。然而，格陵蘭和法羅群島最高法院的裁決可以被上訴至，其是負責王國司法的最高民事和刑事法院。

行政區劃

丹麥本土總面積為43,094平方公里（16,639平方英里），分為五個大區（）。這些大再下分為98個市鎮。丹麥的最東端——Ertholmene群島，面積為39公頃（0.16平方英里），既不屬于任何市鎮也不屬于任何大區，而由國防部直接管轄。丹麥的省是丹麥的統計區劃，介于大區和市鎮之間。它們不是行政區劃單位，也不舉辦本級層次的的政治選舉，而主要作為一個統計單位存在。

2007年1月1日丹麥進行了行政區劃改革，將原來的16個縣改為5個大區。與此同時較小的市鎮被併入大市鎮，使市鎮數量減少了270個。這次改制確保了大多數市鎮的人口至少在20,000以上，以保証其財政和行政管理的專業性不至崩潰。行政部門由當地居民直接選舉產生的市鎮議會領導，每四年按比例代表制改選一次；最近的丹麥地方選舉于2021年11月16日舉行。

大區

各大區的管理機構是大區理事會，每個理事會有四十一名議員，任期四年。 委員會由大區主席（）領導，主席由理事會選舉產生。區委員會的職責範圍是國家衛生服務、社會服務和地區發展。與原來的「縣」不同，這些地區不允許徵稅，並且醫療服務的部分資金來自2019年後加征的所得稅，部分資金則來自中央政府和市政府。

各大區的面積和人口差異很大；例如，首都大區涵蓋了，還包括波羅的海的博恩霍爾姆島，其人口是北日德蘭大區的三倍，而北日德蘭地區的轄地則為日德蘭半島北部那些人口更為稀少的地區。在縣制下，某些人口稠密的市，如哥本哈根和腓特烈斯貝，被賦予與縣同等的地位，成為一級行政區劃。這些特殊的城市在2007年的改革中被納入新的大區。

軍事

丹麥的武裝部隊被稱為丹麥國防軍（Forsvaret）。國防部長是丹麥國防軍總司令，並擔任駐外首席外交官員。 丹麥實行義務兵與志願兵相結合的兵役制度，和平時期，國防部總共雇用約33,000人。主要軍事部門雇用了近27,000人：丹麥皇家陸軍15,460人，5,300人，丹麥皇家空軍6,050人（均包括義務兵）。雇用2,000人（包括義務兵），大約4,000人在丹麥國防司令部和國防情報局等非特定部門工作。此外，約44,500人在丹麥國民警衛隊擔任志願者。

丹麥長期支持國際維和行動，但自1999年北約轟炸南斯拉夫和2001年阿富汗戰爭以來，丹麥不再避諱在北約的框架下加入戰爭，積極參與了由北約組織的多次戰爭和侵略。這種新情況激起了一些國內爭議，但丹麥民眾對國家參與戰爭，特別是阿富汗戰爭普遍非常支持。丹麥國防部有大約1,400名人員執行國際任務，這其中並不包括北約快速反應部隊第1常備水雷對抗大隊中常駐的丹麥部隊。丹麥軍隊在中與（今）在前南斯拉夫境內參與多次交戰。2003年至2007年間，大約有450名丹麥士兵在伊拉克。丹麥還大力支持美國在阿富汗的行動，並為國際安全援助部隊提供了金錢和物質資助。這些舉措經常被當局描述為丹麥新的「積極外交政策」的一部分。

外交

丹麥在北歐具有相當大的影響力，在國際事務中屬于中等強國。近年來，格陵蘭和法羅群島在漁業、捕鯨和地緣政治等外交政策問題上也獲得了發言權。 丹麥的外交政策很大程度上受到其歐盟 (EU) 成員國身份的影響：丹麥本土與格陵蘭（1986年退出）于1973年加入了歐盟的前身歐洲經濟共同體 (EEC)。丹麥曾七次擔任歐盟理事會主席國，最近一次是自2012年的1月至6月。第二次世界大戰後，丹麥結束了其長達兩百年的中立政策。1949年丹麥成為北大西洋公約組織(NATO)的創始國之一，由于其地理位置優越，位于波羅的海與北海交匯處，因此至今它的成員身份仍然非常受歡迎。

作為發展援助委員會（DAC）成員，丹麥長期以來一直是世界上發展援助占國民總收入比例最大的國家之一。2015年，丹麥將其國民總收入 (GNI) 的0.85%用于對外援助，是實現聯合國長期目標（對外援助占到國民總收入0.7%）僅有的六個發達國家之一。該國參與的雙邊和多邊援助，通常由外交部管理。在丹麥政府開展對外援助，特別是雙邊援助時，主要是以的名義。

地理

丹麥位于北歐，三面環海，北部隔大西洋北海和波羅的海與瑞典和挪威相望，南部與德國接壤，本土包括日德蘭半島、北日德蘭島、菲因島、西蘭島及附近島嶼以及周圍443個已命名島嶼（全國共有1,419個島嶼面積大于100平方米），其中有72個島嶼無人居住，本土面積為43,094平方公里。丹麥另有兩個自治領地: 北大西洋上的法羅群島和位於北美洲的屬地格陵蘭島（面積為217.56萬平方公里，為世界第一大島），其中的漢斯島自2022年起經協議分治後，加拿大成為了德國以外，第二個與丹麥陸地接壤的國家。

丹麥本土最大島嶼且最重要的是菲英島和西蘭島。博恩霍爾姆島位于國家的東部較遠的波羅的海。很多島嶼都用橋梁連接，厄勒海峽大橋連接了西蘭島的哥本哈根和瑞典的馬爾默，而大貝爾特橋連接菲英島與西蘭島，小貝爾特橋連接日德蘭半島和菲英島。其它小島間有渡輪和飛機通航。

丹麥海岸線長達7,314公里，南面與德國共享68公里的邊境線，最北端為旅遊聖地斯卡根，最南端為，最西端為Blåvandshuk，最東端為Østerskær。丹麥全境地勢平緩，平均海拔為31米，若不計法羅群島和格陵蘭，丹麥本土的自然最高峰為莫來山，海拔170.86公尺。

氣候

按照柯本氣候分類法，丹麥屬溫帶海洋性氣候和溫帶大陸性濕潤氣候，冬季溫和，一月平均氣溫為1.5°C（34.7°F），夏季涼爽，八月平均氣溫為17.2°C（63.0°F） 自1874年開始有記錄以來，丹麥有記錄的最極端氣溫為1975年的36.4°C（97.5°F）和 1982 年的−31.2°C（−24.2°F） 。丹麥平均每年降水天數為179天，平均每年降水量為765毫米（30英寸）；秋季是一年最潮濕的季節，春季則為最乾燥的季節。由于丹麥位于大陸和海洋氣候的交界處，因此天氣經常不穩定。

由于丹麥緯度較北，所以日照時間隨季節變化很大。冬季日照時間短，上午8:45左右日出，下午3:45日落（標準時間）；夏季日照時間長，上午4:30日出，晚上10點日落（夏令時）。

生態

丹麥位于中緯度和高緯度地區交界處，全國可分為兩個生態區域：和波羅的混交林。由于過去近千年的農業活動，丹麥幾乎所有的原始森林都被破壞得支離破碎，而森林砍伐造成了大片荒地和毀滅性的流沙。儘管如此，該國仍有大片次生林，目前其森林總覆蓋率達12.9%。歐洲雲杉是丹麥分布最廣的樹種（2017），其還是生產聖誕樹的重要材料。丹麥的森林地貌完整指數平均分為0.5/10，在全球172個國家中排名第171位，僅高于聖馬力諾。

在丹麥鄉村，包子的數量不斷增長，日德蘭半島稀疏的林地里也生活著有大鹿角的歐洲馬鹿。丹麥也是許多小型哺乳動物的家園，如歐洲鼬、野兔和刺蝟。丹麥約有400種鳥類棲息，其中約160種在該國繁殖。大型海洋哺乳動物包括無危的港灣鼠海豚、數量不斷增加的鰭足類動物以及偶爾出現的藍鯨和虎鯨等大型鯨魚。鱈魚、鯡魚和鰈魚是丹麥水域豐富的食用魚類，也是該國形成大規模漁業的基礎。

經濟

丹麥擁有發達的混合經濟，被世界銀行列為高收入經濟體。2017年，人均實質國民總收入（PPP）世界排名第16位，人均名義國民總收入（GNI）排名世界第10位。丹麥在經濟自由度和世界經濟自由度指數中脫穎而出，成為世界最自由的經濟體之一。根據世界經濟論壇2018年的全球競爭力報告，丹麥是全球十大最具競爭力的經濟體之一，在歐洲國家中排名第六。

丹麥擁有高等學歷者的比例世界排名第四，該國在工人權益方面的排名更是世界最高。2009年，丹麥工人每工作一小時的GDP世界排名第13位。該國的市場收入差距接近經合組織的平均水平，但扣除稅收和公共現金轉移後，不同職業的收入不平等程度要低得多。根據歐盟統計局的數據，2017年丹麥可支配收入的基尼係數在歐盟國家中排名第七。根據國際貨幣基金組織的數據，丹麥的最低工資水平是世界上最高的。由于丹麥沒有關于最低工資的立法，工資下限如此之高被歸因于工會的努力。根據與僱主組織Horesta之間達成的集體談判協議，麥當勞和其他快餐連鎖店的工人每小時可以賺取相當于20美元的收入，這是美國同行業服務員收入的兩倍多，他們甚至還享有五周的帶薪假期、育兒假和養老金。2015年丹麥工會密度為68%。

丹麥曾經有許多耕地，是一個以農業為主的國家。1945後，丹麥以來極大地擴展了其工業基礎和服務業。至2017年，服務業約占GDP總額的75%，製造業約占15%，農業則不到 2%。主要行業還包括風力渦輪機、製藥、醫療設備、機械和運輸設備、食品加工和建築。丹麥出口總額的約60%來自貨物出口，其餘40%是第三產業的出口，方式主要為海運。該國的主要出口商品有各種工業品、肉製品、乳製品、魚類、家具和工業設計。丹麥是糧食和能源淨出口國，多年來一直保持國際收支盈餘，使該國從淨債務國轉變為淨債權國。截至2018年7月1日，丹麥的國際投資（或淨外國資產）總額占到了GDP的64.6%。

1797年丹麥進口關稅的自由化標誌著重商主義（貿易保護主義）的終結，而19世紀和20世紀初進一步的貿易自由化確立了丹麥國際貿易的自由主義傳統，這一傳統一直維持到1930年代。由于美國競爭導致1870年後農產品價格大幅下降，德國和法國等其他國家因而加強了對本國農業的保護，然而丹麥仍保留其自由貿易政策，因為該國在廉價穀物的大量進口中獲利頗豐（作為牛和豬的飼料），這些飼料的輸入加大了丹麥黃油和肉類的出口。如今，丹麥是擁有超過5.08億消費者的歐盟內部市場的一部分。一些國內商業政策是由歐盟成員國之間的協議和歐盟的立法決定的。丹麥公眾對自由貿易的支持度很高：在2016年的一項民意調查中，57%的受訪者將全球化視為機遇，僅18%的受訪者將其視為威脅。丹麥經濟高度依附于歐盟，其貿易流有超過70％是與歐盟國家的合作。截至2017年，丹麥最大的出口夥伴是德國、瑞典、英國和美國。

丹麥貨幣克朗 (DKK) 通過歐洲匯率機制與歐元掛鈎，兌換率約為7.46丹麥克朗/歐元。儘管2000年9月的全民公投使丹麥未採用歐元，該國依然遵循歐盟經濟和貨幣聯盟 (EMU) 制定的政策，並採用歐元所需的經濟趨同標準。儘管議會中的大多數政黨都支持加入經濟和貨幣聯盟，但自2010年以來的民意調查始終顯示多數人反對採用歐元。2018年5月，歐洲晴雨表民調顯示有29%的丹麥受訪者表示支持採用歐元，然而65%的人反對此提議。

按營業額排名，丹麥前幾大的公司分別為：馬士基（國際航運）、諾和諾德（製藥）、ISS集團（設施服務）、維斯塔斯（風力渦輪機）、阿爾勒（乳製品）、DSV（運輸）、嘉士伯（啤酒）、索林集團（零售）、沃旭能源（電力）、丹斯克銀行。

丹麥政府2023年側重點在于增加對能源經銷商的稅收。

政策

丹麥是一個高稅收的福利國家，因而丹麥人生活水平很高，政府也為居民提供了廣泛的福利。丹麥的企業稅率為 22%，並為外籍人士提供特殊的有時限的稅收制度。丹麥的稅收制度基礎廣泛，除消費稅、所得稅和其他費用外，還徵收 25% 的增值稅。2017年的總體稅收水平（所有稅收的總和，占GDP的百分比）為46%。丹麥的稅收結構（不同稅收的相對權重）與經合組織平均水平不同，因為2015年丹麥個人所得稅稅率高于經合組織，而企業所得稅和財產稅則低于經合組織平均水平，且沒有任何社會保障繳款。丹麥工資稅、增值稅及其他商品和服務稅的比例相當于經合組織的平均水平。

截至2014年，經稅率調整後，丹麥約有6%的人口生活在貧困線以下。丹麥的相對貧困率在經合組織成員國中排名倒數第二，低于經合組織11.3%的平均水準。在丹麥，認為自己買不起足夠食物的人口比例不到經合組織平均水平的一半。

勞動力市場

與其他北歐國家一樣，丹麥社會採用了北歐模式，社會民主主義政黨影響力較大，將資本主義自由市場與全面的福利國家和強有力的工人組織結合了起來。世界銀行表示，由于其廣受讚譽的「彈性安全」模式，丹麥擁有歐洲最自由的勞動力市場。僱主可以隨時雇用或解僱（彈性）一名雇員，而雇員在無業時，失業補償相對較高（安全）。根據經合組織的數據，2016年失業人員的初始和長期替代率皆為65%，而經合組織的平均水平為53%。在丹麥註冊一個企業可以在幾個小時內完成，並且成本非常低。雇員申請加班沒有限制，公司可以全年365天、每天24小時無休運營。2017年，丹麥15-64歲人群的就業率為74.2%，在經合組織國家中排名第9，高于經合組織67.8%的平均水平。2017年失業率為5.7%，被認為接近或低于結構性水平。

失業救濟金的水平取決于該雇員失業前的就業情況，通常與失業基金掛鈎（該基金一般與工會密切相關）以及之前支付的繳款。該資金大約65%來自指定會員捐款，而其餘三分之一來自中央政府，因此資金來源最終來自于一般稅收。

科學技術

丹麥在科技的發明和創新的參與方面有著悠久的傳統，從科學革命開始，丹麥就是創新和變革之國家中的一員。目前，丹麥正在參與許多備受矚目的國際科技項目，包括歐洲核子研究組織（CERN)、國際熱核聚變實驗反應堆（ITER）、歐洲空間局（ESA）、國際空間站（ISS）和歐洲極大望遠鏡（E-ELT）。丹麥在2022年全球創新指數中排名第10位，不過低于其在2020年的第6位和2019年的第7位。

在航運業丹麥企業很具影響力，設計了世界上最大、最節能的集裝箱船「馬士基3E級」，丹麥工程師則為MAN柴油機的設計做出了貢獻。在軟件和電子領域，丹麥為北歐移動電話的設計和製造做出了貢獻，現已解散的丹麥企業「DanCall」是最早開發GSM的公司之一。

生命科學是一個已進行了廣泛研究和開發的關鍵領域。2000年，丹麥生物技術公司諾維信（主導了第一代澱粉基生物乙醇酶的全球市場）率先開發了將用于廢物轉化的酶轉化為纖維素乙醇的技術。麥迪康谷位于西蘭島和瑞典之間的厄勒海峽地區，是歐洲最大的生命科學產業群之一，在很小的地理區域內擁有許多生命科學企業和研究機構。

出生于丹麥的計算機專家和軟件工程師在世界上一些編程語言中發揮了主導作用：安德斯·海爾斯伯格（Turbo Pascal、Delphi、C#）；拉斯穆斯·勒多夫 (PHP)；比雅尼·斯特勞斯特魯普(C++)；戴維·漢松（Ruby on Rails）；拉斯·巴克，虛擬機（V8、Java VM、Dart）領域的先驅。物理學家萊娜·豪和她的團隊成功在實驗中將光速降為0，推動了量子計算、納米工程和線性光學的進步。

能源

丹麥在北海擁有大量石油和天然氣資源，20世紀70年代初，該國經濟十分依賴進口石油。後來在北海丹麥海域發現了油田和天然氣田，丹麥才實現能源方面的自給自足，該國還開始使用燃煤發電廠來供應該國大部分電力。21世紀初，丹麥的電力、石油和天然氣出口量超過了進口量。2010年，丹麥在原油淨出口國中排名第32。2022年，丹麥是歐盟內部最大產油國，日均產量約10萬桶，不過丹麥政府已考慮在2050年之前停止石油開採。丹麥在風電能源等清潔能源領域長期處于領先地位：2015年丹麥風力能源提供了總電力消耗的42.1%。2011年5月，丹麥國內生產總值的3.1%，即約65億歐元（94億美元）來自可再生能源提供的效率。丹麥現已禁止建造更多燃煤發電廠，一些工廠開始使用生物燃料。政府還對風力發電廠提供補貼，目前來自風力發電的電力在該國電力系統中所占的比例越來越大。丹麥的輸電線路與其他歐洲國家電網相連。

丹麥電力部門已將風電等能源併入丹麥國家電網。丹麥現在致力于交通領域的智能電池系統（V2G）和電動車輛。該國也是國際可再生能源機構（IRENA）的成員國。

交通

丹麥在聯繫各地區之間的公路和鐵路方面進行了大量投資，其中最著名的一個部分就是連接西蘭島和菲英島的大貝爾特橋。 現在可以直接通過高速公路從日德蘭半島北部的腓特烈港駕車前往西蘭島東部的哥本哈根。丹麥主要鐵路運營商是提供客運服務的丹麥國家鐵路和提供貨運的德鐵貨運，鐵路軌道由Banedanmark維護。北海和波羅的海通過各種交織的國際渡輪線路連接在了一起。于2021年開始修建的費馬恩海峽隧道是連接丹麥與德國的第二條交通線。哥本哈根擁有哥本哈根地鐵以及郊區廣布的電氣化鐵路網——城市快鐵。輕軌預計在2020年左右于四個丹麥最大的城市——哥本哈根、奧胡斯、歐登塞、奧爾堡投入運營。

對于年輕人和城市居民而言，騎自行車在丹麥是一種非常常見的交通方式。丹麥擁有完善的自行車基礎設施，其自行車道綿延超過12,000公里，全國還包括約7,000千米隔離出來專用的自行車道。

儘管私家車的使用越來越廣泛，然而由于高昂的註冊稅（150%）、增值稅（25%）以及世界上幾乎最高的所得稅，新車在丹麥極為昂貴。徵收如此高昂的汽車稅，目的是為了抑制丹麥的汽車擁有量。2007年，政府試圖通過小幅降低高里程車輛的稅收來支持綠色汽車，不過此舉收效甚微，2008年，丹麥進口效率低下的燃油車數量不減反增，因為燃油車的成本（包括稅收）還在大多數丹麥人的預算之內。截至2011年，丹麥平均車齡為9.2年。

丹麥與挪威和瑞典一樣，航空業都是由北歐航空旗下航空公司承包。哥本哈根凱斯楚普機場是斯堪的納維亞半島上最繁忙的客運機場，2014年旅客吞吐量超2500萬人次。丹麥其他著名機場還有比隆機場、奧爾堡機場、奧胡斯機場等。

人口

根據2020年4月的數據，總人口為582.5萬（2023年2月1日人口已達593.5萬）。丹麥是世界人口老齡化最嚴重的國家之一，人均年齡達到41.9歲，男性人數約為女性的0.97倍。儘管出生率很低，不過人口依靠移民和接收難民得以維持0.59%的正增長。世界快樂報告常年將丹麥列為世界上人民最快樂的國家之一，這主要歸功于丹麥優秀的高等教育、完善的醫療保健系統和極小的貧富差距。

族裔方面89.6%為丹麥人後裔，其餘10.4％為移民或移民後裔。移民的主要來源為亞洲國家，譬如土耳其、伊拉克、巴基斯坦；以及非洲國家，譬如索馬里；還有東南歐巴爾幹國家，譬如波斯尼亞和黑塞哥維那。移民中的34％（約20萬人）有西方國家背景，66％（約39萬人）沒有西方國家背景。

因紐特人是格林蘭島的原住民，其群體很早就定居在了加拿大北部、阿拉斯加及格陵蘭等北極圈內的地區。18到20世紀70年代初，丹麥政府一直在試圖同化因紐特人，鼓勵他們融入主流文化，因此今天因紐特氏族中的一些人認同他們的母語為丹麥語。

語言

丹麥語是丹麥的法定國語，法羅語和格陵蘭語則分別為法羅群島與格陵蘭兩地的官方語言。德語在前南日德蘭郡（今南丹麥大區的一部分）是被承認的少數民族語言，因為在凡爾賽條約簽訂之前，這裡曾是德意志帝國的一部分。丹麥語及法羅語和冰島語、瑞典語、挪威語一樣都屬于印歐語系中的北日耳曼語支（主要分布于北歐地區），因此某種程度上可以相互理解。丹麥語和德語之間的關係就要遠得多，後者屬于西日耳曼語支，而格林蘭語則是一種因紐特語言，與丹麥語毫無聯繫。

占比相當大（86％）的丹麥人將英語作為自己的第二語言，並且許多人能夠相當熟練地使用。德語在丹麥境內是使用第二廣泛的外語，約有47％的人能用其進行對話。2007年，丹麥有25900人的母語為德語（主要集中在南日德蘭地區）。

宗教

至2013年1月，79.1％的丹麥人為丹麥國教——路德宗信徒，相較2012年下降了0.7％，相較2011年下降了1.3％。儘管丹麥國教有著眾多信徒，但每周末都去教堂的人不足總人口3％。

丹麥憲法規定皇室成員至少有一名信仰丹麥國教，其他成員可以自由信仰其它宗教。1682年， 丹麥賦予羅馬天主教、改革宗和猶太教有限的認可，但改變信仰仍然非法。直到1970年代，改宗才得到丹麥官方認可。現在，宗教團體不需要丹麥政府的認定即可主持婚禮與其它慶典活動。

丹麥穆斯林占總人口的3％，為第二大的宗教群體，因此伊斯蘭教成為丹麥最大的少數宗教。至2009年，丹麥共有19個受認可的穆斯林社區。除丹麥國教與伊斯蘭教外，其它宗教的信徒占總人口的2%，但沒有一個宗教的信徒超過總人口的1％。

根據2010年Eurobarometer民意調查顯示，28％的丹麥公民相信上帝的存在，47％表示相信有某種精神或生命力量，24％表示不相信任何精神、上帝或生命力量。

教育

丹麥的所有教育項目均由教育部調度並由當地市政部門管理。平民學校（Folkeskole）是丹麥實行義務教育的公立學校，大多數兒童在6至16歲之間就讀10年，相當于小學和初中教育。這種學校不設期末考試，但學生可以選擇在九年級（14-15 歲）結束後參加一次評級測試。如果學生要參加進階教育，則必須進行該測試。學生在丹麥也選擇可以就讀自由學校或私立學校，例如基督教或華德福教育。

義務教育結束後，丹麥學生有多種繼續教育的選擇：中學（STX）重視人文與科學的混合教學，高等技術考試（HTX）側重于理科，高級商業考試項目側重于經濟學科。高等預科考試 (HF) 與中學 (STX) 類似，但時間短一年。對于特定職業，丹麥也提供職業教育，通過教學和學徒工相結合的方式進行培訓。

根據政府的記錄，丹麥進階教育（包括中學和高等預科考試）畢業率為95%，高等教育入學率和畢業率為60%。丹麥的所有大學和學院都是免費的，註冊課程無需繳納學費。18歲或以上的學生可以申請國家教育支持補助金（Statens Uddannelsesstøtte (SU)），學生每月都可以領取固定金額的補助金。國際生在丹麥大學還有機會獲得國際認可的資質証明。在學士、碩士、博士和交換生的許多課程中，可以用學界通用的英語授課。

名人

• 安徒生

• 尼爾斯·玻爾

• 卡羅琳·沃茲尼亞奇

• 邁克學搖滾

• 拉斯·馮·提爾

• 麥斯·米科爾森

體育

羽毛球

丹麥被列為五大羽毛球強國之一，經常都會出現羽壇名將。有些更在奧運會賽場上曾奪得冠軍，如波爾-埃里克·赫耶爾·拉爾森、維克托·阿薩爾森(中文名：安賽龍)，以及多位世界冠軍，如卡米拉·馬爾廷、卡米拉·呂特·尤爾等名將。此外，在團體賽方面，丹麥國家羽毛球隊在2016年湯姆斯盃決賽中，打敗同為五大強國的亞洲強隊印度尼西亞國家羽毛球隊，首次奪得該項目的男子團體冠軍。

足球

丹麥超級足球聯賽、丹麥國家隊都是丹麥人會看的足球比賽。丹麥現今有不少超級球星，例如：馬田·比夫韋治、基斯甸艾歷臣等。

醫療

與挪威和瑞典一樣，丹麥建立了由稅收支撐的醫療保險系統。該系統的運營主要依靠本地市政稅收與大區財政撥款。丹麥每年在醫療上的花費占GDP總額的9.8％。丹麥人平均壽命為78.6歲，平均每名醫生服務294人。根據 LPI（Legatum Prosperity Index）和 HCI（醫療保健指數 - Health Care Index），丹麥是擁有最佳醫療保健系統的國家之一。

文化

丹麥文化是西方文化之一，它在藝術上成就頗高，與丹麥社會和日常生活密不可分。謙遜、守時和社會平等是丹麥文化的重要組成部份。在丹麥，試圖將某人與眾人彼此區分就可能引起敵意，這違反了已經幾乎是斯堪的納維亞非官方法典的鐵則詹代法則。丹麥政府為文化和藝術創作提供了大量的基金，其中很多是由地方政府來管理的，因此丹麥平民也直接參與到了其中。

丹麥有著豐富的文化和知識遺產。科學領域有第谷·布拉赫、路德維格·A·柯丁、尼爾斯·玻爾，文學領域有漢斯·克里斯蒂安·安徒生、索倫·奧貝·基爾克果、凱倫·白烈森（筆名伊莎·丹尼森）、路德維格·霍爾伯格、亨利克·蓬托皮丹、皮亞特·海恩、赫爾曼·邦，音樂界有卡爾·尼爾森、Michael Learns to Rock等，卡爾·希歐多爾·德萊葉和拉斯·馮·提爾等導演的電影也都是國際知名的。

丹麥首都哥本哈根也有諸多經典與名勝，例如趣伏里公園、阿馬林堡宮、克里斯欽堡宮、聖母教堂、羅森堡宮、哥本哈根歌劇院、腓特烈教堂、托瓦爾森博物館、圓塔和美人魚雕像等。

丹麥人喜歡用花做禮物，以表示感謝。逢婚、喪送白花，其他時候忌送白花。喜歡自行車，常用作交通工具，平均不到2人擁有1輛自行車。丹麥人家裡有客人來的時候，習慣升國旗。

足球是丹麥的國民運動。丹麥國家足球隊在1984到2004年間曾6次進入歐洲足球錦標賽決賽圈，並在1992年獲得冠軍。丹麥歷史上曾出現過大量的世界級運動員，包括米歇爾·勞德魯普和布萊恩·勞德魯普兄弟，世界最佳門將之一的舒梅切爾，丹尼爾·阿格，容·達爾·托馬森，尼克拉斯·本特納和托馬斯·赫爾維格等。

近年丹麥在自行車比賽中表現突出。丹麥自行車運動員比雅尼里斯曾獲得1996年環法大賽冠軍，邁克拉斯姆森在2005年和2006年兩度獲得山地之王稱號。丹麥國家隊在2006年和2008年奪得自行車競速世界盃冠軍。

• 國旗

1219年，丹麥國王曾經為教宗遠征愛沙尼亞的異教徒，國王克里斯帝安·卡瑪德帶領在戰況不利下祈禱勝利，一面紅白十字的旗幟從天而降，頓時丹軍士氣大增，戰況亦大為好轉，這面旗子成為了丹麥國旗。據說這面國旗是世界上最早的第一面國旗，後來歐洲各信仰基督教的國家制定國旗都是依據丹麥國旗的原則，今天的斯堪地納維亞國家仍然沿用。

飲食

注釋

延伸閱讀

參考來源