Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Denmark

Denmark: Wage bill as a percentage of GDP was 14.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
14.4%
Change on year
down 3.1%
World rank
18th
of 191 countries
All-time high
17.5%
in 2009
All-time low
14.4%
in 2022
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Denmark, 2000–2022

051015202000201120222000: 15.52001: 15.72002: 162003: 16.32004: 16.12005: 15.72006: 15.42007: 15.32008: 15.62009: 17.52010: 17.32011: 16.82012: 16.62013: 16.42014: 16.22015: 162016: 15.52017: 15.22018: 15.12019: 15.12020: 15.42021: 14.92022: 14.4

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

Denmark recorded 14.4% for wage bill as a percentage of gdp in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Denmark peaked at 17.5% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 14.4%, in 2022.

That places Denmark 18th out of 191 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.

Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Denmark, year by year

Annual values for Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Denmark, 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 15.5% —
2001 15.7% +1.5%
2002 16.0% +1.8%
2003 16.3% +1.6%
2004 16.1% -1.2%
2005 15.7% -2.7%
2006 15.4% -1.7%
2007 15.3% -0.3%
2008 15.6% +1.7%
2009 17.5% +12.3%
2010 17.3% -1.2%
2011 16.8% -2.9%
2012 16.6% -1.1%
2013 16.4% -1.1%
2014 16.2% -1.1%
2015 16.0% -1.5%
2016 15.5% -2.9%
2017 15.2% -2.3%
2018 15.1% -0.4%
2019 15.1% -0.2%
2020 15.4% +2.0%
2021 14.9% -3.1%
2022 14.4% -3.1%

Denmark compared with similar countries

  • Denmark's 14.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.0%, 1.4× the median. (64 countries reporting)
  • Denmark's 14.4% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10.0%, 1.4× the median. (50 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 15.9% 15.3% 17.5% 10
2010s 16.0% 15.1% 17.3% 10
2020s 14.9% 14.4% 15.4% 3

Countries ranked near Denmark

  1. 15 Namibia 14.7% compare
  2. 16 Tonga 14.6% compare
  3. 17 Mozambique 14.5% compare
  4. 19 Botswana 13.9% compare
  5. 20 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13.7% compare
  6. 21 Samoa 13.7% compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More reference data data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

Frequently asked questions

What is wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Denmark?
Wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Denmark was 14.4% in 2022, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest wage bill as a percentage of gdp recorded in Denmark?
The highest recorded value was 17.5% in 2009.
What is the lowest wage bill as a percentage of gdp recorded in Denmark?
The lowest recorded value was 14.4% in 2022.
How does Denmark rank for wage bill as a percentage of gdp?
Denmark ranks 18th out of 191 countries with data for 2022.
Is wage bill as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Denmark?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Denmark data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Wage bill as a percentage of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Denmark. Statizoid. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/wage-bill-as-a-percentage-of-gdp/denmark/

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About this data

Indicator
Wage bill as a percentage of GDP
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
191 places, 4,127 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed