Labour · Europe & Central Asia · High income
Denmark: the labour market
Labour force is 3.3m (2025), 104th of 187 in the world and 25th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Participation rate is 64.9% (2025), 61st of 187 in the world and 9th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Women's participation is 60.8% (2025), 47th of 187 in the world and 10th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia.
Labour force
Denmark
Participation rate
DenmarkEurope & Central AsiaHigh incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Denmark in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Europe & Central Asia; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 3.3m2025 | 104/187 | 25/49 | 2.9m | 2.9m | 3.0m | +14%since 2015 | 429m | 734m | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 64.9%2025 | 61/187 | 9/49 | 65.8% | 63.6% | 62.1% | +3.5 ppsince 2015 | 58.2% | 61.0% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 60.8%2025 | 47/187 | 10/49 | 60.0% | 59.0% | 57.9% | +4.0 ppsince 2015 | 51.1% | 54.3% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 61.3%2025 | 65/187 | 9/49 | 62.8% | 58.7% | 58.6% | +3.8 ppsince 2015 | 55.1% | 58.3% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 5.5%2025 | 85/187 | 26/49 | 4.5% | 7.7% | 5.6% | −0.7 ppsince 2015 | 5.4% | 4.4% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 5.7%2025 | 96/187 | 24/49 | 5.0% | 6.8% | 6.0% | −0.8 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 4.6% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 11.7%2025 | 100/187 | 32/49 | 6.7% | 15.6% | 11.6% | −0.4 ppsince 2015 | 14.0% | 11.5% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 7.9%2025 | 153/170 | 34/46 | 4.9% | 6.9% | 7.5% | +0.9 ppsince 2015 | 11.4% | 10.6% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 92.1%2025 | 14/187 | 4/49 | 90.8% | 90.8% | 91.5% | +1.0 ppsince 2015 | 83.3% | 88.9% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 5.4%2025 | 174/187 | 45/49 | 7.0% | 6.7% | 6.2% | −1.1 ppsince 2015 | 12.9% | 8.0% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 1.6%2025 | 166/187 | 45/49 | 3.7% | 2.5% | 2.1% | −0.9 ppsince 2015 | 6.7% | 2.9% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 18.8%2025 | 96/187 | 34/49 | 25.3% | 19.9% | 18.9% | −0.6 ppsince 2015 | 23.7% | 22.2% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 79.6%2025 | 22/187 | 9/49 | 71.0% | 77.6% | 79.0% | +1.5 ppsince 2015 | 69.7% | 74.9% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Women's participation+4.0 pp60.8% in 2025
- Employment rate+3.8 pp61.3% in 2025
- Unemployment−0.7 pp5.5% in 2025
- Female unemployment−0.8 pp5.7% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Youth NEET rate+0.9 pp7.9% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Denmark and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Denmark. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Denmark | Germany | Sweden | Norway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 3.3m2025 | 43.5m2025 | 5.7m2025 | 3.1m2025 |
| Participation rate | 64.9%2025 | 60.6%2025 | 64.6%2025 | 65.6%2025 |
| Women's participation | 60.8%2025 | 55.3%2025 | 61.5%2025 | 62.1%2025 |
| Employment rate | 61.3%2025 | 58.3%2025 | 59.0%2025 | 62.6%2025 |
| Unemployment | 5.5%2025 | 3.7%2025 | 8.7%2025 | 4.6%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 5.7%2025 | 3.4%2025 | 8.6%2025 | 4.3%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 11.7%2025 | 6.9%2025 | 24.3%2025 | 13.4%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 7.9%2025 | 8.2%2025 | 5.0%2025 | 6.2%2025 |
| Wage workers | 92.1%2025 | 91.9%2025 | 89.8%2025 | 95.1%2025 |