Current political situation
The Danish Parliament (Folketinget) is the legislative assembly in Denmark, which means that it passes the acts that apply in Denmark. Folketinget is also responsible for adopting the state's budgets, approving the state's accounts, exercising control of the Government and taking part in international cooperation. Folketinget comprises 179 members. After the 2019 general election there is ten political parties in Folketinget. Furthermore, Greenland and the Faroe Islands each have two members in Folketinget. The ten political parties are:
Party | Seats |
The Danish Social Democrats (Socialdemokratiet) | 48 |
The Liberal Party (Venstre) | 42 |
The Danish People’s Party(Dansk Folkeparti) | 16 |
The Social Liberal Party (Radikale Venstre) | 16 |
The Socialist People’s Party (Socialistisk Folkeparti) | 14 |
The Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten) | 13 |
The Conservative People’s Party (Det Konservative Folkeparti) | 13 |
The Alternative (Alternativet) | 5 |
The New Right (Nye Borgerlige) | 4 |
Liberal Alliance (Liberal Alliance) | 3 |
Total number of seats | 179 |
After the 2019 election, The Danish Social Democrats formed a one-party minority government. The government holds 48 out of 179 seats in Folketinget and has 20 ministers.
Current economic situation
The Danish GDP per capita was 52,010€ in 2018 according to Eurostat. The Danish GDP is among the highest in the European Union where the average in 2018 was 30,980€.
GDP per capita | 2010 | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 | 2018 |
Current prices, euro per capita | 43,840 | 45,530 | 47,090 | 49,420 | 52,010 |
Source: Eurostat 2019: Gross domestic product at market prices.
The annual growth in GDP was 2.4 % in 2018. Like many other countries, Denmark felt the effects of the economic crisis. Thus, the growth rates since 2009 have been relatively low. However, growth rates above 2 % over the last couple of years show a positive development in the economy.
GDP growth (annual, %)
Source: Statistics Denmark 2019: Public finances (Danmarks Statistisk).
According to OECD’s Education at a Glance 2017 6.5 % of the Danish GDP was spent on education from primary to tertiary:
- 2.1 % was spent on all primary education (ISCED 1).
- 2.7 % was spent on all secondary education (ISCED 2-4).
- 1.7 % was spent on all tertiary education (ISCED 5-7).
The figure below shows the public and private expenditure on education institutions. Public expenditure is by far the dominant expenditure.
Public and private expenditure on primary to tertiary education institutions as percentage of GDP:
Note: 2014 is the year of reference. Data of Denmark’s education expenditure as pct. of GDP did not figure in the 2018 and 2019 publication.
Source: Education at a Glance 2017: OECD Indicators. Figure B2.1.
Educational attainment level of the adult population
The table below shows the Educational attainment of 25-64 year-olds in 2018:
Educational attainment of 25-64 year-olds (2018)Percentage of adults with a given level of education as the highest level attained
Primary and lower secondary (ISCED 2 or less) | 19 % |
Upper secondary (ISCED 3) | 43 % |
Short-cycle higher (ISCED 5) | 5 % |
Bachelor's or equivalent (ISCED (6) | 18 % |
Master's or equivalent (ISCED 7) | 13 % |
Doctoral or equivalent | 1 % |
Source: Education at Glance 2019: OECD indicators. Table A1.1.
Trends in educational attainment of 25-34 year-olds, by gender (2008 and 2018)Percentage of 25-34 year-olds with a given level of education as the highest level attained
| Below upper secondary education | Upper secondary education | Higher education | |||
| 2008 | 2018 | 2008 | 2018 | 2008 | 2018 |
Men | 22 % | 20 % | 45 % | 41 % | 32 % | 39 % |
Women | 20 % | 13 % | 40 % | 31 % | 40 % | 56 % |
In total | 21 % | 17 % | 43 % | 38 % | 36 % | 45 % |
Source: Education at a Glance 2019: OECD Indicators, Table A1.2.
The table shows an increasing share of 25-34 year-olds have a higher education degree. In 2008, 36 % had a degree from a higher education level as their highest level attained, while in 2018 it was 45 %. The share of 25-34 year-olds who have an upper secondary education or below upper secondary education as their highest level attained, has decreased from 2008 to 2018.
In 2019, Denmark’s share of early leavers from education and training was 10.1 %, which is just below the 10.3 % average of the European Union (data from Eurostat).
References
Bibliography
Statistics Denmark (Danmarks Statistik), 2019. Public finances(Nationalregnskab og offentlige finanser). (Accessed: 18 February 2020).
Eurostat, 2020. Early leavers from education and training, 2020. (Accessed: 18 February 2020).
Eurostat, 2018. Gross domestic product at market prices, 2019. (Accessed: 18 February 2020).
The Danish Parliament (Folketinget), 2019. Distribution of seats (Mandatfordelingen). (Accessed: 18 February 2020).
OECD, 2017. Education at a glance 2017: OECD Indicators. OECD Publishing, Paris. (Accessed: 18 February 2020).
OECD, 2018. Education at a glance 2018: OECD Indicators. OECD Publishing, Paris. (Accessed: 18 February 2020).
OECD, 2019. Education at a glance 2019: OECD Indicators. OECD Publishing, Paris. (Accessed: 18 February 2020).