Table of Contents

  • Basic statistics of Denmark, 2014

    This Survey is published on the responsibility of the Economic and Development Review Committee of the OECD, which is charged with the examination of the economic situation of member countries.The economic situation and policies of Denmark were reviewed by the Committee on 21 March 2016. The draft report was then revised in the light of the discussions and given final approval as the agreed report of the whole Committee on 14 April 2016.The Secretariat’s draft report was prepared for the Committee by Ms. Zuzana Smidova, Ms. Caroline Klein and Ms. Louise Aggerstrøm Hansen who was seconded from the Danish Ministry of Finance, under the supervision of Mr. Andreas Wörgötter. Research assistance was provided by Ms. Lutécia Daniel. Ms. Heloise Wickramanayake formatted and produced the layout. The previous Survey of Denmark was issued in January 2014.

  • Executive summary

    Danes enjoy high living standards and wellbeing, not the least because of the reform willingness of their governments.Yet, the economic recovery has been fragile and GDP per capita is still below its precrisis levels, although Gross National Income has received a boost from favourable term of trade developments. Investment has been subdued and North-Sea oil production has been a drag on growth. Sluggish productivity growth continues to be a challenge, undermining long-term growth prospects of an economy with an ageing population. In many areas such as domestic services and retail more competitive pressure and innovationwould be a boon to growth. A number of reforms have been launched, but more can be done, for instance boosting competition in retail and pharmacies.

  • Assessment and recommendations

    Denmark’s population enjoys high material living standards, extensive social welfare, and scores highly on a number of dimensions of well-being (Figure 1). The economy is finally set to recover from a protracted recession, and households are enjoying private sector jobs growth and rising real incomes. Unemployment is low and the “Nordic Model”, combining efficiency enhancing market forces, high quality public services, and an encompassing social net, is still working well.

  • Progress in structural reforms

    This annex summarises recommendations made in previous Surveys and actions taken since the OECD Economic Survey on Denmark published in January 2014.