The following statistics concern “foreigners with a legal residence and work permit with an income of more than 1000 DKK per month”. EU citizens, who work or stay in Denmark for less than three months, as well as Nordic citizens, are not part of the statistics.

As such, the statistics can be interpreted to comprise “Expats” in the broadest possible sense, but may of course include foreigners who wouldn’t normally be considered, or who don’t term themselves, expatriates.

Where applicable, the total numbers include students, 53 pct. of which study on full-time 1-2 year programmes.

Yearly intake of Expats 2004-2009

The yearly intake of Expats in 2004-2009 shows how many work, residence and study permits were approved. The graph shows an exponential growth in the intake of especially EU citizens in 2004-2008, due to the high availability of jobs, but also a five-fold increase in the number of Expats from outside EU on the special Expat work schemes (from 950 in 2004 to 4.714 in 2009).

Table 1. Yearly intake of Expats 2004-2009, in thousands.

Where do Expats live in Denmark?

Most Expats live in the greater Capital Region, Zealand, and Bornholm. 14.173 live in Copenhagen and Frederiksberg municipalities. 3.713 are registered in Århus, 2.186 in Odense, and finally 2.048 in Aalborg. Gentofte, Esbjerg, Ringkøbing-Skjern, Horsens, Kolding, Herning, and Viborg municipalities each count between 1000-1300 Expats.

Note: 8.978 are unspecified.

Where do Expats come from?

Most foreigners in Denmark come from the new EU member states, followed by EU-15 (mostly Great Britain, Germany, and France). Many also come from Asia, particularly India and China. The below table gives an overview of national origin in 2009. Some of the more dominant nationalities are highlighted – all countries are included in the totals.

Table 2. National and regional origin of Expats living in Denmark

Distribution of EU and non-EU Expats

All expats
Most Expats come from one of the 27 members European Union or Switzerland (only 252). Nordic citizens and EU citizens staying for less than three months are not included.

* Including Switzerland

Expats from the EU
Of those coming from the EU, the vast majority (86 percent) are employed, or related to an employed Expat. 14 percent are students, interns or aupairs.

Expats from outside the EU
With 55 percent of Expats from outside the EU being employed, and 45 percent being full- or part-time students, the statistics indicate a considerable interest in Denmark as a place of higher education.

Where are Expats employed?

The below diagram shows the main industries in which Expats are employed. Most Expats work within trade, transport and business services. We also see how construction and planning positions are almost completely occupied by Europeans, whereas non-Europeans are a majority in agriculture, forestry, and fishery. Expats from outside the EU are also highly present in the health industry, as well as information and communication.

* Business services include consultancy, advertising, research & development, and property services.

Note: The total number of expats within the respective industries may add up to a larger amount than the actual number of expats currently in Denmark. This is probably due to a change in field of employment in 2009, whereby Expats statistically occupy more than one industry.

Under what schemes are Expats living, working or studying in Denmark?

Coinciding with the above statistics on origin, most Expats are either employed EU citizens, or students. The “Other” category includes spouses, children, pensioners, and others who are financially self-sufficient according to the immigration laws. Compared to the number of EU citizens, the number of Expats on the immigration schemes designed with the highly qualified expatriate workforce in mind, is relatively low. Most are on the Pay Limit scheme (2.023) or the Positive List scheme (1.585). 544 are here on the Green Card scheme, and only 16 are registered under the Corporate scheme.

Note that the total number of expats appearing in the above diagram is slightly larger than the actual number. This is probably due to students become employed within the statistical year, thereby appearing in two categories.

Number of Expats working in Denmark in 2009

As can be seen from the graph below, the vast majority of Expats working in Denmark in 2009 arrived in either 2009 or 2008. Only one fourth of the remaining Expats (approx. 11.000) arrived in Denmark prior to 2008 (between 2004-2007). The drop in 2009 is also reflected in Table 1. Yearly intake of Expats 2004-2009.

Disclaimer

The primary statistical source, Jobindsats.dk, is provided by The National Labour Market Authority. Expat in Denmark assumes no responsibility for incorrect data or typos. We also acknowledge the possibility of alternative definitions and statistical delimitations in analysing and answering the above questions.