Health spending as a share of total government spending in Denmark
Denmark: Health spending as a share of total government spending was 16.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Health spending as a share of total government spending in Denmark, 2000–2023
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, health spending as a share of total government spending in Denmark stood at 16.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.1% on the previous year and up 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, health spending as a share of total government spending in Denmark peaked at 18.2% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 12.7%, in 2000.
That places Denmark 24th out of 195 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Health spending as a share of total government spending in Denmark, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 12.7% | — |
| 2001 | 13.3% | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 13.7% | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 13.9% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 14.2% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 14.9% | +4.6% |
| 2006 | 15.4% | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 15.7% | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 15.8% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 15.9% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 15.8% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 15.5% | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 15.3% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 15.6% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 15.8% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 16.1% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 16.5% | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 16.8% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 16.7% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 17.1% | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 16.9% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 18.2% | +7.8% |
| 2022 | 17.8% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 16.9% | -5.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14.6% | 12.7% | 15.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.1% | 15.3% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.5% | 16.9% | 18.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
More health data for Denmark
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -3.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.1019 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,179 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 31 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate -0.3149 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.0758 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate -0.3298 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.0799 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is health spending as a share of total government spending in Denmark?
- Health spending as a share of total government spending in Denmark was 16.9% in 2023, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest health spending as a share of total government spending recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 18.2% in 2021.
- What is the lowest health spending as a share of total government spending recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.7% in 2000.
- How does Denmark rank for health spending as a share of total government spending?
- Denmark ranks 24th out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is health spending as a share of total government spending rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Denmark data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Health spending as a share of total government spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Domestic general government health expenditure expressed as a percentage of total expenditure of the general government.