New EU citizens use welfare less than others

Danes receive more in social benefits than eastern Europeans

Mar 28, 2014

Eastern Europeans living in Denmark are not using the welfare system as much as Danes and people with other nationality backgrounds, according to new analysis from Dansk Arbejdsgiverforening.

Somalians top the list
Residents from the new EU countries in eastern Europe are only paid an average of 34,000 kroner a year in welfare benefits, such as unemployment support, state education grants (SU), housing assistance and child benefits. This is 12,000 kroner less than the average for a Danish citizen and 39,000 kroner less than the average for a Turkish citizen living in Denmark. The Somalians top the list with an average of 120,000 kroner a year.

The analysis is based on numbers from Danmarks Statistik and Beskæftigelsesministeriet.

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Denmark has highest share of knowledge intensive workers in Nordics

Denmark leads the Nordic countries in knowledge-intensive jobs, with 9.2% of its adult population employed in high-skill sectors like technology, IT, and pharmaceuticals.
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