Danes love shopping online

In Europe, only the British buy products on the internet more often than the Danes do

Almost 80 percent of Danes bought something over the internet last year, placing the nation in second position in a European comparison.

Only the British shopped online more often, according to the European Commission.

Other Scandinavian countries ranked high with Norway placing third, followed by Sweden.

Dansk Erhvervs has calculated that after deducting housing expenses, some 10 percent of private spending was used on e-commerce.

It's cheaper and more comfortable
“When the domestic market is active and e-commerce thrives, Danish online shops have an opportunity to expand abroad,” Marie Louise Thorstensen, a consultant at Dansk Erhvervs, told Politiken.

Besides shopping online in general, more than every third Dane bought something from a website in another EU country.

Thorstensen believes ordering products from abroad may be cheaper as prices are generally high in Denmark due to high wages and taxes.

"There are also some things you simply cannot get in Denmark, and although shopping across borders is not a new phenomenon, what’s new is that people can do it from the comfort of their home now,” he said.


FACT BOX: E-commerce in EU (Source: EU-Commission)
Proportion (percentage) of the population that shopped online in 2014

TOP FIVE

UK 78.7
Denmark 77.7
Norway 76.7
Sweden 74.8
Luxembourg 74.0

BOTTOM FIVE

Romania 10.1
Bulgaria 16.6
Italy 22.3
Greece 25.7
Lithuania 26.0




  • How saying ‘yes’ to doing things led international Martijn Koekkoek to carve out a career in networking in Denmark

    How saying ‘yes’ to doing things led international Martijn Koekkoek to carve out a career in networking in Denmark

    Entrepreneurship wasn’t on the cards for Koekkoek when he moved to Copenhagen 15 years ago, but both by design and necessity, he laid the foundations of Everybody Networks Here—a networking community that encourages internationals to come as they are and connect over shared stories, passions, and struggles in an informal and inclusive setting.

  • Is Denmark’s budget surplus thanks to internationals?

    Is Denmark’s budget surplus thanks to internationals?

    Between 2002 to 2023, Denmark’s annual public balances have been underestimated by an average of 1,8% of GDP each year by the Ministry of Finance. The continued error accumulates 1,049 billion DKK unaccounted for the whole 20-year span. As the Danish government increasingly attracted international residents over that period, to what extent are internationals contributing to the country’s economic growth?

  • Bringing international theatre to the masses

    Bringing international theatre to the masses

    In a continually more globalized Copenhagen, the international crowds’ increasing demands for English entertainment have so far not been met. Now, an English-language theatre troupe, made up of internationals, is trying to bring Nordic high culture to the international crowd of Denmark

  • Trained nurses trapped in the system: Is it discrimination?

    Trained nurses trapped in the system: Is it discrimination?

    Despite language skills and years of experience, international healthcare professionals are unemployed due to system failures at SIRI and hospital recruitment.

  • Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen removed as CEO of Novo Nordisk

    Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen removed as CEO of Novo Nordisk

    According to a “mutual agreement” between board members of the global healthcare company Novo Nordisk, Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen will step down from his position as CEO. He was appointed at this position since January 2017

  • “More internationals should learn Danish”: interview to Studieskolen director

    “More internationals should learn Danish”: interview to Studieskolen director

    Qasim Shaikh, Managing Director of Studieskolen since August 2024, comments on the survey, pointing out that more Danes are becoming uncomfortable with English replacing Danish: “More internationals should consider learning the language. It would make their lives here easier.”