A new study by Berlingske found that Denmark’s wealthiest people have weathered the 2008 financial crash better than most – the total personal wealth of Denmark’s 50 wealthiest families has grown by 260.8 billion kroner since the crisis ended – an increase of 155.8 percent.
In contrast, Denmark’s middle class has seen a growth in wealth of only 42 percent since 2009. Most of this gain has been a result of increased savings, which are up by 54 percent.
If I was a rich man…
Economist and journalist Ejlif Thomasen, who produced the report for Berlingske, noted that all of the people who have benefited immensely are either entrepreneurs or business owners who mainly deal in production and trade.
“In the past, there have been other areas of business that took the lead. For example, there was both a real estate period and an IT period, but they don’t dominate the list very much now, he said.”
People featured on the list include the Kirk Kristiansen family (owners of the Lego empire) and the Louis-Hansen family (the people responsible for Coloplast). Other families featured are those behind Jysk, Ecco and Danfoss.
