Denmark still has the world’s best energy system

World Energy Council ranks Danes first for fourth straight year

Since the World Energy Council launched its Energy Trilemma Index in 2014, Denmark has finished top every year. That trend won’t be staved off this year.

Denmark ranked first again in the newly published index (here in English), ahead of Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the UK – which had a masterful year, jumping up to fifth all the way up from 11th. The Danes ranked first for Energy Security, 12th for Energy Equity and fourth for Environmental Sustainability.

“It’s with pride that I see that Denmark has the best energy system in the world. It underlines how we have found a strong combination of supply security, green transition and affordable energy,” said the climate and energy minister, Lars Christian Lilleholt.

“Denmark worked hard to get to the top … and it’s a position we need to do everything at our disposal to maintain, particularly given we are about to begin negotiations for a new energy agreement in Parliament in the new year.”

READ MORE: Denmark is the undisputed OECD wind energy champ

African agony
Lilleholt went on to credit Denmark’s broad political co-operation across party lines regarding its energy policy since the 1970s as a key reason for the country’s high ranking in the index.

Germany came in sixth, with Norway, France, New Zealand and Slovenia completing the top 10.

It was unfortunately an all-African affair at the bottom of the index with Niger coming in dead last, preceded by Benin, Tanzania, Chad, DR Congo and Zimbabwe. Africa’s best result came from Mauritius in 47th place.

Other notables included Finland (11), Iceland (14), the US (15), Ireland (20), Canada (21), Japan (30), Australia (33), South Korea (39), Russia (44), Brazil (54), Mexico (57) Indonesia (75), China (86) and India (92).

(photo: WCE)




  • How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    Being part of a trade union is a long-established norm for Danes. But many internationals do not join unions – instead enduring workers’ rights violations. Find out how joining a union could benefit you, and how to go about it.

  • Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals are overrepresented in the lowest-paid fields of agriculture, transport, cleaning, hotels and restaurants, and construction – industries that classically lack collective agreements. A new analysis from the Workers’ Union’s Business Council suggests that internationals rarely join trade unions – but if they did, it would generate better industry standards.

  • Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    The numbers are especially striking amongst the 3,477 business and economics students polled, of whom 31 percent elected Novo Nordisk as their favorite, compared with 20 percent last year.